“ Alone
and our voice is small.
—
Together we will be heard.
”
Barbara Bowen, NAM
|
"TODAY
The world around you will change!
It will be different
because of something you said or did.
Make that change a change for the better...
You can make this a better world today."
Dan Hopper, NAM
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
The officers of NAM and this newsletter staff pray for you this holiday season. May God bless you and keep you and those you love.
Please pray for us too, that we will have the courage and health to do more and to do better as we try to help those who need us.
Thank you for your loyal support. We’ll try to deserve it...
What us a Lifetime Membership?
Think about it. What did the salesman tell you when you purchased your ‘Lifetime Membership’?
I’ll bet they never said that you would have to pay annual fees ‘for the rest of your life’!
The only promise you got was that you would never have to pay another ‘initiation fee’...
Examine your contract and your membership agreement. Where does it say, specifically, that you cannot quit, that you must pay money every year until you die?
It is clear that you must pay the full ‘initiation fee’ if you do not cancel before the expiration of the legislated ‘cooling-off period’. (Usually 3-5 days.)
So what happens if you notify them (remember: in writing-return receipt) that you want your membership cancelled and that you will no longer use their facilities?
Your contract says simply that if your annual fees are not current - you may be denied use of their facilities! No other penalty/remedy is specified in any contract/membership agreement that we have reviewed.
It is the opinion of NAM that anyone who tries to intimidate you, to get you to pay money for the ‘rest of your life’, is a criminal and should be put in jail.
Why Are They NOT in Jail?
It seems that their most aggressive efforts are to intimidate ‘out-of-state’ former members. This reduces the risk that the state authorities in the state where they have campgrounds or home offices will prosecute them.
Other state’s officials are reluctant to prosecute offenders that are not based in their own state.
It seems that the appropriate agencies to go after these crooks are Federal. Why hasn’t the Federal Government gone after them?
Why Hasn’t the Federal Government Gone After the Campground Mafia?
NAM believes that the Federal officials haven’t received enough complaints that they feel warrant investigation.
How to File a Federal Complaint
The easiest and fastest way is on our (NAM) web site at http://www.natlassoc.org.
Let us know if you need help filing your complaint or if you want a printed form that you can use to mail your complaint to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Our contact information is on page #4 of this newsletter.
Easier RV Housekeeping
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Use empty toilet paper rolls to store appliance cords. You can write on the roll what appliance it belongs to.
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To remove old wax from a glass candle holder, put it in the freezer for a few hours. Take the candle holder out and turn it upside down. Wax will fall out.
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Permanent marker on appliances/counter tops (like store receipt BLUE!) rubbing alcohol on paper towel.
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Whenever I purchase a box of SOS pads, I immediately take a pair of scissors and cut each pad into halves. After years of having to throw away rusted and unused and smelly pads, I finally decided that this would be much more economical. Now a box of SOS pads last me indefinitely! In fact, I have noticed that the scissors get ‘sharpened’’ this way!
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Blood stains on clothes? Not to worry! Just pour a little hydrogen peroxide on a cloth and proceed to wipe off every drop of blood. Works every time! (Now, where to put the body?) LOL
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Spray a bit of perfume on the light bulb in any room to create a lovely light scent in each room when the light is turned on.
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Place fabric softener sheets in dresser drawers and your clothes will smell freshly washed for weeks to come. Also do this with towels and linen.
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To clean artificial flowers, pour some salt into a paper bag and add the flowers. Shake vigorously as the salt will absorb all the dust and dirt and leave your artificial flowers looking like new! Works like a charm!
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To easily remove burnt food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil.
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Spray your TUPPERWARE with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato based sauces and there won’t be any stains.
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Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.
To get rid of itch from mosquito bites, try applying soap on the area and you will experience instant relief. -
Use air-freshener to clean mirrors. It does a good job and better still, leaves a lovely smell to the shine.
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Clean a thermos bottle. Fill the bottle with water, drop in four Alka Seltzer tablets, and let soak for an hour (or longer, if necessary).
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Unclog a drain. Clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka Seltzer tablets down the drain followed by a cup of Heinz White Vinegar. Wait a few minutes, and then run the hot water.
Comments at the Funeral
3 friends died in a motor home accident and were sent to an orientation in heaven.
Each was asked, “When you are in your casket and friends and family are mourning, what would you like to hear them say about you?
The first fellow said, “I would like to hear them say that I was a great doctor of my time, and a great family man.”
The second said, “I would like to hear that I was a wonderful husband and school teacher who made a huge difference in our children of tomorrow.”
The last guy replied, “I would like to hear them say ... Look, He’s Moving!
Tips for RV Campers…
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Here is an excerpt from an Escapee’s article. The complete list of 101 Tips can be read at:
http://www.rvlifestyleexperts.com -
Develop a “Departure” checklist. Before starting off, do a walk-around check of your rig. Antennas down; step up; awnings in; jacks up; all shore connections stowed; parking brake (towed) off; etc. Check all connections, lights, and safety chains. Label a bunch of clothespins (Antenna, ALP, Chocks, Sat. Dish, etc.). As you deploy each of these, clip the corresponding pin to your steering wheel. This can be your “Departure” checklist.
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Always check your lights and signals before starting out. Check for clearances and a convenient place to attach your tow.
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Store your medicine cabinet contents in small plastic bins (like those made for organizing drawers). Then if there’s a spill, you won’t have a big mess to clean up. We learned that liquid soap oozes out due to altitude changes.
