What happened to the National Taxidermist Association

Here's the thing and then like many others have said I'm done responding I think this will leave no questions....I followed the NTA BS for several months like many of you..Hoping it would get better but it didn't..still I wanted to believe that I would have an organization to call "Home" so to speak...
I had endless conversations with JJ and then at the world show with Russ knight about what the state of the NTA was and would be shortly...So feeling a little bit more assured after the world show, that supporting the NTA would be OK eventually, and when the time came for support through membership, I was one of the first to send in mine...That was right after the World show and they promptly cashed my check for 65.00 within a few days..So I'm thinking OK at least I can get about 7-8 months membership out of it still...no biggie...well weeks turned into months and after several calls and posting even on here about it, I never got a thing other than"I'm sorry it got overlooked and is in the mail" weeks and moths went by again and finally I think in Nov. I got my membership pack in the mail....WOW!! which consisted of a membership # that I couldn't use for anything..couldn't even log into the NTA site..so what good was that? Got a few coupons, big deal but better than nothing ..yeah boy...And some kind of NTA membership Award looking thing that was all bent up...Guess your supposed to frame it and proudly display it to show your support of the NTA...
So that about sums up my personal experience with the worst association I have ever tried to be a member of...Why would I possibly want to join this sham, scam, or whatever you wanna call it...It will never be fixed and run properly as everyone is too concerned with their own agendas...Oh they say they are not but damn...I was born at night, just not last night...I just wonder how many other members were treated with the disrespect that I was...
All I know is this...Once you do people like this, you can't un-ring that bell...and no I'm not whining about the measly 65 bucks...I am thoroughly disgusted with everyone that had had there hand in the cookie jars of the NTA though....All you people want is self recognition, and "Look at me"..."Look what I have done"...well I have sat back and watched what you all have done...You have all took part in the complete meltdown of what could have been the flagship association in our industry...Instead you all are the laughing stock of it...remember there are a heck of alot more taxi's that do not come on here that do..so just because your not flooded with 10,000 messages, pm's, and email regarding the NTA from taxis all over doesn't mean that they don't feel the same way...They just have better things to do than worry about some has been association that has nothing to offer anyone...Not even good ole camaraderie...
Too many things in this world now are falling by the wayside just as the NTA did..All because of Greed!!...Look at Ken and the great bunch that put on the World show and run this site...You know why it's so good? Simple..because he and his staff cares, and are not greedy, and have nothing to prove...You take a great idea and execute it, and listen to people, and do it for the people...
In closing let me say this..Their still may be some basically good people trying to get things done..How would we know though??? Problem is I feel they have misplaced the values they were taught by there parents...People back in the day relied on one another, helped one another, and were always there for one another....How long do you think an outsider would have lasted back in the Pioneer days that screwed over everyone and caused problems???
And no I do not have anger issues..I left that life 25 years ago..I do though have a problem with people that take advantage of me, lie to me, steal from me, and are deceitful to me...I feel lucky now at 47 to have learned a few things from my old man before he passed away...He always told me that at the end of the day, if you have tried your best, gave it your all, and have done more good than bad, that you can go to bed with a clear conscious...So I ask all of the people calling the shots that same question...At the end of the day did you try your best???...Did you give it your all??? Did you do more good than bad for the NTA?? and one I'll throw in there is are you doing what you do for the NTA? or for yourself?...Only you know that answer, so do you have a clear conscious when you lay your head down to sleep tonight???

 

My last post was as a mod, trying to keep the peace and keep this thread fair for taxinet readers. This reply is by me as a taxidermist and sometimes NTA member, not as a mod here...

Some of us dont feel like we have been "done" I guess. I have a rule of engagement in life, in my life, that I extend to others. Anyone can and has the right to piss and moan about how something fails them. The trick is, who can speak as loudly to explain a legit way to fix whats wrong? Anyone can tell you the car aint working right, few can fix it right.

To dablaw...
".I am thoroughly disgusted with everyone that had had there hand in the cookie jars of the NTA though....All you people want is self recognition, and "Look at me"..."Look what I have done"...well I have sat back and watched what you all have done...You have all took part in the complete meltdown of what could have been the flagship association in our industry."

"..Their still may be some basically good people trying to get things done..How would we know though??? "

Sorry man, but you havent been sitting back and watching long enough if you think this to be true. It melted a while before you got in your chair my friend. You only witnessed the latest round of being mishandled. Also, your second quote kinda speaks volumes of your first quote I posted here. How COULD you know who the basically good people are...you just condemned them all. I can assure you, just as you say theres many more taxidermists who are discouraged like you, but just havent said so publically? Theres that many taxidermists who are privately trying to right this ship...and just not saying so. So much for that want for self recognition...

