Posted on 04/06/2005 6:50:29 PM PDT by TheHound
Why do these pledge periods have to take so long? For a measly $66,000, I would think the pledge period would only last about a week. If everyone who used this cite for longer, in a year, than they do reading a magazine subsciption, pledged the price of a magazine subscription, I believe the pledge amount would be met in about two days. I certainly hope the day never comes when I have to see "Cialis" ads blinking on the right side of the FR page so they can pay for bandwidth!
Sleep well, and travel safely. Godspeed BG.
You know - it really does not matter where the money goes or what it is for - it is a donation that keeps this site running.
Do you ask the same when you subscribe to a paper? Where does this go and what is it used for?
If you don't want to contribute - don't. If you don't think it is worth your contribution - don't contribute.
But the insinuations that the amount is too much, misspent or whatever, are a direct insult to the one who created, who improves and maintains this site. He does not have to explain anything to you because this is his site.
I get pretty tired of the same old bellyaching about where the money goes. Dang - it goes to pay for equipment, salaries, and whatever else is needed. And, I would hope that Jim gets a really good salary out of this. After all - you cannot find a better location or you would not be here. And, just who do you think created and maintains that better location. And should he not be able to profit from his labors? Everybody else in this country does - is Jim supposed to give it to you free?
Sorry for the rant - but I have heard this junk year after year and it is a bunch of J U N K.
Correction - it really does not matter to you. And that's fine. But it might matter to others, and so I don't think you're the one to be making that decision for everyone.
Do you ask the same when you subscribe to a paper? Where does this go and what is it used for?
I know what I'm getting when I pay for a newspaper - I get a newspaper. But this is not really like subscribing to a newspaper, when you get right down to it - it's really a lot more like being asked to invest in the newspaper. And, yeah, when I'm asked to invest in things, I do ask questions like "where does this go?" and "what is this used for?" And in the case of the newspaper, they'll tell me - take a look here. That's the balance sheet for the New York Times Company. Notice how the assets and liabilities add up. Notice how there's no unaccounted-for funds. Now, the New York Times is a public company, which FR is not, so nobody is asking for the sorts of detailed balance sheets that the New York Times has to provide. But surely we can AT LEAST make the assets and liabilities balance, right? With no mystery funds? I don't think that's unreasonable. The Times does it, and we're supposed to be better than those dinosaurs, right?
But the insinuations that the amount is too much, misspent or whatever, are a direct insult to the one who created, who improves and maintains this site.
You must be thinking of someone else - I've insinuated nothing. I've merely asked. Given that you're denying an accusation I haven't made, I think I'll just assume you don't really know the answer to the question either.
He does not have to explain anything to you because this is his site.
Nope. You're right, he surely does not answer to me. But not explaining, well, that would be an answer too, wouldn't it?
Dang - it goes to pay for equipment, salaries, and whatever else is needed.
I'm sure it does - let's fill in the blank on this "whatever else is needed", and that'll be that.
And, I would hope that Jim gets a really good salary out of this. After all - you cannot find a better location or you would not be here. And, just who do you think created and maintains that better location. And should he not be able to profit from his labors? Everybody else in this country does - is Jim supposed to give it to you free?
I'm sure he's entitled to pay himself for his labors - everyone's gotta eat, like I've said from the very beginning. And if that extra $13,000 for the quarter is profit, why not just say so? Everyone does it, as you say, so just call it what it is and be done with it - why keep it a secret? Profit's the American way, so if it's profit, just say so, and I'll shut up about it.
You just sit here on these threads and trash and insinuate that all is not kosher all you want. This is a free website provided for by the one you choose to question.
It really makes you look bad - not Jim.
Great, you are using the man's talents, website, to post all these questions, time after time, after time. Just why would anyone do that?
If I had doubts about a place, I would just go elsewhere.
Maybe you will LP or another site more to your liking - or - do you do the same everywhere you go?
You would not have the right to question even if there was a set fee - because you do not have the right to question other places providing a service for you - Verizon, Cingular, etc. You either buy the product or not.
But in this case you either post freely while you trash the creator or you donate whatever amount you choose. So, just why does this give you the right to demand to know the exact salary of Mr. Robinson. How about revealing your exact salary on an internet website.
I've trashed no one and insinuated nothing. I've asked a question, and while the reactions I've gotten are really quite interesting, I still haven't gotten an answer. There's a real easy way to end this and get me to drop it - answer the question.
