I step in because optometry is supposedly represented.

1. The AOA is a joke. Every optometrist knows this. Enjoy their company.
2. Elistism vs. populism. Just sayin'. All committees, boards, and officers are worth doody. What matters is what rank and file think.
3. The solution to opticianry's "identity" is simple: look to the market to see what the public needs. I see a need for somebody, anybody, who knows something about optics and general optical operations and isn't a pawn of a slick advertising campaign.
4. As to economic viability of the profession, that's a tougher nut to crack, but the answer is individual entrepreneurial ability.