[Update, 05/26/16: I'm adding this update and re-pinning the post right before shutting my computer down, finishing my last-minute packing, and heading for Orlando for the 2016 Libertarian National Convention. Thanks to have helped out with these travel expenses already, and thanks in advance to anyone who might feel moved to do so by the quality of coverage I deliver from Orlando. Keep an eye out here on KN@PPSTER, and especially on the dedicated convention coverage page, for that - TLK]
[Update, 05/23/16: I've finished the first of the two expeditions referenced in this post; THANKS to those of you who made my 4,000+ mile trip north to see family a little less financially stressful than it otherwise would have been! I'm preparing to go to Orlando for the 2016 Libertarian National Convention later this week.
I'll make it one way or another, but a little more assistance would make it a great deal easier, especially given recent news: While I was up north, Tamara's mother suffered a stroke. She is home, comfortable and recovering now, but Tamara and possibly the kids will probably travel north themselves next month to help with some home recombobulation (getting things set up on a single floor to reduce stair usage, etc.) and to just generally visit. Those of you who have elderly parents or grandparents are, I'm sure, keenly aware that every visit could be the last.
Again, thanks in advance for any moolah you decide to send! - TLK]
Let's try this again.
I'm trying to raise $500. If that's all you need to know, the button is at the bottom of this post, and thanks. If you'd rather read a messed up story first, here we go:
Earlier this morning, I tried to create a crowdfunding campaign for upcoming travel expenses using a service called Fundrazr. Complete nightmare -- they advertise that they support PayPal withdrawal of donations, but once you start setting up, they try to corral you into another service (WePay), and if you spend 15 minutes finding the PayPal option, it turns out that only works if you have a PayPal business account. The instructions on how to edit and delete campaigns bear zero relation to reality. When you try to unlink your social media accounts and just get off the service altogether, it demands MORE information (setting up an email address, password, etc.).
I don't recommend Fundrazr. I've sent them a nastygram asking how I get out of their house of horrors. Maybe I'll hear back. Maybe I won't. I've also deleted the Facebook post advertising the campaign and asked people who might want to donate to NOT donate through that if they've already seen it and clicked through, bookmarked, etc.
So, why am I trying to raise $500, and what will donors get for helping me do so?
Well, it's like this: I have some travel coming up and it's going to punch a bit of a hole in the ol' family budget.
From May 11th thru the 18th, I'll be traveling from Florida back to Missouri to visit my parents and my oldest brother. They're 82 (my parents, not my brother) and in the process of selling their house and moving. I haven't seen them in 3 1/2 years. My OTHER brother and I will be traveling together -- he used some points he's accrued to buy me a plane ticket from Jacksonville, Florida to Milwaukee, Wisconsin (he lives in Racine), and we're going to drive down to Missouri, spend a few days, drive back to Wisconsin and I'll fly home.
Then over Memorial Day weekend, I'll be traveling a mere 120 miles to Orlando, Florida for the 2016 Libertarian National Convention. This will be a working trip for me, and a couple of days of it will be a vacation trip for Tamara and Amelia (Tamara wants to visit old Libertarian Party friends, Amelia wants to attend a science fiction convention next door to the Libertarian event).
I'm raising the money to help take the edge off things like hotel room rental, road food, etc.
I really only have two things to offer in return for your help:
- I'll be glad to give you public thanks/appreciation here on the blog and/or on the podcast. Just hit the contact form up top and let me know if you'd like that.
- My intent is to blog, podcast, possibly livestream video, etc. from the Libertarian National Convention. You'll read, see and hear that stuff here, at Independent Political Report, etc. (I'll be trying to get together some kind of "LP convention central media HQ" thingie to point you to -- there may be Instagram photos, Periscope videos, whatever; I'm working out the tech now). So a little bit of what you're buying with your support is "hopefully better and more detailed coverage of the convention that usual, above and beyond C-SPAN's, for those who can't actually be there." Among the POSSIBLE budget holes to cover will be buying a wi-fi package or hot spot if there's not good "free" Internet access from the convention hall.
So, that's what's up. Thanks in advance!
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