They call them the golden arches for good reason; there’s gold at the base of those universal icons. One of the reasons the McDonald’s franchise has been so successful is the uniformity they deliver, to the point that Economist Magazine uses the cost of a Big Mac in different currencies as a basis of comparing the relative value of those currencies. I have personally sampled a Big Mac in Los Angeles, New York, Seoul, Mexico City, Paris, Rome and London. I can attest to that consistency in taste and quality.

Rotary is faced with the challenge of maintaining its consistency of quality in every place where Rotary is active. That is why accepting a charter from Rotary International carries with it certain requirement; requirements that the self-proclaimed ‘Greatest Rotary Club in the World’ is not meeting. It is a simple proposition that if you are going to proclaim yourself to be the greatest you should at the very least be consistent with the requirements of your franchiser.

The Constitution of the Rotary Club of Arcadia requires the By-laws of the Rotary Club of Arcadia be ‘not inconsistent’ with the Club Constitution and our By-laws contain numerous inconsistencies. My efforts to rectify these inconsistencies over the past three years have been met with derision and personal attacks by leaders of this club who insist that either the matters are so inconsequential as to not matter; or are so consequential that making our by-laws consistent will destroy the very nature of the Rotary Club of Arcadia. The reality is that the suggested by-laws from Rotary International would simply make us a better Rotary club.