Great Democratic Thinkers: Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Marvin UmHoltz???

The comments jumped off the page of your Sept. 16 online story "UmHoltz: NCUA Bylaw Changes Should Be Rethought". According to Marvin UmHoltz, credit union consultant and membership director of Coalition For Credit Union Charter Options, a banker led group which seeks to promote credit unions' ability to convert to mutual banks; "Every disgruntled FCU member, crackpot, leftist or right wing political extremist or antagonistic agitator will be empowered to waste the FCU's other members' time and resources, discouraging future attendance," said UmHoltz. "Control of the membership meeting agenda, procedures and timetable should be only subject to the board of director's good judgment as duly elected representatives of the membership". UmHoltz said he made his comments as a credit union consultant and not speaking for the CCUCO. Well, speaking of disgruntled FCU members and antagonistic agitators wasting time! Is it not an objective of democratically controlled organizations like credit unions, to allow for the freedom of expression of views of its members, regardless of their ideological basis? In this statement, UmHoltz apparently advocates control of the membership by elected representatives through the suppression of member input. So, according to UmHoltz, credit union members should just shut up, accept cloture, and live with that which is deemed to be in their best interest? I can think of several things that should be rethought about UmHoltz's statement. Oh, by the way, these too are just my personal opinions, as a credit union member (not in my capacity as an officer of the Texas Credit Union League). But there is one area to which I can agree with UmHoltz, God save us all from the crackpots, whatever hat they are wearing at the time! Mark Chatfield Credit Union Member and Volunteer Director Metroplex Credit Union SVP, Texas Credit Union League Dallas, Texas