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Install an Awning Saver or some other device to prevent loss due to unexpected winds. The wind WILL come up. You could use side clamps and tie-downs on your main awning. If it gets too breezy or you leave for a while, stow it away.
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Start a library of RV maintenance books such as The RV Handbook by Bill Estes, ISBN 0-934798-44-3; RV Electrical Systems by Bill & Jan Moeller, ISBN 0-07-042778-X; The RVer’s Bible by Kim & Sunny Baker, ISBN 0-684-82267-9; and Managing 12 Volts by Harold Barre, ISBN 0-9647386-1-9.
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Don’t join an RV campground organization immediately. Wait until you’ve been RVing for a while to make sure that the one you join (if you join any) meets your camping lifestyle/needs.
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Have multiple fire extinguishers on hand.
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Place a metal mesh wasp/bug shield over your furnace exhaust.
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Throw away the cheap sewer hose that came with your new rig, and buy yourself a really good one. Actually, buy two - a 10 footer and a 20 footer, and be sure that you have a connector that will connect them together, come that dark evening when the sewer connection is 29 feet away.
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You can leave the gray-water valve open (when you have a sewer connection), but close it a few days before dumping the black water. Dump the gray-water after the black to flush the hose.
Report to NAM Members
We’ve traveled a long way together, from 1994 through 2008.
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We’ve helped former members of defunct campgrounds get some (sometimes MOST) of their money back.
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We’ve aided the prosecution of greedy camping club owners.
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We’ve maintained 2 web sites to inform and provide help to people who were abused by fraudulent demands for “Dues for Life” and other schemes.
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We maintain a hot-line for people who are being aggressively intimidated by schemers (we call them “Marketeers”). We typically get 2 or 3 calls per month from people who are desperate to know that they are not alone and that there is help for them. Sometimes these callers are crying because they are so desperate.
We will continue to help as much as we can — for as long as we can.
Our faithful members continue to donate money every year to make our efforts possible. Thank you so very much. The amounts are small - but they add up - and they make a difference. Thank you.
“I am only one, but still I am one.
I cannot do everything,
but still I can do something;
and because I cannot do everything,
I will not refuse
to do the something that I can do.
...“Alone we can do so little;
together we can do so much.”
(Helen Keller)
Because of you and the NAM Board of Directors, I know that ‘I’ am not alone. You, faithful reader, NAM member, are important too.
YOU make all the difference in the world. Because of you – we can make sure that others know they are not alone either. We, you and NAM, are their allies. We can, and we do make a difference for the better.
God bless you and those you love.
A ‘PIE’ Trick (A Recipe)
This will be the easiest and one of the best deserts you have ever made...
Ingredients:
2-6oz. boxes of sugar free pudding
(We’ll pick lemon)
4 ‘Heaping’ tablespoons of powdered coffee creamer.
Milk per directions on the box. [Minus 4 Tablespoons]
1/2 cup candied orange peel
1 graham cracker pie crust (from Kroger, Dollar General,
etc.)
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Put the coffee creamer in the mixing bowl.
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Pour in the milk
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Start the mixer on slow then move to medium speed.
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Pour in the pudding mix.
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Mix until it starts to thicken.
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Remove from the mixer and ‘fold in’ the candied orange peel.
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Scrape into the empty graham cracker pie crust.
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Refrigerate until the filling sets up.
Your family and friends will brag on your delicious pie. The possibilities are endless.
I have used chocolate sugarless pudding with walnuts, pistachio with pecans and chocolate chips, sugarless cheesecake pudding with candied mixed fruit (that might have gone into a fruitcake) or cheesecake sugarless pudding with bananas and chocolate chips... You get the idea.
I invited the little neighborhood kids into my kitchen and helped them each make a ‘Pudding Pie’ then sent them home to present it to their momma, poppa and families Can you just hear them: ‘Look what I made for you!’...
Preaching to the Choir
We’ve published our newsletters for more than 14 years now. We’ve told you how to escape bad campground schemes and who your allies are.
You now know what to do and how to help others avoid these problems.
That is our mission and it needs to be yours too.
Our efforts are made possible by your encouragement and your support (both spiritual and financial).
What do YOU think we should be doing now?
Please send us a letter or an email. Let us know how you think we are doing and how to do it better.
Your Donations Help
This “Thank You Gift” does not need batteries. Just shake it a few times and it will stay lit for several hours - then just shake it again.
Easily carried in your purse, pocket, or tool box. (Grandkids can hide it under their pillows if they are afraid of ‘night goblins’.)
Please send a tax deductible donation to:
NAM
4740 Silver Oak St.
Dayton, OH 45424-4650
We will send you a receipt for your donation and one of these amazing, no-battery, “Forever Flashlights” as a Thank-You gift.
What is NAM ?
NAM was organized to advocate for ALL people who use campground resorts, condominiums, and timeshares. We want to stabilize and improve the rights of members. Many of us, speaking with one voice can make things change for the better. NAM is that voice. We will work with government agencies, campground resort owners/developers, and others to stabilize, improve, and enforce your rights.
There is no fee for our newsletters nor any service we provide. We do, however, depend on donations from people who believe in what we are doing. We are registered with the government as a nonprofit organization and your donations are tax deductible.
You can help. Join the NAM — Make a Difference. Send us the following information, it will not be provided to any non-government organization and will not be used for commercial purposes by anyone.
Note: NAM may "not" obligate you in any way to pay money for any purpose without your explicit consent.