President of New York State Court Reporters Association against direction NCRA board is going in

[Bill Parsons]

In the latest issue of "The Transcript," the president of the New York State Court Reporters Association comes out against the NCRA board of directors' exploration of electronic reporting.

To view the New York president's article, go to http://www.nyscra.org/documents/Summer%202009.pdf and view his article on page 3.

Also, there is a great article at Concerned Reporters on the NCRA board of directors' cherry picking the information it supplies the membership. To view Cherry Picking article, go to http://www.concernedreporters.blogspot.com/

Bill Parsons

[Quyen]

A big thank you to the president of the NYSCRA!

This is going to be a continual uphill battle against the NCRA. Even if we win the Motion to Rescind, it will not stop there, and the NCRA cannot be trusted again -- EVER. The NCRA is working behind the scenes to wipe out state court reporters boards throughout the country. You'd be surprised to learn who is helping to further their efforts.

The NCRA is poison/toxic/caustic, killing us off one by one, state by state. To protect ourselves, our livelihoods and the future of our profession, court reporters around the country need to stick together to annihilate the NCRA before it annihilates us. Don't pay to get screwed. Your money is better spent/invested in your state associations -- help them fight!

[Adam D. Miller]

Words fail.

[Judy]

Wow, Quyen, you left adm speechless. That's a first.

bump

[Mary Ann Payonk]

adm said, "Words fail." But as expected, not me.

The "Cherry Picking" post on Concerned Reporters encourages at the end: "Let's move forward together as equals and make the Association that represents the Guardians of the Record a revitalized phoenix, stronger than before and ready to fight the good fight."

In the comments section is the reference to those recent comments by the president of the New York State Court Reporters Association, who was speaking in favor of the Motion to Rescind: "I encourage all of you to visit the NCRA forum, as well as www.concernedreporters.com, www.depoman.com, etc., and familiarize yourselves with [these] issues. They are very important because NCRA is OUR association." He indicated that "We, NCRA, must be the ones to give it (NCRA) shape and form to remain the Gold Standard of capturing the record."

At one time or another there's been talk of a mass exodus out of NCRA, current members giving up their NCRA memberships in protest of the [insert adjective(s) of choice] NCRA's recent actions, including the manner in which it was done, and the inevitable conclusion to which it is leading. I read, as have some of you, I'm sure, that New York was going to lead the reverse charge out of NCRA.

I've been as critical as anyone about NCRA and what it can't do for me, but comments I've read here at CSRNation, on the NCRA forum, at the Depoman forum, on The Court Reporters Forum, and yes, even on MyLegal.com, convince me that walking away from NCRA is not the best choice to accomplish what we all would like, and that is to have an association that will fight tooth and nail for the steno machine reporter and ONLY for the steno reporter.

I hope that if you are "plain mad-dog mad" about what's happening over at NCRA that you put that energy into efforts to keep an all-steno association all steno, or working (that is, ACTIVELY working) to affect in a very positive way for stenographers the change that is inevitably coming to our generic "court reporting profession" in the future.

I find references to court reporting-related matters everwhere I turn, it seems. I have on my desk right now a full-page ad in The Washington Post by NYSE Euronext that's titled, "INVESTING IN THE CURRENCY OF TRUST." The text says, "The world isn't just changing, it's exchanging. Exchanging capital. Exchanging ideas. Exchanging opportunities. And what makes it all possible is one powerful global curency: The currency of trust. Trust between buyers and sellers. But recently, in unsettled global marketplaces, uncertainty, not trust, has dominated the conversation." It goes on to mention that it's essential to restore trust by protecting the interests of investors through transparent and accountable business practices. It mentions how this company's principles have guided them through triumphs and tragedies, in every conceivable market condition and that today, as they work for well-conceived reforms in the business that they are in, those fundamentals are as important as ever.

"NYSE Euronext welcomes you to the Exchanging World" says the ad spread. "Proceed with confidence."

And that's what we court reporters need to do: Proceed with confidence.

We need to proceed with the confidence that we are the BEST ... but only if we ARE the best. If you're feeling entitled to success just because you're a machine court reporter, you need to get over that. You need to get good at what you're doing before you're entitled to anything.

We need to proceed with the confidence that our national association is working to promote machine stenography and ONLY machine stenography. As cynical as I've been about NCRA over the years, about what they can't do for me, most of that is because I was expecting NCRA to do something for me was never intended ... like actively fight in favor of the "lucrative" part of "the lucrative field of court reporting" that might have caused us to enter the field in the first place. NCRA has no power to do that ... but I DO. That's MY job, not theirs. The job of the National Court Reporters Association, by the Constitution and Bylaws, is to work for and in favor of the stenographic machine reporter to the exclusion of all other methods. The success or failure of each individual reporter is up to THEM, not NCRA ... but I firmly believe that NCRA shouldn't be assisting our competition to gain credibility and acceptance by bestowing certifications upon them.

