X-Message-Number: 22899
From: 
Date: Fri, 21 Nov 2003 10:29:17 EST
Subject: organizational viability

Randy Wicker says that, despite good intentions, the cryonics organizations 
are engaged in a Ponzi operation because they rely on growth to meet previous 
obligations. That is not the case. I won't address all the aspects here, but 
will mention a couple of things.

First, actual history. In 27 years, including the high inflation years of the 
late 1970s and early 1980s, CI has never raised its prices. Through our 

innovations, liquid nitrogen cost per patient has gone down from $1,000 per year
to 
less than $400. 

Our building now holds 50 patients, but has room for hundreds, so the 
overhead cost per patient will tend to decline.

We--and the other organizations---have a deep reservoir of untapped resources 
(labor and money) which members would provide in emergency. We could get by 
with virtually no paid help. We pay no rent and service no debt. 

Trans Time has apparently not been successful as a cryonics purveyor, but 
still exists, and when Paul Segall died not long ago his family and associates 
kept him there anyway, according to what we hear, even though they could have 
sent him to CI or Alcor. Just another instance illustrating my point about 
reservoir of resources.

I don't mean to ignore problems, of which we will have plenty. Costs for 
local help and transportation, for members at a distance, will rise. New 

procedures will include some that are more expensive. Public relations issues 
will 
simmer and sometimes boil. But the Ponzi analogy does not apply.

Robert Ettinger


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