>>>>> "K" == Kristofer Coward <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
K> I was really trying to give an "at best, blogging can..."
But you need some reason to believe it nonetheless. Otherwise I could
assert anything I liked, for instance, that Her Majesty might read the
blog and exercise her veto power through the Governer General's
office. Saying it don't make it so, even if we'd really want it.
>> How many here would devote $35/month to a national advocacy
>> group?
K> I think it would be worthwhile to allow more flexinility in the
K> size of donation - $35/mo is well beyond my means as a student,
K> though I give $5/mo quite comfortably to other
K> groups.
It's an awkward question to ask without offense, but how many of those
groups cause change at the Parliamentary level?
K> Obviously someone who has a Linux-based business, might
K> consider it a sensible investment to donate $100/mo
Again, speculation: We have no precident in the entire open source
community to believe this is true. If we did, then I might entertain
the notion, but we don't. No professional free-software org has
received this sort of support on a national scale. The closest that
comes to mind is the LPI which is also tightly entwined with the
business interests of its sponsors, but it requires _international_
scope to raise the little amount it has to play with.
K> We might be able to raise that kind of money.
I'm dubious of the claim, but always welcome being proved wrong about
such cynical things ;)
Until I found they'd exclude me for not buying Microsoft, the CFIB was
worth the $35/month to me because they have saved me at least
$200/year on my tax bill through changes they lobbied last year, and
there is a value in my having access to 100k potential buyers and
vendors. The Microsoft-only rule cut me out of that latter perk and
thus it ceased to be useful for me to belong.
For a free-software org to command the same "minimum $35/month"
commitment from me, they'd have to demonstrate a postive impact on my
corporate bottom line, but that's all: If they directly help me make
money, I'm happy to spread the wealth around, but if all they do is
create PR events, well I can do that more cheaply with a naked lady on
a white horse.
--
Gary Lawrence Murphy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> TeleDynamics Communications Inc
Business Innovations Through Open Source Systems: http://www.teledyn.com
"Computers are useless. They can only give you answers."(Pablo Picasso)
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