Official Letter to the forums. From Elijah.

[Elijah]

Hi Everyone,

Thank you so much for all of you support and logic in this frantic project. We will do our best to keep updating the FAQ. We have just made a transparency page and also a page on why we did not set up a PAC.

James (forum member) asked me to post a list of items line by line that we would need. A personal budget. And a goal that we were trying to make a 1% profit on this endevour.

Ok, so the list of items is currently at www.RonPaulBlimp.com/Transpareny.php. I will do better to make it look nicer. We just wanted to get it up as fast as possible for you to see. We are still working on getting it in the menu.

He and many others are perfectly fine with our salary and just wanted us to post our personal budget. While I will post mine I cannot say what others are and I assume some are much higher.

House payment $900
Bills $400
Vehicle $400
Insurance $100
Food $300
Hospital Bills (apendectomy) $10,000 left


Keep in mind some others may have debt as well, have a family and children etc.

With that being said I know some will never be happy. My question to you is. Do you want this project to be a kick butt media making project or some poorly represented blimp failure?

I will guarantee you that I will do everything I know how to get the most media attention possible!!

We have a MSM station already going to be there for launch on the 10th and a smaller magazine with cameras as well.

We will be fighting in court for our right to fly in restricted airspace, and making headlines wherever we go!

Do you want to be part of it? We are welcoming anyone who wants to come along. Be there in Elizabeth city on the 10th of December.

[xexkxex]

You and the team have my support. :)

[Cali4RonPaul]

A $900 house payment, interesting.. As A Californian that strikes me as quite odd. Anyways its good to see you are living within your means. If only my bills were so simplistic lol.

[mmink15]

okay you get 25 bucks from me

[hillertexas]

That's what i needed...i'm back with the program

[rrroae]

Hey man I'm supporting you but think you need to get your bills off here ASAP!!

[constitutional]

Alright, lets get this blimp up.

Only concern is people working on this are getting paid bit too much. It will be hard to afford that kind of money. What was your occupation before this blimp thing? How can you secure 52k salary for one whole year while we have no idea how long this blimp will be up... 1 month or 2 month?

[michael.byrne]

I don't mean to be a party pooper, but do you have a backup plan ? What happen if the blimp doesn't fly ?

[Mental Dribble]

I SUPPORT THE BLIMP!

Way to keep at it and not let the naysays (both childish ones and the more adult mature ones) get you down! WAY TO BE RESOLUTE!

[constitutional]

I don't mean to be a party pooper, but do you have a backup plan ? What happen if the blimp doesn't fly ?

NO REFUND. :D

They get to keep it as compensate for "their attempt to get the blimp up" and the blame for failure will shift on the naysayers. :)

[Hook]

NO REFUND. :D

They get to keep it as compensate for "their attempt to get the blimp up."

Compensation for if they can't get it up? Are they going to spend it all on Viagra?
:D

[InRonWeTrust]

Why don't you guys get a wealthy benfactor to pay for these salaries?

There are fucking college kids here working at starbucks making 7 bucks an hour, and you guys want a full-time salary to ride around with a blimp?

Come on, now. 100% of the money should go to the blimp. Get a fatcat who believes in the project to pay your salaries. It will ease suspicions and tensions.

[rrroae]

I don't mean to be a party pooper, but do you have a backup plan ? What happen if the blimp doesn't fly ?

I have yet to read a post from you that didn't sound like trolling.

Case in point:


I didn't give Apple, Microsoft or Google a chance. Why should I give to this project ? It's a for profit project, for God's sake. The only thing make them listen is money. If they are about to lose their investment, they will listen to our demand.

This is capitalism at work, not a charity. If they want to sell their product, they are better to invest by their own money and have the product first. If I interested, I may buy.

Btw, I'm not going to buy $25 per minute for the blimp fly over the field with cows. I want my time is in the city, above the crowd. As long as I didn't see any proper procedures put in place, I'm not going to spend a cent.

[Hook]

Why don't you guys get a wealthy benfactor to pay for these salaries?

There are fucking college kids here working at starbucks making 7 bucks an hour, and you guys want a full-time salary to ride around with a blimp?

Come on, now. 100% of the money should go to the blimp. Get a fatcat who believes in the project to pay your salaries. It will ease suspicions and tensions.

Their salaries only add like 10% or so to the blimp cost, so most reasonable people don't care. What they do care about is if they get their money back if it fails.

[InRonWeTrust]

Well not a penny of the money should be spent on salaries until that blimp takes to the skies!!

[peacemaker]

I've donated as promised. Keep up the good work!

[James R]

I'm now on board in full support of the blimp :)

[rrroae]

I'm now on board in full support of the blimp :)

We're picking up steam!!

[Incrimsonias]

Why would you use grassroots money to pay for your hospital bills?????

[Primbs]

Have you ever heard of start up costs.

