> From:    Mary Jo <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: American Ferret Assn. membership
>
>Well, I go to the page only to be hit in the face about being a
>California ferret fan.  As a ferret lover that resides in a ferret
>free zone of California or Hawaii we are charged a nice little "extra"
>33% higher fee than the other ferret lovers in the rest of the USA!!
 
Hi Mary Jo
 
Please don't be offended by the extra charge to CA and HI as this is
offered as a courtesy and not as a punishment.  Let me explain.
 
All AFA materials go out standard bulk mail ( like the AFR, alerts, and
renewal notices etc) and this means we need to provide our full name etc
as part of the USPS requirements for this class of mail.  Also the AFR
(American Ferret Report), that is our quarterly publication, is not in
wrapper so it shows a beautiful ferret on the cover.  Members living in
CA cannot legally own their pets at this time and many do not want that
ownership to be made public so we offer to mail members in CA their AFR
first class in a plain wrapper.  This does cost the AFA significantly
more than the standard bulk rate.  If you live in CA and don't mind
getting AFA materials identifying ferrets are being our "business" you
are more than welcome to pay the regular $30 membership and receive
materials as such.  So the price difference is not to punish CA ferret
owners but to cover the extra postage costs for materials that will have
to go first class mail.
 
If you have any other questions or concerns please don't hesitate to
ask.  We are hoping our upcoming veterinary symposium will bring more
awareness of the plight of ferrets in the state of California.  With
new legislation in the works it couldn't come at a better time.
 
Sincerely
Tara Palaski
AFA Office
[Posted in FML issue 4897]