THE GOOD OLE BOY$ CLUB

[scorpionace]

B.S.A

 

 

B ack

S tabing

A ssociation

 

$$$ spend spend spend $$$

 

C E Os with big fat wallets

 

Don,t spend much on the kids

 

So much corruption wont last for another 100 years

 

SCOUT LEADERS WITH SWELLED HEADS BIG EGOS

 

STEELING FROM OUR YOUTH

that is what southern Illinois has become

 

 

[scorpionace]

I caught them with there hands in the cookie jar and saint louis is turning a blind eye to them

[fleetfootedfox]

The district and council cannot micro-manage the finances of individual units. If you really caught somebody stealing, it is a police matter. If you haven't called the police, I am guessing nothing illegal took place and you are just angry about somebody else making a bad decision. However, the council cannot crack down on every Scoutmaster who ever made a poor decision. If they did, there would be none left after a few years

 

I am not saying there is not a good ole boys club in many cases. However, don't forget that the good ole boys are also often the guys who do the most work and cheerful service for others. Without those guys, you probably wouldn't have a troop to complain about.

 

In my cub scout pack we have a group of parents that have been accusing the committee chair and treasurer of mishandling pack finances simply because she did not share information with them as quickly as they wanted it or in the manner they wanted. IMHO, they are getting very close to defamation of character.

 

I do not think you would want to end up getting sued so you should be careful how you go about accusing people.

[ScoutNut]

Wow, you really do have a way with words! Talk about large egos.

 

If you hate the program why are you, and your son, in it?

 

You state you have been a BSA volunteer since your son was a Cub Scout, and he is now an adult leader in a Boy Scout Troop. Surely at some point either you, or him, learned how the BSA is set up, and how a Council, District, and unit, works.

 

Your council can NOT do anything about what what YOU consider a "misuse of funds". The funds do NOT belong to the council, they belong to your CHARTER ORGANIZATION!

 

Your Boy Scout Troop is OWNED by it's CHARTER ORGANIZATION.

 

It is up to the CHARTER ORGANIZATION to take your Troop's leaders to task for the money they spent.

 

Have you spoken to your Charter Organization Rep at all?

 

The Scout Executive of the Greater St Louis Council has nothing to do with your Troops money woes. Neither does the Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Beavah]

Yah, hmmmm...

 

I reckon it's always a good thing to honestly reflect on and assess ourselves, eh? Da BSA is like any large organization. It has its issues. The Irving office is like any office full of executives. Dilbert is not a comic strip, it's a documentary.

 

Yah, and sure, every now and again a local troop or (more often) a district or (less often) a council runs off da rails. Yah, and sure, wherever money gets concentrated it's like manure. It can help make things grow if you've got good seeds, but it sure attracts a lot of flies.

 

That havin' been said, there's a lot of good in people too, and a lot of good in the organization. Scouting the Movement remains fairly strong, and is alive and doin' OK in the BSA. There are a lot of simply wonderful adults, dedicated leaders and committee members and board members and execs out there. And a whole army of really great kids, eh?

 

Scorpionace, if yeh really have a problem with out-and-out embezzlement in your unit then yeh need to talk to the Chartered Org. Rep. and Institution Head pronto. It's their troop, and odds are they have institutional policies in place for respondin' to such things. Leastways if they're a church or such.

 

If your problem is more with dumb decisions or the financial controls that are in place, you take that up with the committee, eh? There should be a treasurer separate from the CC, and unrelated to the CC or the SM. Someone other than the treasurer should get a copy of the monthly bank statements for review. Yeh might decide that two signatures are required on checks. You should put a limit on the expenditures a SM or treasurer on their own can authorize without committee vote. There should be a plan for da purchase, maintenance, and depreciation of capital equipment like a trailer or tents.

 

If yeh find that a few folks on da committee are blockin' reasonable financial controls, yeh approach the COR and IH and express your concern, and leave it up to them whether to "insist." And then yeh don't worry about it too much, beyond decidin' whether you are goin' to participate in fundraising if yeh think the accounting is poor.

 

Sometimes da way to deal with da good ol' boys is just avoid 'em and go camping. That's where all the fun is anyways.