Are they suppose to quit their jobs and work for free?

Do you work for free?

We are only setting up a precedent making blimp and political first by using a blimp.

One way to insure no lose ends is to pay somebody to be a project manager to make sure everything is coordinated.

[steph3n]

Why would you use grassroots money to pay for your hospital bills?????

Because he is working full time on this project.

[synthetic]

Don't work too hard. :D

[cien750hp]

Why would you use grassroots money to pay for your hospital bills?????

i don't think he is. he left that out, that is just what his monthly budget is.

[James R]

Hi Everyone,

James (forum member) asked me to post a list of items line by line that we would need. A personal budget. And a goal that we were trying to make a 1% profit on this endevour.


I'm so sorry to have made this impression regarding your personal expenses! I really didn't mean to ask you to publish an itemized list of your personal expenses!

I just meant to ask you to base your pay on your required living expenses, and then state the request for salary and state that it was based on your living expenses.

[cero]

FFS please ban the trolls I have had it with first time poster and their fucking nagging
I bet your not even going to donate so why complain? please stfu

[Incrimsonias]

i don't think he is. he left that out, that is just what his monthly budget is.

oh ok phew! I was hoping I read that wrong!

[RP4Pres2008]

If you guys have started up this company, what was YOUR initial investment?

Are you using the grassroots to fund the start up costs?

[Energy]

Just sent got the email and sent my pledge.

[rrroae]

Just sent got the email and sent my pledge.


Way to go Energy!!

[synthetic]

i don't think he is. he left that out, that is just what his monthly budget is.

Nah, he wouldn't use the grassroots to pay his expenses. That would be like him drawing a paycheck each week or something. And for work a volunteer would do for free...come one this is just crazy talk.

[hillertexas]

Just sent got the email and sent my pledge.

me too..

[rrroae]

me too..

I'm feeling left out. Have to wait til Tue for my donation(or whatever we're calling it).

[Paulitical Correctness]

Be there on the 10th?

That's only a week away...

How much is needed to get this thing going? There's no way we'll have $350,000 raised by then.

Enlighten me.

[LFOD]

Without a sensible refund policy, in writing, I will not be fulfilling my pledge.

Elijah and Trevor have taken it upon themselves to start up a private media company.

Caveat venditor.

Caveat emptor.

[Primbs]

Have Faith. We already have the pledges.

But just in case, God helps those that help themselves, so we should purchase some more air time just to make sure.


"When George Washington asked people to follow him, they didn't say "let me read the fine print."

www.ronpaulblimp.com

[steph3n]

Without a sensible refund policy, in writing, I will not be fulfilling my pledge.

Elijah and Trevor have taken it upon themselves to start up a private media company.

Caveat venditor.

Caveat emptor.

research the legal implications if you wish it is the best method. I will be writing up something about it tomorrow because I had researched a single candidate PAC and found it was useless


This is a novel idea and will likely spark a revolution of FREE SPEECH again!

[skiingff]

$52,000 annual salary for Ron Paul "volunteers"

+

Free food

+

Free lodging

+

Free airfare

=

WTF is this, a corporate operation!?!?

Get the fuck outta here.



I think the salaries need to be cut in half. That would be more reasonable.

[torchbearer]

Without a sensible refund policy, in writing, I will not be fulfilling my pledge.

Elijah and Trevor have taken it upon themselves to start up a private media company.

Caveat venditor.

Caveat emptor.

There is a reason for a no-refund policy.
Do you remember the wonkette guy with $100,000 in fake pledges? If he donated all the money we needed for the project, and they pay to lease the blimp, then he demands a refund, we are screwed. The only way to make sure they have the money is to make payments final. No spoof donation, no doubts, no runs on the bank.

[steph3n]

There is a reason for a no-refund policy.
Do you remember the wonkette guy with $100,000 in fake pledges? If he donated all the money we needed for the project, and they pay to lease the blimp, then he demands a refund, we are screwed. The only way to make sure they have the money is to make payments final. No spoof donation, no doubts, no runs on the bank.

HEY DON'T BRING COMMON SENSE TO THE FORUMS!
That is not legal here :)

[cero]

Can someone PLEASE explain to me why they will be making 1000$ a week?
that seems way to high

[steph3n]

Can someone PLEASE explain to me why they will be making 1000$ a week?
that seems way to high

work....I get paid more than this, most everyone that I know does. People work and get paid

[skiingff]

Can someone PLEASE explain to me why they will be making 1000$ a week?
that seems way to high

I suspect $15,000+ per week just in salaries + "benefits."

Seems like a good idea... but WTF is with these extreme salaries?

[richk]

Have Faith. We already have the pledges.

But just in case, God helps those that help themselves, so we should purchase some more air time just to make sure.


