X-Message-Number: 22489
From: "John Bull" <>
Subject: Follow the money
Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2003 13:35:54 -0400

I've read Steve Bridges and Tim Freeman's speculation about the cause of
the turnover of people at Alcor. But I think a more interesting way to look
at the problem is "why is there such turnover at Alcor when compared to CI?"
On the surface, the biggest difference between the organizations is the use
of salaried employees vs. volunteers. I believe  CI has 1 full time and 1
part time employee, whereas Alcor has, I've heard, as many as 10.  Implicit
in this case is the fact that volunteers have a cryonics commitment, they
believe in the organization's goals, whereas salaried employees have another
motivation. It would take someone smarter than me to dissect all the motives
of salaried and volunteer workers.

But I think a quick look at salaried workers motivation would show 1. Money
2. Career advancement  (more money.) A volunteers motivation is in the
advancement of the movement.
Granted, volunteer organizations can have problems just like Alcor's, (I
just resigned from a condo board for that reason, but they weren't trying to
attain a common lofty goal.) 
I've recently read some negative remarks about volunteer cryonics workers in
comparison to salaried workers. When I finished reading it I went back and
re-read Ben Best's account of 
Toronto's first cryonics case. I think one would be hard put to find a more
dedicated and committed group  than those volunteers, (from CI, ACS, Alcor
and Ben's local organization, the Cryonics Society of Canada.)

So, my simplistic way of thinking leads me to two old proverbs, as the
source of Alcor's problems, OK, one old and one new:  "Money is the root of
all evil" and "Follow the money trail!"


John Bull
Just a Cryonics Institute volunteer 


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