Great, you are using the man's talents, website, to post all these questions, time after time, after time. Just why would anyone do that?
To get an answer? Where else should I post it that's likely to be seen by the people who have the answer? I can't think of a better place to ask than in the place where the holders of that information are most likely to see it.
If I had doubts about a place, I would just go elsewhere
I've expressed no doubts here. Really now, you should at least read the posts I make before responding. I like FR, so I think I'll stay - I just have a single, simple question that I'd like answered. I don't think I'm alone in that either.
You would not have the right to question even if there was a set fee - because you do not have the right to question other places providing a service for you - Verizon, Cingular, etc.
Of course I do - I have the right to ask anything I like. In the case of Verizon, I don't even have to - they give me a nice, itemized bill that details exactly what they use the money I give them for, and the amount they ask for always adds up to the same as the charges they list. There's no "mystery meat" in there, where they add up charges that total $50, and then turn around and bill me for $65, without so much as a whisper about what that extra $15 is for.
So, just why does this give you the right to demand to know the exact salary of Mr. Robinson.
Well, see, I haven't demanded any such thing - you just made that up just now. I asked what that money was for. Is that what it's for? Is this $13,000 his salary? Why not just say so and be done with it?
Ok, you win, just keep on posting your questions to cast aspersions on Jim all day long every day.
I will not bother getting into a discussion with you again - you are using our defense of Jim to clutter up these threads with your questions.
I would suggest you freepmail Mr. Robinson and quit bothering the threads, but, of course, that does not allow you to post insinuations does it? That would be private - and you would never want private.
Note: To any new people reading these questions (why you would I have no idea - wish I had not): There are people that continually ask these same questions on every fund drive. They seem to believe that unless they know exactly the salary of the creator, owner and maintainer of this wonderful site, there is a dark undercurrent.
Since when does a man have to reveal his salary on a private creation that users can use or not freely? Since when must a man endure insinuations of abuse of funds freely given with no strings attached?
This is a wonderful site and Mr. Robinson has provided for our use or not, we can contribute or not. Most of us get far more from the site than the amount being contributed.
I personally thank him for having the grace to give us this site and to even allow posting rights to those that want to cause him harm.
Did you read all of, general_re's post? Are you so blind-sighted as to defend what not needs defended? Let Mr. Robinson speak for himself. Do you get paid to speak for him?
I don't get paid for nuthin. And, I call it as I see it.
I will not go back and track down everyone of general's postings (they run into the thousands I am sure) to prove what I feel is right or wrong. I do have a life.
And, I have as much right to speak up and defend Mr. R as others do to cast aspersions on him. If I am wrong about his views, maybe he needs to read his own posts to see where one would get that idea.
I am through with arguing with him - it just gives him more opportunity to spew his ".......questi i i i ooooo nnnn ssss".
Surely anyone with any brains could have figured a way to get that same old question answered and move on to a new one wouldn't you think?
Please do not respond - I am through with this junk.
I've cast no aspersions - I've merely asked a single, simple question, for which I am still waiting to hear a cogent answer. It does not appear that you know the answer, but I thank you for your time and I am glad you have had the opportunity to express your concerns, even if I do not share them.
I would suggest you freepmail Mr. Robinson and quit bothering the threads, but, of course, that does not allow you to post insinuations does it? That would be private - and you would never want private.
Well, if I had posted any insinuations, you might be correct, but as I haven't, I would say that your theory about what motivates me needs some work. As for Mr. Robinson, he has been pinged to this thread several times as part of others' responses to me, and I have no doubt that if he chooses to answer, he will do so in the fashion he finds appropriate.
Since when does a man have to reveal his salary on a private creation that users can use or not freely? Since when must a man endure insinuations of abuse of funds freely given with no strings attached?
Since never. I never asked for his salary. I never insinuated anything, much less abuse of funds - I merely asked what this particular set of funds was for. Really, if you cannot read and respond to my posts without misrepresenting them, I fear we're not going to be able to continue this dicussion, you and I.
You didn't even read his posts? What kind of moron are you to jump into a thread and spew insults without knowing what it's about?
Frankly, I am just appalled to see this kind of rampant idiocy and clueless defensiveness anywhere but a crevo thread. I would hope any longtime Freeper would know better than to make such an ass of himself.
What the hell, I want to know the answer too. Anybody got an answer?
It's okay - obviously this is a topic that some people have invested a lot of emotion into, and their reactions tend to show it, especially since it's now pretty clear that nobody who's posted so far really knows what the answer to my question is.
