Teabaggers are rallying in cities across the nation today, while non-crazy folks are busily writing checks and rushing to the post office. Why? Well, it’s my birthday of course!
And since it’s my birthday, I’m going to use the opportunity to launch a long-delayed and much needed fund drive.
Indeed, it’s been two years since I last made a public plea for donations, not because I didn’t need the cash, but because I didn’t know how long I would continue blogging, and I didn’t want to take your money and run. But my finances are now edging from precarious to ruinous, so here’s the deal.
Two years ago I set a rather ambitious target of $6,000, and you all came through. It was both amazing and incredibly gratifying, but… well that’s not even enough to cover a couple months of expenses.
So this time I’m asking for $25,000.
Yeah, I know, that seems like an awful lot of money for a local political blogger to raise, but it’s not much to live on, and $25K plus a few thousand more in advertising revenue may just be enough to get me through the end of the year, or at the very least, the November election. And if I can’t raise that kinda money, well then, I suppose I’ll just have to move on.
The kinda blogging I do is a full time job, but frugal as I am, I have fixed expenses — mortgage, insurance, utilities, food, teenage daughter and all that — and I just can’t afford to continue doing this without something approaching a full time income. Hell, I’m 47 years old, and aside from the equity in my house and a few shares of Apple in my IRA, my retirement plans consist of setting myself out to sea on an ice floe.
I don’t mean this as a threat or a complaint, it’s just simple economic reality. So I’m asking you my readers, and all the progressive and Democratic organizations, activists, candidates and consultants who have benefited from my tireless efforts and my obnoxiously fearless and uniquely effective media presence, to either keep HA going… or… well… I suppose you could offer me a job.
If you believe, as I do, that I provide an invaluable service that simply can’t be replaced by any other media outlet or progressive organization, than please give as generously as you can. Those readers who can only afford twenty or thirty bucks, I understand. But those of you who routinely spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year on progressive candidates and causes — and there are many of you amongst my fans — I need that same sort of financial support if I’m going to continue in my present role.
Can we meet this $25,000 target? I don’t know. Certainly not without some big checks from institutional sponsors and wealthy donors. But if we can’t meet this goal, then I’ll just have to move on.
So please click on the Donate button below and show your support, or drop me an email or phone call if you want to discuss some more creative sponsorship options. I passionately love blogging, and am profoundly grateful for the encouragement and support I’ve received these past six years. But unfortunately love, passion and gratitude don’t pay the bills.
you could always get a real job, and do the blogging thing as a side hobby.
just saying..
Save some room for me on the ice flow, we’re in the same boat.
@2
I believe ice floes are the conservative plan for entitlement reform.
but I thought globull worming was gonna make all the ice disappear…
@4
That’s why I asked Goldy to save me some room on his.
Instead on an ice flow, maybe you can get aboard the SS Minnow. If you are real lucky, Mary Ann will get on a bicycle and make electricity.
a) Get a real job.
b) $6k doesn’t even cover two months expenses for you? Learn some fiscal conservatism.
c) This site has a lot of freeloaders writing posts.
d) I’m sure advertising nets you $0, right? Heh.
@7..fail.
I’m out of a job right now, so I could not give much, but I gave something. Interestingly enough I first found out about this site from mcjoan on DKOS a couple of years ago. Good site. Keep up the good work.
As far as working, I was recently hired by the Census, so that is either good or bad, not sure which just yet. It is only two months, but if I survive, it will be unique experience to put on my resume.
Happy birthday, Goldy. Many happy returns.
Now I’m off to see how much money I have in my PayPal account…
PS. floe
Done, Goldy. I’ll try to do this more often.
Poll: Tea Party Backers Are Angry White Republican Males
“Tea-party supporters are wealthier and more well-educated than the general public, tend to be Republican, white, male and married, and their strong opposition to the Obama administration is more rooted in political ideology than anxiety about their personal economic situation, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll.”
http://seattletimes.nwsource.c.....oll15.html
Roger Rabbit Commentary: Gee, the guys throwing bricks through Democratic congressmen’s office windows are affluent white males who vote Republican and are ideological freaks — who wudda thunk?
Get a job, ya bum.
Post an address so we can send money directly to you instead of through a service. Or just send it to me in an email.
Happy Birthday.
I have arranged for ssmall contribution from some of my more observant followers.
Special call to those who use My name here.
