scoutldr

Good lesson here. When you donate something (cash or equipment) to a Troop, you are actually donating it to the CO.

DeanRX, I find your opinions on alcohol interesting. I agree, offering alcohol to underage scouts is criminal behavior and there is zero tolerance. But the jails are full of DUIs who swear they "only had one". My son's boss, the Deputy Police Chief is one who comes to mind. She's now demoted after being publicly humiliated in the newpaper. When we have youngsters out in the woods, we have an obligation to be on top of our game. Who knows what emergency will occur in the middle of the night requiring a trip to the ER. If that happens, I want all the adults to have a BAC of ZERO. Period.(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

"DE also knows about this situation and concurs that it's something we should begin to look into." IMHO, the DE is the one who should be brokering this for you. It is in his/her best interest to save the Unit and see that it has a proper Chartering Organization which is willing to uphold it's end of the contract. The DE needs to convince the CO to relinquish its ownership of the unit and its assets (if any), after HE has lined up a new CO. Ask him to do his job, or there will be no troop.

As with any outing, be sure to get parental permission slips just to cover the bases.

There are no "closed" meetings involving youth. Any parent is welcome to attend and observe. On the other hand, I could see closing committee meetings if having superfluous people there becomes disruptive or counterproductive. ASM's report to the SM and technically have no role in a Committee meeting.

A former boss explained to me once..."It's better to be wanted than to be qualified." A point that Obama seems to have grasped, as well. Finding a candidate who is not delinquent in their taxes should narrow the field quite a bit.

I am a federal employee in DOD. I still have a job, which I am grateful for, but my last real "promotion" was in 1991, so I have been topped out for years (mainly because I was unwilling to relocate to the beltway). Consequently, my take home pay is less now than it was 5 years ago, as things like health insurance, life insurance and taxes keep going up. The bulk of my retirement fund is in a 401k type plan and I've lost half of that in the past year. SWMBO is a school nurse (RN) and after 15 years on the job, just went over $40K. The school system announced today that salaries are frozen for the coming year, and several programs, including Drivers Ed, some gifted academies and year-round schools are being cancelled. She is concerned as things get worse, because there is no legal requirement in this state for schools to have nurses. MIL lives with us, and in spite of about $30K in annual income from survivor pension, SS and dividends, contributes nothing to the household. (Don't get me started on that.) I was hoping to take early retirement in 2010 and start a new career somewhere else, but it looks like that's a pipe dream. Until the Dems start slashing DOD, I will probably have a job as long as I want one due to seniority, but I expect salary freezes and declining budgets. At home, we are not considering any major purchases, we are eating out and traveling a lot less, and my focus now is to increase savings to try to make up my retirement fund and pay down my two mortgages. I am done paying for college (x2) due to a modest inheritance from my parents who died in 1995. I guess all in all, I'm better off than a lot of people. If I do get another "stimulus check", it will go straight into my IRA, stimulating nothing. PS: My wish is to be cremated, and scattered at the Scout Reservation. My buddies know my wishes, and said they will dump a scoop into each latrine, since I spend a lot of time there anyway! Over the years, I have come of the opinion that the casket, viewing, burial, headstone thing is silly. Return me to the compost heap where I can continue to do some good.(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

I don't mind controversial people. Heck, I like Joycelyn Elders. I do draw the line at criminals, however. Last I checked, tax fraud is a crime.

We really hate when new parents come in and "have a fit" because we're "not doing things correctly". Not a good way to start out.

At first glance, it was clear to me that the intent is to prevent funding from going to churches who operate schools on their property. I'm not a liberal Democrat, but I agree with this.

jblake, what if the PL is a 2nd Class? Is he still supposed to mentor the Life Scout?

I'm waiting for my President to request Mr. Geithner's resignation.

Forgive my soapbox, but back in the day (1970) when I made Eagle, there was no such thing as an "Eagle Advisor". When you made Life, you were expected to read the requirements and proceed to complete them...or not. It was up to you. Today, however, I do serve as "Eagle Advisor" for the unit I serve. I dare say that were it not for my constant reminding, cajoling, prodding, and dragging them kicking and screaming, we would have no Eagles. I haven't met many boys who are either capable or willing to "figure it out" and get it done, without being threatened or spoon fed every step of the way. They either don't care about it, or it's not a priority with everything else demanding their time. That's not to say there aren't notable exceptions. I suspect this issue is why the Eagle stats went from ~2% in my day to 4-5% now. My own Life Scout son told me, "you need to tell me what to do and give me deadlines, then I can get it done." I looked him square in the eye and said "if that's what it takes, then maybe you're not Eagle material". And he aged out as a Life Scout. His decision...not mine.

