Is Free Republic a Fraud? Is it time for Free Republic to go away?

Free Republic | 11/28/01 | Jim Robinson

[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

[JakeWyld]

I finally get the chance to thank you personally for FR! I couldn't wait for the chance!

THANK YOU MR. ROBINSON

I can't comprehend what you go through to keep this "monster" going but more power to you.

Personally, I have no life and FR takes up a majority of my time. I would probably have to go see a shrink if this site shut down.

If you cannot continue than you have done well and you will be remembered for your contribution to the freedom fighters on the WWW.

IF you can continue....please do!

Warmly yours,

[MistyCA]

Stopping FR is not an option. It can't be! Too much good is done here! Robert Northcutt has his dog TJ because of Freepers! And Lord knows, anyone who puts the time in to keep a service like this going deserves proper compensation.

[My Favorite Headache]

MAJOR PING!

[zeaal]

No, please don't shut down.

Where will youngmen propose to young ladies?
Where will there be an outlet for the exceptional research skills of Alama-Girl?
Where will Registered test out his latest and greatest?
Where will we go to find out about Freeps?
Where will we go to get the news before the News crews get the news?

[PatrioticAmerican]

P.S.S. NEVER use advertisers. They would clutter the site and detract from our unbiased, and sometimes entertainingly harsh, opinions.

[Timesink]

Why can't you make Free Republic a pay-per-use website?

Well, it can't become a for-profit website, because reposting other publications' stories for profit is stealing, not research.

[LJLucido]

It might be time to charge, say, $12 per year for membership and still ask for donations to cover the rest.

I would keep it free to browse. It has incredible educational value in that respect. Also allows conservatives of modest means with a venue for ideological ammunition.

Instead, I would propose a minimum $12.00 annual fee for posting privileges. Not too burdensome, but would keep out some of the riff raff.

[Freedoms Chaser]

The goal of the complainers and accusers is to shut down FreeRepublic...

Don't Let Them Win...

Keep FreeRepublic up and running for the security of the Republic.

[LeeMcCoy]

You've got to read this...

[My Favorite Headache]

Taking bets that this thread hits 5,000 by the end of Sunday.

[let freedom sing]

I'm for letting those banned people harangue themselves by one thread.

[jmp702]

I agree with what some of the others have advocated; a recurring monthly posting fee. In that many of us spend more hours here, as opposed to sitting in front of the television, a small monthly fee to cover our "entertainment" is certainly not antithetical to the purpose of the site.

Many of us pay $40.00- $50.00 or more to have a cable attached to our television so we may be exposed to 25 minutes of commercials per hour. What would be the harm in a $5.00 or more per month posting fee for those of us who use the resources and bandwidth?

Now, if you could prevent @home from shutting down and the loss of my cable connection...:)

[WillaJohns]

Thank you for joining in. I, too, lurked for a long time before I posted.

As someone said above, I contribute money to FreeRepublic.com without coersion, because I love this site, and most of the people who frequent here. I'm grateful for their generosity with their knowledge. I want this site to thrive so it can help others learn about our Constitution, our country, and what liberty and freedom really means.

Everyone who supports FreeRepublic helps keep this valuable forum up and running.

Support FreeRepublic HERE by secure credit card, or send your checks or money orders to: FreeRepublic , LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794

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[mercy]

As I have said before. I will pay a lot if you make it a subscription site. Nothing till then. It is a crime if you are not making a profit here and it is an equal crime that any fool can waltz in here and screw the place up at will. Please charge at least $60 per year when you finally come to your senses.

[Shermy]

Keep your spirits up

[k2blader]

Why can't you make Free Republic a pay-per-use website? I think it's worth at least $10.00 a month. Not too offensive, and gets people paying.

I'd be up for that. Haven't been here long, but it's obvious FR is an *excellent* resource & forum.

Thank you, Jim & John! Please expect some mail around Christmas. :)

[anniegetyourgun]

I'd take money out of savings for that.

[Oschisms]

Joined during the attempted coup in Nov. Lurked on and off before that. Came over pretty much fulltime to this site from The Other Site with the last wave of Ldot refugees. We washed up on your shores during a freepathon and have been generous. I'll link this thread to the FReeople so they know. Last freepathon someone came up with the idea of donating a dollar a day. I will up my 50$ quarterly donation to that level at the start of the next freepathon.

Thank You Jim.

[McGavin999]

Oh good, I was wondering about that as I read the thread.

Jim, you can't let this site die. I know it's OUR responsibility to keep the money coming in, but you're the heart of this site. I can't wait until the lawsuit is finally settled and we can stop worrying about it once and for all. I was going to offer a contribution, but if the fund raiser is next week, I'll wait so my state can get the credit ;o)

[katherineisgreat]

KEEP IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!