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
A good morning!
My pleasure. But I just penned the words, the story was created by Arator et al. Still posting I see, Arator - 65+ posts since you stated you had no intention of posting further of FR.
And that tiring claim of "We were invited back by JimRob" is a dodge by Arator and IHC to take responsibility for their own actions. As stated prior, we've seen very little of what Arator, IHC, etc. like about FR, but plenty about what they do not like. One can easily draw conclusions of the motives of the aforementioned.
I submit that JimRob did the right thing by modifying their posting status - Arator and others have made the case far, far better about their motives and their dislike for FR than anyone else.
Are you aware that there are laws in California (and other states from which you receive donations) governing charities, including those that are NOT tax exempt?
Has Free Republic registered as a charity in California, and is it in compliance with California law as to relevant disclosures and operational requirements?
If not, why not?
Once again, thanks in advance.
Again, you're in denial my friend. I've been posting here right along, uninterrupted since 1997. This site has never been "without my sorry a$$." Nor will it ever be.
Get a grip.
That's for sure. Thanks for the blanket admission, though. That type of candor is rare these days.
I don't think that came out like you meant. Pretty funny though!
And here we find the root of the misunderstanding. Good people being concerned about a good guy, thier friend. Surely this can get worked out.
If it is generally believed that the first amendment protects freedom of speech and the press, then does it necessarily follow that a private individual or company engaged in any speech related activity must provide an outlet for opposing views? If so, then must that individual bear the financial obligation of distributing opposing viewpoints?
May I choose, of my own free understanding, to give money to any individual or company so that they may use it as they please?
In response to your inquiry on charitable organizations:
I believe LLC after FreeRepublic stands for "Limited Liability Corporation" an individual (or joint) holding which may differ from a "charity"
According to California public records, the only "FR" corporation of record is Free Republic Network, with an incorporation date of 9-27-99. However, in Judge Morrow's tentative order, she notes that the Free Republic Institute was "incorporated on September 27, 1999".
In fact, wasn't the corporation filing for the old Free Republic Institute merely changed to Free Republic Network, and weren't the costs associated with the original organization paid by FR?
If so, is it accurate to say that you and Free Republic have nothing to do with Free Republic Network? If this analysis is accurate, did (or should) Bob J reimburse Free Republic for those costs?
I appreciate the opportunity to review these issues with you.
I hope....Free Republic will be here Long after the liberals have been driven out....
P.S. with accredation and apologies to the Movie Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves....
Absolutely. This has nothing whatsoever to do with whether the individual or company you chose to give your money to is in compliance with applicable law, however.
As to your point about the limited liability company, the form of organization has absolutely nothing to do with whether an entity is a charity, as I understand it. Charities hold a public trust, and owe a duty to the public to conduct their operations pursuant to applicable laws, regardless of their form of organization.
Callahan
Geez, who are you, The lovely Marta?
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