I suggest that all the trolls and cynics, who often extol their own generosity. demonstrate their commitment to Me.
Or .. just think of this as paying for your recreation by giving unto Goldy what is his.
Sorry, I can not guarantee a reward in the afterlife, but I do guarantee that this act will not hurt.
Be good.
the Deity
Why don’t you focus on getting a fucking job? There’s this thing called an income as a result. Otherwise, if you have to dump H.A., you won’t be anywhere nearly as missed as you may think. :) Good luck!
Hey, I donated…what else is Roger Rabbit going to do with his time without HA? :) :) :)
I’ll kick in $10 – even though you were full of shit on why we had to support Cant-sell-us-out-fast-enough and you’ll toe the pelz-ian bullshit on patty pathetic.
at least REAL fascist lackeys would have kissed bernanke’s ass … oh, wait, cant-do-shit and pathetic voted for him!
tell me, we gotta elect sell outs cuz real fascists are worse, right?
r.m.m.
ballard.
#17: Good point…but he certainly wouldn’t donate anything. But yet, he should. But RR is a freeloader in every aspect…he even wants his entertainment for free.
Roger, How about taking some of those thousands you make every day and paying your fellow poor schmuck ?
You might even deduct it from your taxes as a gift to charity “-)
How much does it take to have you shut down this seditious waste of time?
from reading this, i’ll bet i support you already; i pay gobs of Fed taxes, you likely pay none.
@1 Goldy is too busy saving America from conservative claptrap and armed revolutionaries plotting to overthrow our lawful government to get what you call a “real job.”
hahahahha…how can a person “save america” when they cant even save themselves?
I hear it’s becoming more and more common to give money instead of a present to celebrate a birthday. I hope Goldy doesn’t fall prey to this crass trend!
Actually, I’m going to donate because I don’t want the Lord to call Goldy home.
Cheers!
23 Good point slapchopper. Maybe I could tow a
“berg” back from Alaska with my boat and we can send him packing. Or…. he could charge them coons some rent on that fine outbuilding.HAHAHAHAHAHAHa
I donated a small amount and will donate the same amount each month..
Call it a subscription..
I know of a couple of call centers that are hiring…and in the US even…
Ah, markie @ 25,
Your sense of humor is so developed, so mature.
Maybe you should look for only short-term employment and write about it. The Census takers, for example expect to work for a set amount of time, then, it is over.
Also, invite a couple writers/bloggers to pinch-write a little during temporary employment.
be like darcy; find some left wing or gov’t agency to mooch off; no good lefty ever went hungry
Come on freeloaders!
Lessee …
I cancelled my subscription to the Seattle Times .. why bother when Goldy gives me anything they write for free?
Goldy is the obvious choice!
lessee …
I can give to NRA, Husky Football, the Firemen’s Circus, the Discovery Institute, KUOW, or the Boyscouts (homophobic) …
hmmm .. OK .. Goldy gets that bit of money.
oh yeh!!! Goldy has a leaky roof on his shed and ‘coons are living there!’s roof l
My synagogue’s roof leaks too … !
Harvard College ran outa money to build its new campus… never enough !
UDub … someone has to pay Emmert’s salary!
hmmm .. OK .. Goldy gets that bit of money too.
Sp what has Goldy done for me?
Hmmm ..
Hay Goldy, “dayenu”
Besides, God is on his side!
Here is what I posted on Open Thread, but is probably more relevant to this thread:
At 15 above, I took a shot at the Seattle Times and suggested that Goldy has been too easy on the hometown rag. Now, I just got to the editorial page, where the lead op-ed says this about our state’s legislature this year: ” . . . they should have reduced the footprint of government by eliminating non-core [?] services such as the state printer, privatizing liquor stores and insisting on additional efficiencies in technologies [?].” Anybody have any idea how much that would have saved the state? Not a freaking dime, but some union workers would have gotten screwed. Our state liquor stores turn a profit, and pay living wages to their employees. ?Que es la problema?
Seattle is one of the most liberal and finest cities in the nation. Why do we have a newspaper like this one?
We haven’t paid our Seattle Times bill in over a month, but it is still getting delivered. I presume the paper keeps getting delivered because that helps advertising rates. I was going to write a letter to the editor to say why after over 20 years I was no longer subscribing (after the Times endorsed Robbie McKenna’s challenge to the federal healthcare bill), but I have not yet done so.
