$100k needed by Friday for Blimp or the media will have a field day laughing at us

[Derek Johnson]

I donated to the blimp project, and will do so again. I have 4 kids and my family lives off 1 income: mine. If I can donate, so can you. Get the e-mail out, get the phone call made, get the neighbor door knocked on....please.

 

[constituent]

+1

They are the same close-minded $#!^heads who bad-mouthed November 5th for WEEKS leading up to it. If it wasn't for them, November 5th would have been over 6 million.

naysayers = $#!^heads

blimp supporters = innovators

this is utterly Orwellian.

the blimp team has turned into a rally-squad (look it up).

i wish you the best, and i want to see the blimp in the air, but
you know what????? face facts.

rally-squad behavior all around this. not cool. i don't care how you
slice it.

 

[areyou4real]

Aren't they prohibited from voicing support for Ron Paul because they now represent a for profit LLC? I don't know how that helps maximize media coverage

No. They can talk about Ron Paul all they want. The just cannot explicitly endorse him for President.

If you are a Ron Paul supporter, you know that Dr. Paul believes in the free market. If you agree with a concept and its execution, support it. If you don't agree with a concept and its execution, don't support it. It is that simple.

For those of you that feel the Blimp project is a waste/unjust, etc . . . I can understand your need to voice your opinion and not support it. There is nothing wrong with dissent. However, don't you realize that continuing to complain about the project, accomplishes nothing, and is counterproductive to the cause?

Instead of complaining about someone else's project, start a project of your own that you think would be more effective. If it is worthwhile - the market will support it.

Here's what I did: http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?t=47328

 

[torchbearer]

I agree, the blimp is a great idea, but using "donations" or what they are now calling "sponsorships" in order to start a business is underhanded IMO. And the sense of urgency some folks are trying to stir up reminds me of what you would find in a late night infomercial or a tactic used by a street hustler.

Actually they are preselling their service.. and when they've book enough time they will use that money to launch that business. That makes perfect sense.

 

[firebirdnation]

Just pathetic, just pathetic, the small closed minded people that is criticizing this project and are backing out of their pledges. The staff is not making anything yet and so if they do I would gladly pay $100,000's to a staff to get my hero elected and to help bring in millions more in PR and donations. What are a bunch of cheap jealous non innovated minds who worship the dollar rather than spend it to help. Just Pathetic.

.

I try to avoid the blimp discussions, but for some reason people keep posting them in the grassroots forum, but this is no longer a grassroots project. But I must say, you have made me see the light. I will now hurry up and hand over my hard earned cash so a couple of folks can start a business.

 

[Brennon]

I try to avoid the blimp discussions, but for some reason people keep posting them in the grassroots forum, but this is no longer a grassroots project. But I must say, you have made me see the light. I will now hurry up and hand over my hard earned cash so a couple of folks can start a business.

I stay rather quiet on the forum, and I mean no dispresect, but I think these sort of things are better left unsaid. It's simply hurting us.

If someone wants to donate, let them, if you don't fine. The people here can find all the information they need to make an informed decision without discouragement. Just let it be.



As far as 'high salaries' go. If they are indeed only taking $500 per week in income, let's be honest here people, that's hardly enough to survive on let alone feed a family. I'm a twenty-two year old college student making more than that. It's not a lot of dough by any stretch of the imagination.

 

[constituent]

Do what you want of course but in my opinion, the media crucifying Ron Paul supporters has done very little to this point. After all, this really has nothing to do with the official campaign. How much is it worth to save face?

it's not about saving face. it's about our honor.

i've now read about 3/4 the way through this thread, and you know what?

still friggin' ridiculous. screw liberty advertising llc of w/evertf it's called.

and forget the blimp-in time another gimmick or more honest approach will surface-
how much damage has this caused us in positive feelings/momentum/etc.?

forget the media and their "perception." how dependent have we been on their
positive feedback thus far?

and yet the movement grows.

 

[firebirdnation]

Actually they are preselling their service.. and when they've book enough time they will use that money to launch that business. That makes perfect sense.