Maybe the Oath of Office should be changed to the Scout Oath. Isn't that how we really wish they would act?

I believe this is the position that BHO created to look at the efficiency of Govt programs, with an eye toward elimintating those which were not performing. Looks like the first one to be examined should have been the Income Tax system and IRS...the Dems seem to have a real hard time figuring that one out. Time for the Fair Tax!(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

What is your position in the unit?

Assuming I had not discussed the project (and funding) with the Scout prior to his beginning the project...I would ignore it, thus providing the scout another valuable life lesson.

According to this, meals are deductible. I stand corrected.

"I'm comforted by the knowledge that the tax code is just as complex and confusing for these folks as it is for the rest of us." From what I've read, the tax infractions were not something requiring a CPA to figure out. If you receive income, or "income in kind", such as the use of a limo, you report it. Also, those providing the benefit should report it on a form 1099. Any moron like me with a copy of TurboTax should be able to get it right. All of this should have been discovered during the vetting process. What is even more disturbing to me is the Obama administriation's and Democrat Congress' attitude that "yeah, but so what, he's a good guy." Aren't there any Democrat "good guys" out there that don't have tax skeletons? Yes, you can deduct expenses due to scouting activities, within reason. You can deduct the cost of uniforms that are not suitable for wear for other purposes. You cannot deduct the cost of meals that you, yourself consume. I don't cheat on my taxes...never have. And no, my recordkeeping is not the best and, if audited, there are some expenses that I probably couldn't document. But I do so with the understanding that, if audited, I would probably have to give it back...not because I was trying to "get away with it". That being said, I'm not running for political appointment and not having a proper mileage log for summer camp isn't going to embarrass my President. (Assuming they are capable of feeling embarrassment unlike the Clintons). (Rdited for typos.)(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

The answer is "d"...for democrat.

OK, for starters: They could have applied that money against the annual Council Service Fees (3.5% of total Council salaries), and allowed the councils to keep that money for local program use. They could have reduced the cost of uniforms, publications and awards. They could have offset the revenue lost from publication sales while they put everything on a CD and let registered members print them at will. For starters...

Not sure what all this has to do with the Patrol Method. What is preventing Scoutmasters from teaching the Patrol Method in their local units, and what does that have to do with the CSE's compensation package?

Being a former BSALG counselor, and WSI, I agree with dg98. WHat drove me nuts is our last Aquatic Director at camp, who "mothered" (sorry, ladies) the boys too much. She started out by asking "who is a non-swimmer"? Then those were set aside and given white buddy tags without even getting their feet wet. Next she asked "who is a beginner", then those were given ONLY the beginner test. NExt the swimmers. My style is to treat everyone as a swimmer until they prove otherwise. Staff should decide their ability...not the scout.

God bless you for your efforts, funscout. Yes, everyone can do something...and it shouldn't take government involvement. My story is much the same as you. We got married as soon as we completed our educations, at age 20. My first "surprise" came at age 23. We were both health professionals so we knew all about the birds and the bees (and how to prevent them), but the GYN who told my wife she was sterile was wrong. Being "sterile", we did not have "family" health insurance that included OB care. It took us years to pay off the hospital bill. The next "surprise" came at age 26, because the IUD didn't work. Then my wife had her tubes tied because that was all the "surprise" we could afford. She quit her RN job and stayed home after the second one and we survived on one salary. It was tough, but we lived within our means, and didn't take a dime of assistance from ANYONE, including the taxpayers. No cable TV, no new cars, no eating out, no fancy house in the burbs...but we made it work. When #2 started school, she went to work as a school nurse at his school, making half what she was making in the Hospital. We since upgraded to a nicer house, where we've been since 1983. "Surprises" are now 30 and 27, and I'm so glad God felt that we could "handle it", even though I wasn't "ready". But in other cases, I do have to wonder what in the world He is thinking.

As a federal employee, I was recently forced into a "pay for performance" system. No more automatic step increases and bonuses. If I don't meet or exceed my job objectives, I don't get a raise or bonus, not even for "cost of living". I wonder if one of Mr. Williams' objectives was to get membership to decline? Sounds kinda like Wall St to me.