Who's on First

When there is a power struggle at a meeting, there is often the problem of who is on first -- who has the ultimate power. If you take a simple look at RONR, this problem is solved easily as it is the chair of the meeting to whom all voices must yield. Does this yield to abuse? Yes, but in most cases it is not abuse of power but an abuse of understanding what is the proper procedure. I have seen people trying to browbeat the chair by claiming a right. Sometimes they have been right but the way they have gone about it is totally wrong. There are times when the chair is perfectly correct in getting away from normal procedure -- when the assembly is happy with what is going on. The debate has swayed over to what the assembly is really worried about and this is off topic of what the motion before the assembly is about. I have seen a chair insist that it be allowed despite the one member raising points of order. To me, this is a case where the assembly is correct, not the individual insisting to go back to exactly the motion that does not solve the need of the minute. Yep, I am a heretic -- here tics what is needed and that is the purpose of meeting.

Procedure is not everything. It is a tool to get to what the assembly wants and sometimes that tool just cannot carry the day. It is up to the assembly to either vocally or subtly express the need it has. That is more important than any point of order.