"When George Washington asked people to follow him, they didn't say "let me read the fine print."

www.ronpaulblimp.com

I would like to remind you that we had pledges based on the original idea of a GRASSROOTS blimp for a month, specifically for Dec. 16th. What is being proposed now is quite different from what we started with. I need to know alot more about this project before I give my "pledged" $100. :confused:

[cero]

my dad is a teacher he works 30 hours a week and he makes less than that...
for fucks sake man I'm not paying somene 1000$ a week to ride the blimp
they better lower their salary or this is going to be the final nail in the coffin.

[eric_cartman]

$52,000 annual salary for Ron Paul "volunteers"

+

Free food

+

Free lodging

+

Free airfare

=

WTF is this, a corporate operation!?!?

Get the fuck outta here.



I think the salaries need to be cut in half. That would be more reasonable.

i agree. they should get free room, board and airfare.... but no 52K a year. that's crazy. to pay all these people all that much money, when i'm sure there are people willing to do this stuff for free.

salaries should be cut in half or eliminated. there's no way they'll ever raise enough money to get this blimp up in their air with all these extra expenses. and people don't want to donate knowing how much money goes towards the blimp staff.

[cien750hp]

my dad is a teacher he works 30 hours a week and he makes less than that...
for fucks sake man I'm not paying somene 1000$ a week to ride the blimp
they better lower their salary or this is going to be the final nail in the coffin.

first i think yoru dad works more than 30 hours a week being a teacher.
and second, teachers are the most underpaid workers. what they get is unfair. ron paul always introduces legislation to give them bonuses, he's probably the best thing that could happen for your dad and teachers everywhere. no income tax+bonuses+not limiting them with DOE and no child left behind.
therefor getting him out there should be a top priority

[rrroae]

This is a post from Hook. They're addressing all the issues, so let's cut them a little slack.


He says he is updating the transparancy page soon to specify the return policy if not enough money is raised. So anyone holding off because of that should get an answer soon.
He didn't say what those terms would be.

[cero]

Ya I know and thats why his voting for him,
and if this guys in charge of the blimp don't get their act together I will much rather donate to the volunteers at NH

[LFOD]

There is a reason for a no-refund policy.
Do you remember the wonkette guy with $100,000 in fake pledges? If he donated all the money we needed for the project, and they pay to lease the blimp, then he demands a refund, we are screwed. The only way to make sure they have the money is to make payments final. No spoof donation, no doubts, no runs on the bank.

I did hear about him, yes. A refund policy can be written in a very specific way to avoid any spoof donors, who would have to part with actual $ to attempt sabotage, very risky on their part, and therefore very unlikely.

It could simply say, for example, donations will be refunded in full *if and only if* the blimp was not actually launched by (deadline).

[fletcher]

There is a reason for a no-refund policy.
Do you remember the wonkette guy with $100,000 in fake pledges? If he donated all the money we needed for the project, and they pay to lease the blimp, then he demands a refund, we are screwed. The only way to make sure they have the money is to make payments final. No spoof donation, no doubts, no runs on the bank.

Lame excuse. No one is going to hand over a hundred dollars and later ask for a refund as a joke, let alone a hundred thousand dollars. Anyways, they only need to refund the money if they don't make enough to get it off the ground, not whenever people ask for it.

[Austin]

If I wasn't dropping all of my money on the Tea Party, I would definitely buy some advertising time.

I wish people would stop bashing this project.

[hillertexas]

Elijah,

How about instead of a refund you make it clear that if the blimp does not fly, the money will be contributed to ________ (Operation Live Free or Die, Granny Warriors, etc).

I think this would make people as comfortable as a refund promise would. And you could avoid the problems with promising a refund.

WIN-WIN

[michaelwise]

I doubled my original pledge, even though it was only $50 bucks. Good job Elijah for getting that thing in the air by the 10th. If You run into problems don't worry about a refund for me. Just keep it or donate it to the national campaign. By the way, there's nothing stopping you from donating to it from your salary is there? I suppose there's nothing stopping HQ from buying time on the blimp as well.:D

[robinlynn]

what's the reason for flying in restricted areas?

[Hook]

They want to fly over Super Bowl venues. They will loose this battle. But I hope they have fun trying.

[kushaze]

If people don't get a refund or are not happy that their money didn't go to what they paid for, someone is going to get sued. I am not saying this to be negative, but I am saying this because it is likely to happen.

[millerjd]

In the past, a superbowl TFR (Temporary Flight Restriction) is only up to 10NM around the event. Living here in PHX, and it's been big news here that there isn't a hotel room available around the superbowl within the entire valley, and people are renting rooms out of their home from $1000 to $2000 a day, and some fancy ones for more. So we have the normal population of the valley, 6th largest city, plus all the superbowl people, and traffic, I can promise you it will be horrific because it's horrific here every business day.

I sent a PM to the team offering my knowledge of the airports here, so we can keep cost down, specifically the one they launch the Goodyear blimp from in case this does take flight.