Now before you reply to me, let me be honest with you. Im not happy with whats going on either, and I also do not blame you for feeling as you do. I just dont agree with you 100%.

I do believe the NTA cannot grow and represent a group of people who cannot weather this storm. We will fail the NTA just as much as the NTA can fail us.

 

I'm not going to keep going back and forth on this as it really does sound like a broken record ...same things..over and over...The NTA failed me plain and simple because they took my 65 dollars...cashed it asap and then sent my membership finally with a month left in the year...65 bucks don't mean jack squat to me...Character and principle does..And how it made me feel was that I got took, and ripped off like a bad telemarketing scheme...Bill, when i said that I'm disgusted with all who had there hand in the NTA cookie jar, and then went on to say there my still be basically good people in it but how would we know...what I'm saying is that my hope would be that someone is left that wasn't involved and has their heart in the right place..plain and simple..nothing more...but like I said how would we know..No one ever says...I was born and raised on a few principles...Respect your elders...treat people the way you want to be treated...Never cheat, lie, or steal...and try to do as much good as you can in the world as were only here for a blink, and the last time I looked I have never seen a u-haul in a funeral procession..We will all leave the way we came in...all we have left is our reputation, integrity, and morals, as our legacy that we left behind to the next generation...So yes I'll agree, to respectfully disagree on some counts and issues...But in the end I honestly feel, that until there is a group in place, that has no agenda, and only wants the NTA to succeed, for the membership of the future after we are all gone, that the tail is wagging the dog...

 

AMEN!

 

Dablaw, I do respect your opinion. I also am sure your words are echoed by many. In my heart, I hope we can all come to an agreement and move on. I guess time will tell. Thanks for your response.

 

dablaw, you sent your money into the NTA shortly after the world show. That means you sent it to Slidell LA. to the Crains. I know there are others that did the samething.

NOw I do know I have made every attempt to talk to you via internet. This is the first time you have mentioned when you sent your dues in and I do know I have ask many times.

THIS IS EXACTLY WHY THERE HAD TO BE A CHANGE IN MANAGEMENT!!

Why is the world show different??? It is a private enterprise owned by Larry Bloomquist and others.



""""well I have sat back and watched what you all have done...You have all took part in the complete meltdown of what could have been the flagship association in our industry."""""

Well Sir, it takes time to rebuild a total disaster, do you not understand we have nothing, not even one piece of paper from the old NTA HQ in Slidell LA. Nothing with any information, we got a trailer full of trash, primarily a huge number of over printed OUTLOOKS, a few cheap plastic trophies and bingo set. We would not have had backboards except they were not stored in Louisiana.

Yes Sir, we are starting over from nothing, NO BANK RECORDS!!!! PRIOR to May 17, 2013 None nadda nothing!! Nothing to figure out who had preregistered for the convention either.

The active board has one mission and that is to put the NTA back together.
We have put into the system checks and balances. The President knows by checking the bank account on line how much we have. The Sec will not write a check to pay a bill until authorized to do so.

Deposits come in to one location that is the NTA HQ
Mailing Address: National Taxidermists Association
PO Box 549
Green Forest, AR 72638
Phone: 855-772-8543
Fax: 870-438-4218

It did take a couple days and two 140 mile drives to get some things straightened out for the SEC/TREAS, I know the in-turn director had to make several trips to the bank also. The bank chosen is Nation wide Bank, because this way at any show there is almost always a bank close at hand. Not some local bank.

Since Oct 1, 2013 The NTA has been on track. Somehow we managed to pull off a very good convention in Baton Rouge July 2013. One of the friendliest NTA conventions I have ever attended!!

Oh I do have to mention, we found out in late November the Greg Crains name was still on the MORGAN STANLEY ACCOUNTS. That was fixed the next week!!!!!!

The past two months also the AD&D insurance has gone through a serious review. We are making an effort to improve the value of this for members.

The only way I think I can relate to anyone, just how bad this was, is to compare it to the worst case scenario of a bad bad divorce, some one loosing their home to a fire, totally loosing their home to a fire. You come home find the foundation and even the foundation has fire damage. you had everything but the clothing on your back there, all your family history everything you ever valued was in that fire, your pets were in there. You start rebuilding and suddenly for some reason a fire takes out the framing, so you switch locations just to find you carried a bucket of hot coals and that burned your storage shed.

