Why I became a BartCop member

I know it's best to email short, but actual moment of epiphany for me, if you're interested, was this:

The reason I'm being forced out of my apartment is because the place is falling down. The landlord refuses to repair anything,
even though they're charging me $1,600/month for a studio in what used to be a damn dangerous neighbourhood when I moved in.

Even though the government finally got rid of some of the mold which has given me and my girlfriend eye infections for the last
6 months; they haven't fixed all the holes in the walls and floor, several of which are in the shower and kitchen. I settled in court
for a 1/2 rent rebate, but I had to agree to move out to get it. As a result of the holes though, the bar owner downstairs has had
several nasty leaks that are ruining his fledgling business. And in the process of trying to move, it's become clear to me that I'll
neither be able to afford a space big enough for the 54" HDTV I bought when I was programming for investment banks a year ago,
nor easily afford to hire movers to put it into storage.

So, since this bar owner had seemed like a decent guy who'd been screwed just like me, and I'd really only get maybe 700 bucks
if I sold the set; I offered to give it to him if he could get his bouncers to take it downstairs. And while I was sitting here reading
your latest FREE issue, thanking my lucky stars that there's someone like you out there who can put this Bush asshole in perspective
for me in a humourous way, I thought... "Hey, this guy's only asking for $10/month to *live* on, while he's been, and is willing to
continue, doing this for all of us. And here I am giving away something I could have gotten $700 bucks to some guy who can afford
a bar, just because he's a moderately decent guy and I feel sorry for him for getting screwed by the same person who just screwed me.

What kind of f-ed up perspective is that?
I could sell that thing and let Bart give away 70 free subscriptions, but I won't even buy one myself,
just because "I don't pay for Internet Content?"

Anyways, I'm sorry to bend your ear, I just thought it might be useful for you to know what stands in the way of people supporting you
via subscriptions. You probably don't have a single reader here who wouldn't drop $20 bucks buying you a drink in a bar if we saw you
there, give you our old computer if you lived next door, or pick up the check if we had lunch. But both poor people, and the internet savvy,
just get all paranoid that showing you even a fraction of that support on, ooooooo, the internet, is going to make us go bankrupt or tip off
NYTimes.com that they could switch us all to a subscription-based model or something. Let me know if you'd be interested in hearing
any alternate Bart Cop Radio fundraising ideas that avoid that reaction, and not only will I send them along, but I'll give you another
$20 bucks if you write back and tell me I didn't suggest anything you could use. And that's a promise.

(withheld)
 

It sounds like moving isn't such a bad idea.  In Tulsa you can get a spiffy townhouse for $1600.

Also, not sure that your last sentence means, but yes, I'd like to hear suggestions on how to raise money.
The entire subscription idea came to me via "Brad" and it changed my whole life.  I'd still be at the car lot
with crazy Vic if Brad hadn't thought of that. Remember, he was the guy who matched months of
subscriptions and that enabled me to get away from working for The Man.

I also understand what you're saying about subscription-phobia.
The only site I ever subscribed to was Salon.com  but I unsubscribed after David Talbot sent his little
trollop Jennifer Liberto into the  bartcop.com  camp with instructions to seduce me, then take me down.


"I love you Bart, can you
  tell me all your secrets?"

Guess what, David - you missed!
 

Thanks for a good letter.
Maybe we should make "Why I became a member" a feature for a short time.

Click  Here  if you want your story published, maybe put "Why I Joined" in the subject box.


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