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
ROFL.
Then you could visit your personal page and make one donation to be split however you want. FreeRepublic would be at the top of my list.
Then again TLBSHOW in england has flames baby...........
It's not half as funny as you hanging out with eschoir.
Klintoon was too ignorant to do anything intelligent like go after terrorists. (notice I did not say stupid, I said ignorant). You just can't stand to see a conservative do something right, huh?
"Does the "Patriot Act" mean anything to you, with its "sneak and peek" provisions where a cop can invade your home without a warrant and search through it, take away anything he wants as "evidence" and probably plant some if he can't find any?"
malador, could you point out the section in the Patriot act? I would really like to read it. I don't want the cops invading my home! Here's the link for the Patriot Act. Could you post that section? Thanks so much!
Dengar01
Can FR be my ISP? I don't care a thing for any of the ISP's (well there is one that has to do with outdoors, and they contribute $1 back to my choice...If there will be no FR ISP, then I guess I'll have to explain that RKBA. hunting, conservation, and love of freedom is a good enough reason to send my dollar to FR. I'd just as soon give you the whole $20.mo, tho'
I know, I'll contribute $1 for every anti-semitic nazi arab-loving SOB you ban. just remember that I have children and an income of $615/mo and get no food stamps or welfare or stuff, so don't ban too many too quickly, LOL.
Ah, h**l, I'm overweight anyway, just leave me enough to feed the 13 yo. and the animals. Send me a statement please, 'cause I have no idea how to tell who was banned -- they show up with a new name, or three or four, all at once.
yeah...be my ISP. I like that idea...(no, I don't know what that would involve, but with all your spare time - hehe - I'm sure you can fit it in.
I would like to read that particular passage in the Patriot Act. Could you point it out for me? Or maybe post that section? Thanks, oh and here's a link...
What is the Institute's budget, and from where does it derive its funding?
Finally, what impact does the institute have on the appeal with the Ninth Circuit, given your affidavit in that matter regarding chapters, activism, and so forth?"
They are not related legally. Politically, we are all conservatives with similar interests.
The Institute is no more. It never had a budget. It never raised any funds. It never received any donations. It was discontinued before it even got off the ground. The filings drug on forever, and I decided it was not worth the hassle. I also began to realize that a 501C was probably not all that great for us anyway. I decided I did not want to be so closely regulated by the IRS, so I pulled the plug on the project.
None that I'm aware of. FR does not hold ownership interest in any of the chapters. They are all separate entities, owned and operated locally by the members. FR has no legal affiliation of any kind with with any of them, nor do I.
Wow, all that from just a brief visit to RuR. Are you sure you haven't confused me with somebody else? LOL.
My love/hate relationship with FR is a long, long story. What you are observing now is final unwinding of this long and sometimes tortured saga.
I am really not self-absorbed at all. If I seem that way, it's only because so many seem to be absorbed with me. Take you, for example. You spent a whole afternoon researching ME? I'm flattered, but really WHY? Don't you have a country to save? LOL.
I never wanted to be the center of some long running FReeper soap opera. I just want to post my opinions and enjoy fellowship with like minded-freepers, just like everybody else. But, fate cast me as the titular leader of the Paleo-cons on FR, and, thus, the prime target of Bushie-instigated censorship and purges. And so, I was thrust into the role of defender of free speech rights for downtrodden minority conservative sub-factions here on FR. Not that it was a role I did not relish, because they must be defended, but how much better would it be if they needed no defense but were simply respected, with all conservative factions able to enjoy their differences and debate with each other with mutual respect and affection, without fear of censorship or Soviet-style purges? That is my dream. That is why I persist in my tiresome belly-aching. That is why I have made myself into a royal pain in the FReeper ass. As long as minority FReepers were being bullied censored, banished, and silenced, somebody had to do it.
But I'm nothing special nor am I the only FReeper who is fighting this fight. I just get a lot of undeserved attention.
Please, don't feed my unwarranted self-absorbtion by spending afternoons researching me on RuR. I'm telling you I am just not that important. LOL. I'm just one FReeper among many who loves freedom and is willing to fight for it, even on FR. End of story.
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