Originally Posted by
RedeyeAV8r
And you could also say that 10% of the NO (32%) voters have BID HKG and CDG on the last 2 practice BIDS. Go Figure? I guess the rubber meets the road in 7 days.
Redeye, are you insinuating that the "No voters" were disingenious because only 10% of them are bidding the FDA? If that's not the case, then disregard below.
If you
are insinuating that the "NO" voters are invalidated in their arguments, because not many of them are "actually" going, I would say that you are off diametrically.
If the "No" voters recognize this as "Not a good deal", then of course, they are under no obligation to bid a bad deal, and probably won't. I am surprised at how few (zero to my knowledge) proponents of the LOA have bid it. I think this is the real measure of their veracity.
The problem Redeye, is that it appears that the assumption is a "No" voter would bid the FDA anyway. There seems to be the forgone conclusion that any "normal" person wouldn't bid the FDA, and only those that would be expats at any price would actually consider it in the first place. This viewpoint is promoted by individuals within the MEC, when they openly speak about the Subic folks will bid Hong Kong anyway, and "how most of them can't come back to the States anyway". I have heard this from the mouths of 2 Members of the MEC and one negotiator personally.
Plenty of people (not just those defective and pesky Subic guys) would be willing to bid an FDA if they didn't take a financial hit to do so.
Surprisingly enough, I voted "no" because it was a bad deal, and since it carried, and is dictating the terms of the FDA, I am not going to bid a bad deal.
My wife and I were anxiously awaiting the opportunity to go to either Hong Kong or Paris. We saw the LOA, ran the numbers and said, "NO". This is not a deal that I would accept to go to either FDA. I voted no, because I actually want to go to an FDA given a competitive offer. Since the LOA is not (IMO)a reasonable compensation package, and it carried, I am not bidding it. It is not in my economic interest to do so. The fact that I voted "NO" and am not bidding it, validates my position.
Those that encouraged the LOA to pass...well, the fact that they didn't bid it , belies their claims of the LOA's economic benefit.