NR - Re: ANST - On-line Ansteorra : Comments and rebuttal...

[Lorraine and/or Kief]

Heilsa Lionardo Acquistapace...and all Ansteorrans Good and True...

You wrote these words:

>I would concur that his business plan for this project is
>sound and well reasoned. I fully support our going through with this 
plan.

Excellent...then why are you trying to sabotage donations...?!

>I do have one concern, however, that is not for Pug, but for each of 
you,
>gentle readers. As Pug mentioned a hat was passed at the Red Tape 
event
>where this proposal was first brought to light. $300 dollars was 
raised from
>the pockets of those present, with a few notable exceptions. It's the
>exception I want to talk about. Some of us did not contribute 
because we
>have already contributed for just this purpose. I contribute every 
time I
>attend a Kingdom level event (at least 30% of the profit from those 
events
>goes to the Kingdom) and Gulf Wars. I have contributed through the 
years to
>various and sundry "fund-raisers", all without really looking 
closely at our
>fair Kingdom's finances. Let me tell you, friends, our finances 
appear to be
>quite healthy, despite recent problems in ensuring we have funds 
well in
>hand.

Yep...our finances appear quite healthy.......... However, I will 
take issue with Lord Lionardo's reasoning... We all "contribute" to 
the Kingdom coffers with our participation and, some of us, through 
various fund-raisers.... So what? The "fund-raisers" are used for 
specific funding... Each one for special needs...so...those funds are 
effectively not in the Kingdom's "General coffers"... The, "at least 
30%" of the gate at Kingdom events goes to various projects and 
needed improvments in the Kingdom. To wit:
Printing of Special Editions of the Black Star - "A&S Issue"
Printing of the O.P....of the Marshalate Rules...of the other various 
Handbooks....Treasurers...Seneschal...etcetcetc......
As well, the Crown's pittance of a travel fund.... 
Lionardo your "contribution" is also money taken away from the local 
group's general coffers for the good of the Kingdom... As such it is 
not a "contribution" at all but just part of the site fee....

You are whining......

>We could have paid for this directly from Kingdom funds, and the vast
>majority present at the Red Tape event seemed quite happy to agree 
with such
>a decision, had it been made. Instead a few swayed the process over 
to
>donation stating reasons such as "I don't use a computer," or"I'm 
not a
>Kingdom Officer, so how would Ansteorra.Org benefit me at all? I 
don't want
>my Kingdom to spend funds on that which I would not use!" To this I 
say, I
>do not use the thrones, or the pillows for our crown, yet we agree 
it is
>worthwhile to purchase these things, if only for ambiance. Yet we 
can see
>more tangible results in having a place for new members to contact 
us and
>find out more about our fair Kingdom through this means alone. The 
sharing
>of information on the mailing lists from this server is simply 
phenomenal
>and those who are not on this medium benefit greatly because they 
have
>friends and teachers who use it to garner more knowledge to share 
with
>everyone.

You state that, "a few swayed the process over to donation stating 
reasons such as "I don't use a computer," or"I'm not a Kingdom 
Officer, so how would Ansteorra.Org benefit me at all? I don't want 
my Kingdom to spend funds on that which I would not use!"...". 

Poppycock...the consensus was such that donations would be used in 
conjunction with Kingdom funding for the project. And, if perchance 
the Kingdom rejected the project, the funds collected would be placed 
into the Kingdom general coffers. The good folk that donated money to 
the project did so out of a sense of love for Ansteorra...not a sense 
of guilt over those few that would not benefit from the project. Your 
argument could be used to deny funding for Equestrian 
activities ...'cause I don't ride a horse...don't use any of MY Money 
to fund it........

Many of the objects that you mentioned in the preceeding paragraph as 
purchases were, in fact, donated to the Kingdom by folks that care 
about the Kingdom...just like the monetary donations that were freely 
given at the RT event for the computer project.

>It is also said that we would not wish to affect the finances now 
while we
>still have much to pay for on ATYC (Ansteorra's Thirtieth Year 
Celebration),
>including over $1,000 on site tokens alone! $1,000 spent on that 
which will
>allow us to further our education and knowledge and membership seems 
to me
>to be far better spent than on a dangly I might wear for a couple of 
days
>and benefits no-one who is not attending the event. (I do not 
believe that
>not having a token would in any way affect our ability to make a 
profit on
>ATYC, thank you very much.) Yes, we should wait to see that we will 
be
>making a comfortable profit on ATYC such as the use of $2,000 would 
not
>cause us a burden, but is waiting for an extra month before deciding 
to make
>such a purchase such an ordeal? None of those involved seem to mind 
waiting
>to get this system up and running.

You obviously think that $1,000 is a lot of money..... given the fact 
that there will be over 1,000 people at Ansteorra' _Twentieth_ Year 
Celebration that works out to be less than a buck per attendee...

As well, the specific funds in the Kingdom coffers are not all 
available for use... Well over half the funds are dedicated money set 
aside for specific offices and projects...

I personally would not mind seeing the computer project funded 
totally by donations from the populace and using not one penny of 
Kingdom funding for the purchase... Given the fact that there are 
many involved with the project that have been and will be donating 
time, energy, and their own money can we as the good subjects of the 
Crown of Ansteorra do less...?

>Why burden the populace with yet another unneeded fund raiser? Why 
not use
>Kingdom funds after ATYC. Isn't this project exactly the kind of 
thing our
>Kingdom funds should be used for? I say we should let our voices be 
heard
>and write our Kingdom Seneschal with our thoughts on this subject, 
either
>for or against using Kingdom funds.

You got it...! My voice is being heard... Loud and clear. I have not 
yet seen an "un-needed fund raiser". Yours is a specious argument. If 
YOU do not want to contribute actual funding to the project YOU don't 
have to. Certainly this project is what Kingdom funds are designed 
for... Yet, why not let those folks that want to donate to the 
project have the joy of doing so...? If we can save the Kingdom money 
on this and come out of it with an enhanced electronic presence on 
the Web, great...! Besides...this donated money enables the Kingdom 
to do two "enhancement" projects instead of one... If indeed the 
computer project is paid for by donations alone...why, then we, as a 
Kingdom, can fund a new educational or PR project that will bring in 
even more new members........

>With great sincerity,
>
>(Lionardo Acquistapace, Bjornsborg)

Waes Thu Hael kinfolk...
Kief
"Better the Hammer than the nail..."

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