<HTML><BODY STYLE="font:10pt verdana; border:none;"><DIV>Scott writes:</DIV> <DIV><BR>>I can also look up my bank and brokerage accounts<BR>>online - and even my Alaska Airlines Visa account -<BR>>and get my balances to the penny. However, if I were<BR>>talking to a reporter and for some reason I felt the<BR>>need to quote balances for any of these accounts I<BR>>would likely be off by a fair percentage. We're<BR>>ratholing on this issue.<BR><BR>>I'm not overly concerned about ballpark numbers that<BR>>come up in the course of a conversation with a<BR>>reporter. My question is this...is the Chamber in<BR>>financial dire straits and, if so, why?<BR><BR></DIV> <DIV>Can I get an amen from the choir? Why make up a number and thus look uniformed? Why not simply refuse to answer the question? Hem, haw, shuffle some papers, and say, "I'll have to get back to you on that." Works for John Kerry and George Bush. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Scott is right. Is the Chamber or is it not in dire financial straits? If the Chamber board chooses the path of inaction regarding Paul Kimmell's management problems, bookkeeping problems, hiring problems, and (the seven-minute icing on this doorstop of a fruitcake) the decision to orchestrate a Robert E. Lee leadership retreat, then what will the fallout be among Chamber members? How many will resign, taking their thousands of dollars in membership dues with them? Good questions, all, and all unanswered.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Joan Opyr/Auntie Establishment</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>PS: I'd like to propose an alternative for those businesses who no longer feel comfortable with the Chamber of Commerce. You are welcome instead to join Auntie Establishment's Chamber of Horrors. I can't guarantee you a year-round sales boost, but come Halloween, you'll be swamped with customers. Opyr is the Ukrainian word for vampire, you know. Oh wait, you didn't know? Oops! What a giveaway!</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Listen to the children of the night . . . what beautiful music they make. </DIV></BODY></HTML><br clear=all><hr>Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : <a href='http://explorer.msn.com'>http://explorer.msn.com</a><br></p>