Regardless of the semantics, they are using this money to start a personal business venture. Could they start this business venture without these donations, err, I mean sponsorships? In addition, when they started this project, it was in order to rent a blimp with a Ron Paul message and had nothing to do with a few folks starting their own business. I even promoted the idea to anyone who would listen, and then I found out the so called "volunteers" were organizing the project decided to take the route of creating their own business for personal gain. If they wanted to start a business, they should have started a new project in order to do so and been straight forward about the intentions from the start. I should have stuck with promoting the tea party.

 

[MadEmperor]

I try to avoid the blimp discussions, but for some reason people keep posting them in the grassroots forum, but this is no longer a grassroots project. But I must say, you have made me see the light. I will now hurry up and hand over my hard earned cash so a couple of folks can start a business.

What exactly makes you believe this will turn into a business venture that will make big profits for it's owners? We see the salaries on the website, it isn't extravagant. What is your source?

 

[fletcher]

Why would the media laugh at us because of the failings of a private company? If they do, who cares besides the owners of the company?

 

[Mark]

this Blimp project is in peril.

the media is aware of the project



they missed their funding goal by a long shot earlier today despite having *more* than enough money pledged.

a general lack of clarity lead to the project's undoing,

Do you know why?
.

People writing news articles saying it's going to happen before the money was in.

They took no caution regarding the damage it could cause the campaign
by them saying it was going to happen when they hadn't even collected a cent.

It never occurred to them that open pledges were potentially fake pledges.

.
Then, at the last minute, they changed everything.

Completely different than things were before.

They quit their jobs and then complained when people asked why.

They gave themselves high salaries, expense accounts, and didn't ask for volunteers first.

They bloated the budget.
.

They didn't respond to valid questions.

They attacked valid questions and personally the posters who asked.

They complained and reported everyone who asked questions.
.

It was HORRIBLY mismanaged all around.

And they looked to blame everyone but themselves.

.

I could go on.

They took an good idea and ruined it.
.

It's their own fault if it's an embarrassment and doesn't fly.

No one else's.

 

[torchbearer]

Regardless of the semantics, they are using this money to start a personal business venture. Could they start this business venture without these donations, err, I mean sponsorships? In addition, when they started this project, it was in order to rent a blimp with a Ron Paul message and had nothing to do with a few folks starting their own business. I even promoted the idea to anyone who would listen, and then I found out the so called "volunteers" were organizing the project decided to take the route of creating their own business for personal gain. If they wanted to start a business, they should have started a new project in order to do so and been straight forward about the intentions from the start. I should have stuck with promoting the tea party.

Its not a donation, its not even really a sponsorship, you are buying ad time like you would on the radio... your time is booked and will be delivered when enough time is bought. nothing sneaky or immoral about that. Unless your a collectivist...

 

[chandlerLBT]

why haven't the mods moved this to the right sub-forum after 8 pages? it was started over an hour ago. and it obviously belongs in the blimp forum.

 

[dircha]

Aren't they prohibited from voicing support for Ron Paul because they now represent a for profit LLC? I don't know how that helps maximize media coverage

I think the concept is great and I don't have an issue with salaries, but I've read their statements on the legality. At the very least it seems to me it violates the spirit of FECA. Which I guess is fine, I don't like the law, but the description of the suggested legal loophole for avoiding needing to register as a PAC just seems disingenuous.

I'm no lawyer, but I'm not stupid. The way the suggested loophole seems to work is:
- The LLC doesn't spend any money itself endorsing Ron Paul.
- The LLC "simply" provides an advertising platform (just like a newspaper or a magazine).
- Contributors are said to be buying "micro-advertisements" by paying by the minute for their political advertisement to be on the blimp in flight.
- It "just so happens" that there is only one political advertisement available, and it "just so happens" that this political advertisement is an endorsement of candidate Ron Paul for President.
- So while in fact there is only one ad ever seen in a flight, legally you say that each contributor is paying for a discrete block of advertising, and since legally you say each discrete block of advertising is only paid for by a single individual, you say that legally you do not have to register as a PAC.

