Posted on 11/28/2001 7:31:29 PM PST by Jim Robinson
Free Republic has had one helluva run over the last five years or so. We helped impeach one president and helped get another into office. We've been active in demonstrations and protests in nearly every city across the nation. We've participated in conventions, petition drives, activism campaigns and projects for dozens of conservative causes.
We've grown from a tiny web site with a few hundred posters and readers from the time of inception in 1996, to one with tens of thousands of participants today. Along the way we've made lots of great friends and, unfortunately, also made lots of bitter enemies.
We've grown from a small web site that I could manage myself on a part-time basis to a huge monster that has totally consumed all of my time and resources plus nearly all of John's time, plus the time and resources of many dedicated FReepers who volunteer or contribute large amounts of their own time and money.
The site is now consuming all of a 10 mbps dedicated line with two servers and we're still growing, and it consumes large amounts of money to keep all this running. In the early years, it only took a few thousand dollars per month to keep Free Republic on the air, but it is now costing over $20,000 per month to cover all expenses.
The major costs include approximately $8,000 per month for bandwidth, 3,000 for systems management and programming services, 7,000 for management, operating and administrative services, plus two or three thousand per month for miscellaneous office expenses, telephone, communications, repairs & maintenance, travel & lodging, postage, rentals, insurance, legal fees, accounting fees, etc., etc.
We anticipate a reduction in bandwidth costs next year as we renegotiate our contract (the market price for bandwidth has fallen recently), however, that will be more than offset by an expected increase in costs of our legal expenses. As most of you know, our pro bono attorney has left us and we've hired a new attorney to continue with our case, plus we have the suit against eschoir to pay for. My projections are that our regular monthly expenses for next year will be running in the neighborhood of $22,000 per month, or approximately $264,000 total for the year. This means we will need to raise approximately $66,000 per quarter.
Talking about making enemies, we've got several ex-FReepers and other detractors who are claiming on their anti-freeper web sites that I am ripping off the donors and that Free Republic is a fraud. Now, Free Republic is what it is, and it is definitely not a fraud. It is a conservative news discussion forum that encourages participation in politics and activism projects. It is not being billed as anything else. We are not selling or promising anything. And I am being up front about our operating costs. The costs of running Free Republic are what I've stated above and they are necessary to keep FR on the air. I do not have the financial wherewithal to operate this site without your help. If the majority of the FReepers feel that these costs are out of line or too much to bear or that Free Republic is no longer wanted or needed, then we will either cut it back or shut it down or do something altogether different.
I've also been criticized about not making our financials public. Well, the reason I do not want to do this is that I have been sued, both personally and as Free Republic, LLC. The people suing us want to bankrupt us and shut us down. They subpoenaed our financial records, but we refused to turn them over. The judge agreed that the plaintiffs have no right to the information, thus I have no intention of making any more of it public than I absolutely have to, until this lawsuit is resolved. You all know the amounts of money we raise if you follow the fundraising threads. It is all above board and out in the open. The totals posted by BadJoe are usually pretty close to the actual cash received and the amounts expended are pretty close to the amounts projected. No one is getting rich here and no one is being ripped off. The funds raised are being used for the purposes stated, and that is keeping this website on the air and that's it. Nothing fraudulent about it. Those who want to help fund us freely do so with nothing expected in return. Those who do not want to contribute do not have to.
There was a thread running this morning where people were making all kinds of accusations about Free Republic "hiding the truth" or whatever. These accusations are being made by Chuck Allan and others and fall along the same line with the accusations being made by some of the earlier banees or AFers including Mojo, Inspector Harry Callahan, Arator, keep U.S. Sovereign, TKEman and others. Some of these people are existing FReepers and some are banned. I am going to reinstate Mojo, Inspector Harry Callahan and Arator's accounts so they can join Chuck Allan, TKEman, K.U.S.S. and whomever else wants to get involved, and I invite them to come onto this thread and make their accusations public. As long as they do not go onto other threads and make a nuisance of themselves, I will let them have their say.
Like I said above, if it is time for Free Republic to go away so be it. Those who want to keep it going speak up. Those who want it to go away, tell us why. But if those who want it to be gone lose out in the debate, then I'd say they should just go away themselves, or, in the very least, shut up and quit whining about it.
