FW: [Membership] Re: [IFWP] "Organic/dynamic" self-forming constituencies?

["Scott, Thomas R." <TomRScott@On-SiteComputer.com>]

> ----------
> From: 	Karl Auerbach[SMTP:karl@CaveBear.com]
> Reply To: 	Karl Auerbach
> Sent: 	Thursday, March 11, 1999 3:52 PM
> To: 	Eric Weisberg; IFWP Discussion List
> Cc: 	Jim Fishkin; membership
> Subject: 	[Membership] Re: [IFWP] "Organic/dynamic" self-forming
> constituencies?
> 
> 
>It seems to me that a pre-defined constituency plan is more readily
>captured.  In those cases one merely needs to gain control of
>constituencies with big built-in votes.

>And I might mention that with pre-defined constituencies, one need not
>capture the "membership" of that constituency, only its management that
>speaks with the voice of the contituency whether the membership agrees or
>not.

For a great example of the latter one could look to some of the problems
with SOME of the labor unions in the U. S..  The most aggressive would
directly deduct from their members' pay checks to give to one or more
political entities.  In the case of one state teachers' union, union
management had the schools deducted around $30+ from member pay checks for a
Political Action Committee that several members did not like.  Most of the
members did not know about or notice the deduction listed as "Other
deductions" and NO membership vote had been held to initiate the action.
The members had to resort to legal action in order to force the union to
discontinue the automatic deductions.

My $.02

 - Tom