 

Beavah

 

[CalicoPenn]

Southern Illinois? If you're really that upset about it, contact the Attorney General's office - they have a department that deals with non-profit financial compliance and even a Scout Troop not registered as a non-profit in the State will have to comply. Tell them your story and let them take it from there.

 

Just be prepared to offer some proof, and to burn all of your bridges with the Scout Troop and the Chartering Organization.

[CD_Ranger]

This is another prime example of why you should wait at least one day to post anything on a forum if you are overly emotional about the subject. Gather your thoughts, put them down on paper wait a day and read what you put down, edit what you wrote and then in a clear and ordered manner post what happened and ask a question. Insane babblings and random accusations make you look like you are the one here that has the problem.

[scorpionace]

what the matter?

truth hurts huh

a non profit org ceo shouldn't get a million a year

i,m not saying all of scouting is bad just some bad eggs

think about it sell popcorn,candy bars make lots of profit from the kids labor

and the the parents still have to spend hundreds $$$ for camping? and what do the kids get oh wow a patch made in china just like the uniforms cheap labor over inflated cost

then you have friends of scouting wanting donations and they will give you a cheap coffee cup or something. the money sure don't go towards the kids

Then there is the clear cutting of timber on donated scout land somebody is sure making the money.and like a bunch of sheep you play follow the leader no matter if it makes since or not

then get all upset because someone voices a negative opinion. let see last time i checked this is still America and we have freedom of speech or do we??

don't like it dont read it.

 

[Lisabob]

Man oh man.

 

Free speech. Yes, you have that. You have the right to say a wide variety of things, some of which may cause you to look like an idiot. But you do have that right. Never mind that you don't know what you're talking about. Somehow I don't believe you are a long-time scouter as you claim, because if you were, you'd know a couple of things about how scouting is organized that you seem to be oblivious to. If you don't like fundraising, don't do it. Nobody's forcing you and certainly not the BSA.

 

 

 

[Eagle1982]

First of all, "Freedom of Speech". That does not apply to privately funded businesses, web pages or forums. Since I believe this is a private board, the owners make the rules and can moderate it to their own purposes. So you really don't have freedom of speech here, you have "Freedom if they let you, speech" here.

 

Second, if you are going to start asserting that certain people are "stealing from kids." and other things, you do set yourself up to be libel. Freedom of speech only goes so far you know.

 

I don't know about IL, but my son's Scout camp is 1/2 the cost of the church camp and 1/4 the cost of a week of military camp. So here it's still a decent deal.

 

 

[Greg Nelson]

Well, the original post is over the top, but it's hardly worthy of the immediate dismissal it has earned.

 

Quote: If you don't like fundraising, don't do it. Nobody's forcing you and certainly not the BSA.

 

You don't hang out much in my neck of the woods. There is ENORMOUS pressure from the professional Scouters to sell popcorn and hold FOS presentations. In my experience, the BSA absolutely DOES coerce you to fundraise.

 

We had an FOS presentation a few months back that, to me, bordered on fraud. All sorts of false claims that FOS money went to pay for this and that for the boys. He took credit for a lot of activity - district training, day camp, Camporees, OA activities - that are self-funded and 100% volunteer staffed. From where I'm sitting, the only "benefit" our unit gets is our DE. And what does he do for us?

 

1) Nags us to sell popcorn. Council gets 42%, we (the unit - that is, the boys) get 28%, the customer gets a ridiculously over-inflated price.

2) Gives a FOS presentation. Or, as I like to call it, begging for your salary. In our council, if a DE can't raise money, he is shown the door after a year or two.

 

Look, I understand that the council needs money to operate and to maintain the council camps. But don't imply that FOS money is spent on activites for the Scouts. Because, at least in my district, it is not.

[NealOnWheels]

And it is not helpful to send offensive private messages to other forum members.

[scorpionace]

Whats that

 

BAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

 

BAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

 

 

The sheep are angry!

 

Poor sheep

[scorpionace]

I agree with Greg Nelson

his eyes are open about the lil scam they have going

[scorpionace]

Maybe the government needs to take over it like auto industry.

i wonder if the BSA CEOs have private jets????

 

Really they should get audited from the top to the very roots