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
I've seen you be as rude as anyone, when the spirit moves. In fact, you just did it. The difference is, you'll never get banned for it.
The occasional rhetorical nastiness is perfectly okay by me - sometimes what the stew really needs is a pinch of salt - but let's not treat ourselves to a hypocrisy party, okay?
Well, I think you finally got it. Did you stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night?
Move to the head of the class -- or the door, whichever comes first.
And NO, I have never been banned, I've just lurked.
Funny, the owner didn't show me the door in his reply. Aren't you being a little presumptuous?
1. You are a racist.
2. You assault other posters with lies.
3. You spam the place with more IDs than exsquirrel.
Take RightOnline's advise...see a therapist about your rate of self-absorbtion...you are reaching the critical level and will only become anti-matter instead of no matter.
Hoppa dat hepps ya heeps.
Accusers? You act like we're holding firing squad drills here.
You kidding? I love Free Republic.
Oh, wait. You can tell the difference between the forum and the management, I suppose? Or are you one of those who chews out the waitress when your steak is overdone?
The occasional rhetorical nastiness is perfectly okay by me -
Not that it matters what is OK to you, since you don't own the site. that IS what it is about- a site owner being able to run his own site as he pleases.
All the whiners on here are like hearing city people trying to sue a farmer because he wouldn't paint his barn red.
sometimes what the stew really needs is a pinch of salt -
Maybe, but put your salt in your own soupbowl instead of trying to put it in the chef's. Geocities offers free web sites and you can put your soupbowl there, with as much salt as you need.
but let's not treat ourselves to a hypocrisy party, okay?
Hypocrisy is seeing people trying to make themselves co-owners of another man's property, against his will, and then still claim to be 'conservatives' looking out for 'people's rights.'
When someone asks you to leave their property, you leave, or if you want to return, you apologize and ask to be readmitted. If you don't think you did wrong, and don't apologize, that's your choice... just leave. You don't demand concessions from him, nor expect any, because it is his property to do with as he pleases, and he can invite or disinvite anyone he wants to, for any reason, at any time.
Me, I keep going back, but I don't tip. And I fill out those "Tell Us What You Think" cards at every opporunity.
Like this one. Voilà.
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