Thanks,
Jim
Citizen of the Savage Nation made an excellent case against charging user fees. FreeRepublic is dynamic because it is free.
Jim Robinson, if you aren't enjoying it anymore, then close up shop. But if you still are, I hope you're taking a big salary so that you live really, really well and want for nothing. Thanks again for giving us FR.
Now, what do you think? (Are FReepers really THIS gullible?)
Like a few weeks ago, the running back (Wylie) basically sacked the QB (Ryan Leaf- at the time)
We regularly get new casts of characters.... and anyways it'll be short. (know where I can download that NFL Films theme music as a midi?)
Cool, where's the Opus?
There are about thirty people on this very site that KNOW you knew and watched you lie about it. So sorry, busted again.
I remember discovering FR back in 98, it was a revelation, I realized their were many other people out there that believed as I did and were sick of our traitorous President Klintoon and his Hate-America party, the deadrats!
I joined some other like-minded freepers and friends and demonstrated against Bubba during the Monica scandal in Tallahassee, FL in the belly of the beast, almost total democrat country at the time. Why did that little band have the guts to do that, to take the verbal abuse and one-finger salutes? Because of you JimRob and the many freepers cheering us on here! I posted newspaper pictures of the event, long deleted by now, I'm sure.
Later I moved to the Kansas City area and when algore tried to steal the election freepers again took to the streets, many times in freezing cold weather, to demand that the rule of law prevail in this country and this is also a democratic party stronghold. I and other freepers posted stories and pictures of those great rallies.
Now we find ourselves engaged in a war against terrorism and this war is being fought out not only in Afghanistan but also right here on our own soil.
This is not a time when Free Republic should shut down and go away.
You must do what you have to JR, you have done more than most to make a change in this world with your life and this forum, thats for sure. If you decide its in the best interests of you and your family to shut her down then I say God bless you and yours Jim Robinson, I was proud to post on Free Republic and I will never forget it!
I hope you can forgive me for not kicking in much money to the cause but I have had some hard times with jobs and such and for quite a while I had no Internet and boy, did I miss FR! If you need to raise money by the use of ads or a monthly payment, I think most people would understand the need. I hope us poor freeps could do something every month to help out.
If Free Republic shuts down Jim, the leftists will be dancin in the streets in Washington DC, they will be passing out candy and presents early at the DNC, Bill Clinton will light up one of his "special" cigars, and Hillary will mount up on her favorite broom and do a victory lap around the moon!
So in closing all I can say is:
SAY IT AIN'T SO JIM ROB!!!
Know, what I'm saying is it is untrue that I let it continue for two days. The fake Howlin was dispatched within hours of my getting the word.
Why on earth do you hate me so? What did I ever do to you?
Volume aside, unless I'm mistaken they did Love Hurts, which is downright romantic.
Or was that The Death of Little Nell?
FR IS CLEARLY FOR THE GOOD OF THE COUNTRY and a great blessing to participants besides. Any other thought/feelings about it must AT LEAST be very ill-informed if not deliberately malicious from the start.
Maybe it's impractical. I don't know. But I wonder if it would lighten your load and hassles or increase them to allow originators of a thread to block troublesome posters on "their" thread.
Generally, it seems to me, the diversity is incredibly broad on FR to great benefit of all and country as well. I'd hate to crimp that more than necessary. But obnoxious people mercilessly and repetitiously attacking the personhood, sanity or IQ of others are a real drag. But you shouldn't have to be constantly changing people's diapers.
Personally, I'd think we'd all want to do everything we could to make your life easier out of simple thanks, gratitude. Those not into such fitting thanks [behaviorally or verbally] have already said plenty about their character and priorities, IMHO.
Absolutely NOT true.
I do not like you because of just the lies I have personally seen you tell. Including the one about me.
I think it's hilarious that you are now denying that you did, in fact, discuss with the people over there that you were't sure it wasn't me, so maybe you'd just leave it there to post for awhile until you could be sure who it really was, even though you KNEW it wasn't me. Everybody over here was watching and they all know what a fraud you are.
Hehehehe..I said good opus..;)
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