After today’s nonsense, I have to write to the Times. I think I also should pay to HA quarterly what I have been paying to the Seattle Times. Of course, Goldy doesn’t post box scores from Mariners games, nor does he have Doonesbury, but I can probably forgive that.
“the seattle times must go down”….
hugo chavez much?
leftist @ 33
Be patient. It’s just a matter of time. My inside sources say the remaining crew have no idea how to right the ship.
Kind of sad, really.
I used to deliver the Times as a kid. I even signed up enough new subscribers to earn a trip to DisneyLand. Imagine something like that happening today.
Democratic society needs accountability journalism. A bad daily is better than no daily. With the Times gone, there will be a pretty big void. It’ll be a while before crowd sourced (blog-like) journalism fills that hole.
34
We have a free press in this country, supposedly, Maxie. It is, however, heavily tilted to the right. Hugo Chavez most certainly tilts Venezuelan media toward what he wants; I will not disagree with that. On the other hand, this country’s mainstream media is most certainly tilted toward the rightwing corporate influences that pay for it. Check out Fox News, Time, or the Seattle Times if you disagree.
Jason,
I love holding a newspaper between my two hands and seeing some story that I know nothing about, but fascinates me when I read it. My wife–who, believe it or not, is to my left–is chastising me for giving up on the Times. She said she would not have known about the Orca story and the Orca love of Chinook salmon if not for today’s Seattle Times. She’s right in regard to the paper highlighting such stories, and drawing our eyes to them. But, right next to that story is the Puget Sound Teabagger schedule for the day. Hard to put up with that.
leftist @ 37
No doubt.
I once had a great job, with great opportunities, along awesome coworkers, doing great stuff.
And the owner was a real piece of work. He ultimately destroyed the company, screwing all of us in the process.
I imagine that’s what it feels like at the Times.
There’s a lot of quality people at the Times. I hope they can find a way to keep being awesome, post Blethen. Journalisming, for one, certainly won’t be easy, until some new model (to pay for accountability journalism) gets established.
Leftist @ 33: The Seattle Times is so transparant in it’s editorial ramblings.
“… non-core [?] services such as the state printer, privatizing liquor stores…”
In other words, they want the State to out-source printing. Any guess who benefits from that decisions? A really large job, like voter information pamplets, would have to go to large printers such as the Times. Everything else would be out-sourced to China (yes, the printing rates from China are incredibly cheap, and the quality is quickly rising, if you can wait a few weeks to get your project shipped to you).
And if we were to have private liquor stores, there would be lots more liquor advertising – presumably some of it going to the Seattle Times.
So while the Times is issuing their lofty advice to the lowly voter on what they claim is wise government policy, it’s pretty clear who’s interest they have at heart.
Oh, and by the way, that old saw about “making use of technological efficiencies” is just the same old “eliminate waste and abuse” card regularly employed by Republicans and wingnuts such as Eyman and Dori Monson, et al. They insist on cutting taxes for the wealthy first, and then figuring out how to pay for the resulting gap in the budget later. The references to “waste and abuse” and “technological efficiencies” is simply a tactic to avoid talking about specifics, or coming to grips with the problem that such savings, even if they could be identified and corrected, are a mere fraction of what would be needed to pay for their tax-cutting program.
We should figure out a way for those of us using Goldy’s site to pay a subscription for a “premium service”, while the rest of the site remains free of charge.
@13 I know where you work.
http://blog.prospect.org/blog/.....andler.jpg
@33 “Seattle is one of the most liberal and finest cities in the nation. Why do we have a newspaper like this one?”
Because the legislature gave Frank Blethen tax breaks to keep it alive. Click here for photo of Frank Blethen:
http://www.tonyrogers.com/humo.....igns_4.jpg
@19 “RR is a freeloader in every aspect…”
Of course I am! Republicans have all the money, so I use their business model.
I sent in 25 bucks even though I’m unemployed and lost $1,500 in the stock market today.
At least I think it was 25 bucks. I’m having trouble seeing the keyboard keys today. I guess I’ll find out when I get my bank statement whether I sent the whole 25 thousand bucks.
There, fixed.
Thanks for all that you do for truth, justice, comic relief, and effective political activism, Goldy! I just contributed and reposted your fund-drive plea on my Facebook page. I hope others will do the same! Please also keep us posted on your progress.
RR: so now you are unemployed…I thought you were retired…and what is a 1500 dollar loss with all those incredible gains you had and made….
sheesh…