So now you finally find a few things, you get a bit of a settlement and darned if someone don't make a claim you set the fire, but you were away in church for three days when this fire took place.

Its just one thing after another, you find out something is wrong with the 2X4s, you started with again, those need to be straightened, then you find out the footing needs repair, so you call the people to come in and jack the footing up with piling and pump mud under it...

Then someone says the zoning laws forbid you from doing that, well it is to late the concrete had harden and its the best concrete money could buy, best rebar you can buy.

You can bet one thing, the current active board is working hard to fix this, yes we have had set backs, but unraveling this 1000 feet of tangled miniature Christmas lights is not easy but its gettign down and then the lights are starting to burn.

I am sure each and everyone on the board has been as frustrated as I have and you have been in the speed that this has taken place. I am sure most of the board have wanted to to hell with this, just as you and others have. But we have the intestinal fortitude to stay the course and finish the job they were elected to or appointed to and raise the the NTA up to where is should have been.

The board of directors is a phone call away.
http://www.nationaltaxidermists.com/board-of-directors.cfm

Members have wanted the NTA fixed for many, many years. Now some think its not happening fast enough, well believe me when I say the Board wishes we could have twitched our noses and fixed it.

Dablaw, is you have any questions call me. send me a pm and I will call you!!

 

Here is the thread that led to me sending in my 65.00..it was in June when I sent my money in..I couldn't remember for sure...So now with that date in mind was my money sent to the crains or the "New NTA"

http://www.taxidermy.net/forum/index.php/topic,342886.0.html

As you can see at the bottom of page one this is what JJ said and I quote...

"While it is true, we are met with confrontational legal intent during the process of recovering all NTA property, we respectfully maintain every lawful means of securing it as soon as possible. When taxidermists we speak with ask what they can do to help, we simply respond by saying, "Please join the NTA".

So I felt like I was doing what was needed of me at the time...I asked JJ many times if there was anything else I could do and the response was always the same...join the NTA, and then if we need you for anything we will call ya...I was being sincere in wanting to help out in anyway I could but since I'm relatively unknown on here and in the NTA good ole boys club, and just being a small one man shop I guess I wasn't needed or perceived as that I could do anything...No I'm not made of money, and if that's all the NTA needed, then they were right as I am not made of money.I do try to donate when and where I can though..And look I know alot of you have tens of thousands of dollars or more invested in this fight, and that's your choice to do so..But if someone basically steals 65.00 from you or 65,000 isn't the principle the same? It's never been about the money, but about principle, honesty and integrity..Y'all have a good Sunday...David.

One more thing John...Your analogy with the burning house...To keep along those lines..I used to actually build houses years ago..From the ground up..and I can tell you that The difference was that I first and foremost had people in place that were #1 honest good hard working people, #2 were the best I could get in my area with the most knowledge in their field, and #3 always did as they said they would and on time...With that infrastructure in place, and pre planning with zoning and inspectors lined up in advance, my people could do their jobs, unimpeded by holdups and set backs...All it takes is the right people, with good work ethic, and knowledge to get the job done in a timely manner to complete any task....

 

It will take time to get the bugs worked out! Got good people working on it! Patience!!!!!

 

So where did you send the check? I looked in the link and there is not mention of address and only you can tell us where you sent the check.

 

I dont have that info anymore..Only that it was sent on june 16th but after looking through archives I waited until the new NTA HQ was in place so I'm assuming Ohio..It was cashed on 7/3/2013..We have an electronic statement that only shows the front of the check, not who endorsed it..Like I said when everyone was waiting for the OK to join after the mess and after the WTC, thats when i sent mine in when we were assured that the money was going to the right place..So I was told anyway by JJ and I'm thinking Joe Kulis? or someone who was speaking on behalf at the time..I cant find the right post...

 

I recommend some checks and balances be put in the system going forward. In our case we had 3 people (trustees), who would compare the checkbook against the minute book and make sure the authorized spending and bank balance matched.. This was done at least quarterly. After a few cycles the guys could do it in an hour or so. It kept everyone honest and if there were any mistakes made or discrepancies it was discovered right away. JMO

 

It was sent to bedford Ohio..Found the return envelope..Was Joe Kulis..

 

dablaw, pm me your information, and I will get with HQ and see if Connie has any info you you.

EA, yes we have done that and it will be in the new bylaws.