Liberty Forum Keynote Speaker

[KBCraig]

Well, $10,000 could rent out the Boy Scout Camp for porcfest for the next five years.

But would that gain us national exposure, improved credibility, marketing materials, and membership?

[Pat K]

TANSTAAFL.

TANSTAFFL (There Ain't No Such Thing as a Free Lunch) is one of the most misused phrases around.  It originally meant that even if I go to a place offering a free lunch, it wasn't free for the person who put it on.  For example, I go to the MVP meeting and they serve me free food.  However, the MVP PAID for that food, so it was not really free in the larger sense of it.

You used it to imply that to get something you must necessarily give something, which isn't true.  In the above example, I didn't have to do or give anything to the MVP except show up and eat their food.  Stossell COULD have done this for free. 

Yes he could, I could work for free too, I don't. If you don't like TANSTAAFL how about you don't get something for nothing.

That's just a restatement of TANSTAAFL.  It's a good principle, when properly applied.  And I didn't mean to say that he SHOULD have used his voice on us for an hour for free, just that he had that option and didn't take it, therefore making it a poor example of the TANSTAAFL principle.

O_K then

[KBCraig]

Thank God for free beer. Or at least generous beer drinkers.

Cheers, PatK!

[Pat K]

Did somebody say BEER? 

[d_goddard]

I'm guessing $30,000.  That's 300 tickets at $100 each.  That's pretty steep!

Less than that.

[Lloyd Danforth]

Well, $10,000 could rent out the Boy Scout Camp for porcfest for the next five years.

Caleb

And...this would help recruitment..how?

[JonM]

It's simple capitalism.  Stossel gets X for speaking, other people get Y.  If he devalues himself for us, the next group says, "hey you spoke to them for Z, why not us too?" and the work he's made to be worth $35,000 a pop is shot.  Since he gives that money to charity then he hurts his giving power.  We should appreciate the fact that he is discounting his rate, but it's not something I feel comfortable posting on an open forum.  The ability to raise the money to bring him in to speak shows that we are a serious organization with the ability to pull something like this off.  It will be an impressive achievement for a group in which every person is a volunteer.

[Russell Kanning]

I thought the FSP was the charity. I must look at things very differently than you guys.

[JonM]

The FSP is a non-profit, the IRS won't let it be a charity.

[Russell Kanning]

I don't use irs definitions. I am just surprised at the news. I would hope that our movement would attract people such as Stossell to join us for free. The rest of us just showed up.
I guess I can relate easier to how Kate Rick planned porcfest this year. She didn't bring in outsiders for speakers and it was probably very inexpensive and simple.

[JonM]

I had hoped we could get a big name speaker for gratis too.  But if we get a big name speaker who normally charges a boatload of money to speak to come to our first time event for free, what is to stop every other event from begging that person to waive their fee as well?

If all goes well his fee will be covered by people attending the keynote speech/dinner (all this remains to be worked out).  What issue will you have with it then if it is covered by people voluntarily spending their money to hear him?  If it doesn't work out well, then you can start with the recriminations.

[Russell Kanning]

Just a little disappointed .... It is not my money .... nor will it be, so .....
If the FSP ends up all square, I look at that as a potential 10grand that could have been donated to the FSP. We all just look at it differently.

[Lex]

Just a little disappointed .... It is not my money .... nor will it be, so .....
If the FSP ends up all square, I look at that as a potential 10grand that could have been donated to the FSP. We all just look at it differently.

FSP donating to the FSP?

[tracysaboe]

If they make back the $35,000 in ticket sales plus advertise the FSP, I don't have much to complain about.

TRacy

[Braddogg]

If they make back the $35,000 in ticket sales plus advertise the FSP, I don't have much to complain about.

TRacy

I think Jon said the cost was $10,000.  Stossel's normal fee is $35,000, and he's giving us a huge discount.