[MR] NonMember Charges

[Gorm Of Berra]

I am asking this question not in my capacity as a Herald, but as a private
citizen who chooses to wonder about something...

OKay...so now I hear that not only does Atlantian Kingdom Law mandate a $3
surcharge for Non-SCA members (disguised very thinly as a $3 discount for
membership) but that the BoD has also instituted a tax on those not willing to
tithe to Milpitas of $3 as well?

So how exactly is this supposed to work?  Take the theoretical example of an
event budgeted as requiring a $10/person site fee to break even.

Since I know that 75% or more of those attending will be SCA members, and I
know that the budget requires $10/head, I therefore must set my site fee at
$13. (Before you say "You're gaming the system", keep in mind that a potential
autocrat has a fiscal responsibility to his local group to at least attempt to
break even on event costs, and many site contracts are worded in terms of cost
per head, regardless of their membership status)

Do I, as the theoretical autocrat, have to publish this fee structure:

Site Fee:  $13
Site Fee for SCA Members:  $10  ($3 Discount per Atlantian Kingdom Law)
Site Fee for Non-SCA Members:  $16 ($3 Non-Member penalty imposed by the BoD)

That is, to put it mildly, ludicrous, obviously.

But what are the alternatives?  I am required to obey both Atlantian Law and
BoD policy in my event costs, and the way they are worded that is the effect
that would have to be in place.

Alternatively, is Atlantian Law being changed?

And what is the effect on those events that, through fortunate relationships
with their site, do not have to charge a site fee?  Do we still have to
collect $3 per non-member head?

What of "demos" (such as the annual Highland River Melees) which are published
in the Acorn, thereby making them technically events.  Do they have to tell
those we are hoping to recruit "IF you want to see what we do, I have to get
$3 from you?"

I find it amazing in reading through the most recent financial statements
published in the TI's that the Board's budget is out of balance, but if you
add up all of the assets owned by the subgroups of the SCA, the SCA is making
money (not necessarily hand over fist, but a positive number is better than a
negative).  It's just the SCA, Inc. that is losing...

I won't make the obvious point that the decentralized decisionmaking at the
local levelts appears to be succeeding while the overreaching, seen as out of
touch monolith is failing...it'd be too easy.

Alan MacNeill

(All Gorm knows is that if the ship comes back with more loot than it left
with, the pillaging was successful)