Dear John:
I know you mean well. But I must register my profound and utter disagreement with you here. And, on principle.
At-Large representatives are volunteers. Largely.
I am seethe at this indignity that a measure of my voluntarism connects to me flying somewhere to volunteer my time, my energy, my intellectual capital and yes, my labour, all as public goods.
I would not wish to be so judged. And what is proposed is nothing but an episode of the slave's torment; doing what he thinks would appease his master by providing the hog grease for the leather whip that stipes his own back.
I came to this opposition from bitter experience. It started when I was the only elected LACRALO official. And in a period when travel was dangled as a benefit to volunteers. I couldn't give a tinker's damn since by that time I had already racked up 2 million plus airmiles. And traveling steerage class is not my idea of a fun time.
In that period of time, LACRALO arguably provided the most egregious examples of the ICANN tourist traveler. And I suffered the slings of my northern metropolitan colleagues for vehemently opposing sanctions on the then LACRALO ALAC representatives. [I am ever grateful to Evan for supporting me on principle!] My argument was those persons behaved badly as individuals. I told them so. One has hated me to this day. But inspite of him, I adamantly refused to support travel sanctions against them. That action reinforces that rather louche idea that travel is a benefit rather than the tool that it is to get a job done. And to hypothecate the tool as security for work to be done seems immoral to me.
Value is assigned my time and intellectual capital by others; I sell them for fee. I got home less than 2 hours ago from Suriname. Most in this thread would likely not even know where that is. it is a hump to get to. And, somebody paid me for that.
As a volunteer, my time, intellectual capital and my own coin have been placed in trust and in the service of the At-Large. An airplane ticket in steerage does not begin to compensate me as volunteer. It is no benefit to me or for me. It is rude and crude to suggest, must less legislate, that it is.
My position has not changed in these many years because the same response offends reason and conscience. It is for the At-Large constituents to pick representatives. And this seemingly Pavlovian response proffered is and remains a bad policy idea. It is inimical to the spirit of volutarism - real voluntarism! - that premises the At-Large engagement.
Best,
-Carlton
==============================
Carlton A Samuels
Mobile: 876-818-1799
Strategy, Process, Governance, Assessment & Turnaround
=============================