Is this essentially what you guys are doing here?

Don't get me wrong, I think it's clever, and I think the law is an unconstitutional abridgment of speech, but does your legal team really believe this will hold up in court, and does your legal team have the necessary expertise in campaign finance law to make this judgment?

Good luck, guys. You are definitely breaking new ground here.

 

[firebirdnation]

I stay rather quiet on the forum, and I mean no dispresect, but I think these sort of things are better left unsaid. It's simply hurting us.

If someone wants to donate, let them, if you don't fine. The people here can find all the information they need to make an informed decision without discouragement. Just let it be.

I never said people should not donate, and I would never put anyone down for doing so. Its their money and their right to do whatever they please with it. But, let me share my experience with this project with you. Many people who go to the Ron Paul blimp website are not members of this forum. In addition, if I had not been on this website, I would not have known about the change in plans. This is due to the fact that I read the original website thoughly and didn't see a need to re-read it. I planned to donate and was waiting for them to set up the PAC in order to do so. There was nothing (until recently), placed on the website to indicate the change of plans, and even now, the notification that its now a business plan is in small font under the checkout button. The only reason I speak up about this is due to these underhanded way in which this is being conducted. I want people to know what they are funding.

As far as 'high salaries' go. If they are indeed only taking $500 per week in income, let's be honest here people, that's hardly enough to survive on let alone feed a family. I'm a twenty-two year old college student making more than that. It's not a lot of dough by any stretch of the imagination.

It was originally $1000 a week, and it was cut due to complaints. My wife is a public educator and makes less than $1000 a week. If $1000 a week is chump change to you fellas, I really need to know what profession you are employed in so I can change professions. Anyway, we may not be rich, but we donate any extra we have to the Ron Paul campaign and other Ron Paul projects.

 

[Mark]

You guys complain about overhead on an LLC (despite it being the legal best course) yet are more than willing to have us take on interest payments?!?!

That's not true.

I offered them a way to do it with no overhead and they didn't even bother to ask about it.

Another person said they would take it on and cover ALL costs and they ignored them too.

They didn't even say howdy to people who suggested anything other than that they should have complete control.

They wanted it all themselves.

 

[Pete Kay]

The problem is that you just haven't insulted us enough. See you have to really work harder at trying to make us hate all of you and the whole blimp project, then I will fork over some cash. Please make more threads calling your fellow Ron Paul supporters "jealous asshats". We obviously are too stupid to make up our own minds. We need you to constantly barrage us with hateful insults and guilt us into donating. Keep it up.

 

[firebirdnation]

Its not a donation, its not even really a sponsorship, you are buying ad time like you would on the radio... your time is booked and will be delivered when enough time is bought. nothing sneaky or immoral about that. Unless your a collectivist...

Two questions:

1. Are a few folks starting a business off this project?

2. Could they start this business without these "buying ad minutes"?

It was very sneaky because the original project was a grassroots effort and not a business venture. They continue to use Ron Pauls name in order to start this business, and the front page is almost identical to the one they presented to us at first, expect for the change in graphics and they are using the same domain name. I never said it was immoral, but it sure is sneaky IMO.

 

[kill the banks]

they were going to start a pac but that caused problems with limits to donations see :
http://www.ronpaulblimp.com/PAC_Explanation.php
the business happened because it was best alternative at the time and place ... stop with the business stuff ... later they can restructure to a corp. and you can buy shares i suppose but the salaries won't pay for dinner at macdonalds frankly ... get the blimp in the air
winning and restoring constitutional govt will pay back forever notwithstanding taxes
these are good kids imo and will not challenge or buy into anything to hurt dr paul

kill the banks

 

[nathanmn]

Lets ignore the naysayers and the negativity. Lets promote this at our meetups, myspace, and wherever else. There is no turning back now. I wish the negative people would see that we are all in this together now. Attacking the idea or the way it was carried out isn't going to help anything. We are committed. We are in it. Let us get it done now.