I don't get paid for nuthin. And, I call it as I see it. I will not go back and track down everyone of general's postings (they run into the thousands I am sure) to prove what I feel is right or wrong. I do have a life. And, I have as much right to speak up and defend Mr. R as others do to cast aspersions on him. If I am wrong about his views, maybe he needs to read his own posts to see where one would get that idea. I am through with arguing with him - it just gives him more opportunity to spew his ".......questi i i i ooooo nnnn ssss". Surely anyone with any brains could have figured a way to get that same old question answered and move on to a new one wouldn't you think? Please do not respond - I am through with this junk.
The time you took to reply to me in not fairly addressing what I was pointing out to you, is wasted.
I was not implying you go read all of general_re's post(s).
Just maybe the last sentence where he said, hey everybody makes a profit full disclosure would be nice. Instead you blindly screamed in defense of what you can't provide so why are you so defensive?
He was not "peddling crap". He was making a little joke at RottiBiz -- not you. Sorry you missed it.
Here's the recap: RottiBiz posted a list of donors and then (quite inaccurately) declared, "If they are not on the list, they probably don't care about Free Republic."
Mere minutes later you posted, "thank you for posting the donor list, although my name is not on it".
General_re was obviously amused at the logical consequence of combining RottiBiz's assertion ("if poster X is not on the list / then they probably don't care about Free Republic") with yours ("Miss Behave is not on the list") into the necessary conclusion ("therefore Miss Behave probably doesn't care about Free Republic").
General_re's has a math/science background, so the use of propositional logic to refute RottiBiz's overgeneralization would come naturally to him (as it did to me, I noticed the same thing when you posted your comment after RottiBiz). And given General_re's playful sense of humor, it's not surprising that he would do it in the form of a jest, to amuse the reader. *I* for one was amused, since I understood the point he was making.
He was demonstrating the fallaciousness of RottiBiz's assertion by showing how inaccurate/absurd it is when applied to a recent example of "someone who is not on the list" (yourself).
Your offense at his point (which was based on the assumption that it should be obvious to all that you *do* care about Free Republic, and thus any statement which would logically imply that you don't must on its face be absurd and false) was unfounded.
One minor correction, though - I actually degreed in politics, of all things, with concentrations in math and CS. This was after switching out of three years on a chemistry track, so while it's not my vocation, per se, I do feel I have a reasonable background in math and science, so thank you for the compliment, my friend.
I noticed that. In fact, I've been watching this thread for a couple of days now simply out of curiosity.
But the bizarre responses, consisting of little more than insinuations and insults, and the general frenzy your little question has inspired, have intrigued me.
Perhaps I overreacted, but I thought I should jump in and push back a little.
ClancyJ responded: I will not go back and track down everyone of general's postings (they run into the thousands I am sure) to prove what I feel is right or wrong. I do have a life.
*POST*, not *postS*. *Singular*, not *plural*.
Gazoo was asking if you had read all (i.e. the entirety) of the post (SINGULAR, ONE POST) to which you were responding, since he felt that you had apparently overlooked a critical part of it.
Sheesh.
That one bit of poor reading comprehension on your part -- and subsequent jumping to conclusions -- would have been relatively unremarkable if it were not for the fact that you have *repeatedly* made the same kind of mistake (i.e., not reading what someone says carefully enough and then flying off the handle on what you *thought* you had read that they *hadn't* actually said) on this thread.
I've just reread every one of general_re's posts on this thread, and I have *no* idea where you've gotten a lot of the bizarre accusations you've made against him here. For just a few examples, he has not "cast aspersions", as you've accused him of doing, he has not "trashed and insinuate that all is not kosher", he has not "trashed the creator" of FR, he has not "demanded to know the exact salary of Mr. Robinson", he has not made any "insinuations of abuse of funds", etc. If other people have, go rant at *them*, but don't give general_re crap for wondering if anyone could answer his question, and doing it in a reasonable manner.
Switch to decaf, if you think that'll help.
I understand perfectly, my friend. I'm not quite sure why this is a touchy subject - the people who run this site certainly have the power to end this discussion any time they so choose, so I'll just continue to wait until someone who can answer me comes along.
Heck, this is still small potatoes compared to the "idiocy and clueless defensiveness" on the crevo threads. ;-)
A sense-of-humor implant would go a long way towards improving a few of the personalities displayed here.
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