I also agree that it will be an uphill battle against the direction NCRA is headed. That direction is being steered by Mark Golden. My opinion. But if members don't like the direction NCRA is headed under the steering of Mark Golden, you can't "throw the bums out" from the OUTSIDE.

I'm a firm believer in the upcoming power of state associations. I've joined several state associations where I don't even work, and earlier this year I encouraged reporters to join a state association other than their own and get involved in other states' issues, or at least be aware of them. So, Quyen, when you tell me that NCRA is working behind the scenes to wipe OUT state court reporters boards around the country, I want to know who's doing it, how, and why.

Annihilate a steno-only NCRA and you will annihilate yourself, my dear. Can you think of a better way to keep an all-steno association working tooth and nail for you and ONLY you than to keep a watchful eye on them from the inside?

I repeat: "Let's move forward together as equals and make the Association that represents the Guardians of the Record a revitalized phoenix, stronger than before and ready to fight the good fight."

I think we can be hopeful, cautiously optimistic, that NCRA will get the message and stop trying to hijack the association from the inside. But from reading about Mark Golden, his past accomplishments, and hopes for his own professional future, I don't think he's going to walk away in failure from the NCRA, so there'll be other good fights to fight in the future. Who will fight those good fights, then?

I've written some strong words in my time, but I think this is really over the top. And I would really like to know the who, how, and why behind the efforts to wipe out state associations.

M.A.

[Quyen]

I find your reference to me as "my dear" to be quite condescending/insulting.

[Mary Ann Payonk]

Gee, I guess that's the difference between speaking in person and on paper. Practically everyone who's ever met me and spoken to me in person has been called "dear" in some form or fashion. I'm incredibly sorry you're so offended and insulted by that. If you'll accept that apology that I meant absolutely nothing bad, condescending or insulting by that, I would still love to know more about how NCRA is killing us off state by state. When I'm wrong, I'll say I'm wrong, and if I've encouraged someone to work FOR something that is actually working to their detriment, I'll be first in line to say so, take it back, and try to turn the train around.

M.A.

[Tami]

Mary Ann,

I'm, as always, thankful to hear your take on the matter and am very proud to share with you this wonderful profession of ours!

Tami

Happy Writing Short!!

[Mary Ann Payonk]

Tami, I don't always start threads the right way here, but if you'd like to start a thread on "writing short," I'll definitely chime in. I recently talked with a reporter who was writing along the lines of "BE/AOUT/AOE/FUL/LI" for "beautifully." I don't want to hijack this thread, but there's no reason to write those things out when it can be done in 1 or 2 strokes, max.

Re: the topic, thanks very much.

M.A.

[Tami]

That's one stroke for me, BAO*UFL.

Beautiful BAOUFL with an asterisk for -ly.


If you want to talk about writing short, come join our Magnum Steno Fan Club on here, Mary Ann. We have the "King of Writing Short" himself as a member, Mark K.


Hey, did I recently see your name as a new CA CSR??

I always check out the new licensees, and I'm thinking your name popped up.

[Mary Ann Payonk]

Tami, yes, I am a new CA CSR (No. 13431). I've always held CA CSRs in high esteem. And I did just sign up for the Magnum Steno Fan Club. Hope it went through.

M.A.

[Tami]

Congratulations!!

You know I didn't realize how much a CA CSR meant until I went to my first NCRA convention -- 20 years after becoming a CA CSR.

People would read my tag and say, "CRR, oh; RMR, eh -- You're a CA CSR!! WOW!!!!"

I couldn't believe it. It really did make me very proud to be a CA CSR -- all over again. :)

AND . . . welcome to THE FAN CLUB!

[Quyen]

Mary Ann, I truly value and respect you and all the input/information/knowledge/wisdom, etc., etc., that you have regarding our profession and appreciate that you share them. I should have known better than to think that you would have even one malicious bone in your body. So my apologies for being overly sensitive. I've always hated being referred to as "dear" by anyone. Just makes me feel like a child being scolded. So, again I apologize.

I am trying to answer your question as fully and as accurately as I can, but I'm not sure that I can adequately do so since I am having difficulty finding the source from which I came to the conclusion that I have in my comment above. As I do not want to disseminate wrong information, I will send you a private message of my understanding.

Okay, I take it back ... I don't even know how to send you a PM on here, sorry. :(