This is my first post since November I believe. As such, I am a few days late on reading this information.
Anyone who remembers me probably knows where my loyalties lie as I have done a poor job concealing them.
Its very clear what's going on here. Slowly but surely the "big boys" are trying to eliminate the "lower tier" so that they can have more money and spotlight. There's really no way around it, that's what it is. Its survival of the fittest or richest or whatever you want to call it. There was a time when there were a plethora of corps, and slowly one by one, they started dying out, folding, until today where we have less than 50 competing in DCI (less than 25 in "World Class"). Exclusivity has been harder to maintain when only 10 corps are not in finals. That doesn't mean that those corps that aren't are any less talented or work any less than those in the top. Hell, the Blue Devils had the time in 2008 to take the whole corps to the movies to see the Dark Knight on opening night. A staff member (who marched Cadets) once told me a story about in 2000 or 2001 I believe, the Cadets, Crossmen, and Blue Devils were sharing a housing site. Cadets' wake up was at 7:30, Crossmen's was at 8, Blue Devils was at 9:30. It would seem as though everyone who isn't or wasn't a member of a non top-8 corps assumes that lower placement is directly correlated with a lack of work, a lack of worth, and a lack of talent. This is simply not the case. There was a thread a while ago about "Competitive Inertia" which basically said that once a corps started winning they kept winning by virtue of the fact that they had always won before. And thats what this proposal uses as justification for thinly veiled discrimination against corps that are generally in lower scoring ranges.
I was angered at the restructuring of classes proposal, but when I read the slide about distribution of votes I was openly insulted. Taxation without representation is a very familiar concept in America, something against which we founded our nation. I know that DCI has nothing to do with American government, but I know there are corps out there who feel disenfranchised. I'm glad Dan Acheson wrote that letter opposing the "egoism and self-righteousness" of the G7 corps directors.
Suffices to say, I and (I believe) many more people will stop marching if this passes. Unfortunately that will only give the G7 what they want.
Say what you want about me, I don't really care. I won't be posting anymore anyway.