X-Message-Number: 1051
Date: 23 Jul 92 01:12:15 EDT
From: Steve Bridge <>
Subject: re #1043: Begging

RE: #1043: Begging for donations

     Steve Harris criticizes Charles Platt's suggestions for better
business planning to interest rich donors by, in effect, arguing that
wealthy people are basically bad candidates for involvement.  He suggests
that we should treat wealthy members no better than poor members, and if
the wealthy catch on, fine.

     I agree with what Steve says, but for entirely different reasons.  I
think we SHOULD treat wealthy members better than we do -- but I think
that we should treat ALL members better than we do.  There is nothing
wrong with reasonable business plans and with telling people what their
contributions will be used for.  Well thought-out research proposals will
win more attention and funding from ANYONE than vague pleas to "please
give us some research money, will you, huh?"  This is just common business
sense.  All of the members deserve this much respect.

     Steve Harris may be making a hasty judgement in lumping Mr. Laughlin
in with the other wealthy men he has known.  If Steve's only evidence of
Mr. Laughlin's lack of understanding of and commitment to cryonics is the
situation with the proposed building purchase in Phoenix, then he must
believe that Charles Platt and I, among others, equally lack this
commitment, since we also did not offer money for the purchase.

     Since I have only met Mr. Laughlin once, I cannot say whether he is
the typical "rich, greedy" person or not.  I agree with Steve's points
about not putting great amounts of energy or faith in the contributions of
very rich people, and cryonics history certainly suggests caution in this
regard.  But there is no reason to immediately evaluate any person by the
actions of persons in the past.  Each person, even a rich one, deserves
the opportunity to be judged as an individual.

     Steve Bridge

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