"I disagree with the idea that it is in the clubs best interest to get as many people into Life membership as possible."

Peter; You might be correct, and time will tell, but I don't know that the club officers' intentions were "to get as many people into Life Membership as possible" ... which may be another one of the reasons for the BOD hiking the new LM dues structure from $300 to $450 effective July 1st.

It appears to this individual LM that the current rush to LM status is coming from the grassroots membership ... several of whom may not have been otherwise inclined to switch to LM if the announced hike in dues was not looming on the horizon.

Lost in a lot of the discussion on this subject is the fact that Life Memberships have only been made available in relatively recent years; ... certainly not since day one or year one of the club's existance.