PrintMay 1, 2008
An Appeal to American Thinker Readers
American Thinker today launches its first-ever appeal to readers for financial support. We want to explain to readers why we are doing this at this particular moment.
AT began almost four and a half years ago with the mission of providing a platform for smart and knowledgeable thinkers to reach an audience of people concerned with the future of America and of American concepts of liberty and constitutional representative democracy. We knew from our life experience that the most brilliant minds and deepest expertise were often found outside the ranks of established journalists, professors, and other public figures who already enjoyed access to prominent publications.
We wanted to provide a chance for people who have valuable things to say to reach an audience of people anxious to learn, to grow, and to add depth to their understanding of the important issues of our time. We have been overjoyed to discover that both writers and readers fitting this bill abound, not only in the United States, but around the world.
AT started out on a very modest scale, using a software platform cobbled together at relatively low cost, and relying completely on volunteer labor. Editor & publisher Thomas Lifson, along with co-founders Richard Baehr and Ed Lasky, supplied the financing to get us going and pay for our bandwidth. For about two years we didn't even bother accepting advertising, working very long hours and digging deep into our pockets to pay the bills.
We have always had a discreet and modest link by which readers could donate funds if they wished, and many generous readers have helped us out over the years. We are deeply grateful both for the funds generated, and even more so for the encouragement such support has provided. But we have never actively asked for support.
AT has flourished beyond our dreams. We have attracted superb writers, and have published analysis so notable that it has attracted the notice not only of talk radio giants like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Dennis Miller, and many others (to whom we apologize for not naming here), but also of some of the most prominent names in the world's press. AT has been quoted by newspapers from the U.K. Telegraph and Le Monde to even the New York Times, which credited us with igniting a firestorm of protest that killed California's plan to have government regulators control home thermostats in the name of energy conservation.
Now that we have proved that the AT concept can work, we are anxious to do more, but finances stand in our way. We want to add features and expand the space for articles and blogs. We desperately need to hire IT consultants and other professionals (the best of whom do not ordinarily work on a volunteer basis) to help us overcome some severe technical limitations. We borrowed money to create a new software platform a year and a half ago, when we also expanded our server capacity, and only succeeded in paying off that debt with advertising revenues a few months ago. Despite the growing readership and the intelligence of our readers, advertising revenue remains far too modest to make us a self-sustaining venture. Internet advertisers for the most part pay for generic "eyeballs" not for the specific demographic group we believe we attract.
We want American Thinker to outlive its founders, to establish itself as a permanent feature of the landscape of public discourse. We have some very ambitious plans for AT. If our readers respond in sufficient numbers and with sufficient generosity, we hope to begin offering some important new features very soon, with many more to come.
If the sensibility AT brings to you daily is of value, please consider a donation to enable us to continue our work. Because we reserve the right to be partisan, we do not qualify for tax exempt nonprofit organization status. We made the decision early on that speaking our minds is more important than any tax benefit could be. Regrettably, your donation to American Thinker will not be tax deductible. Donations by cash or check can be sent to:
American Thinker
6331 Fairmount Ave., #365
El Cerrito, CA 94530
For those who wish to use a credit card, please follow this link to PayPal. You do not need to have a PayPal account to use your credit card, and PayPal guarantees that your information will remain securely confidential. We will never even see your credit card information.
American Thinker
6331 Fairmount Ave., #365
El Cerrito, CA 94530
For those who wish to use a credit card, please follow this link to PayPal. You do not need to have a PayPal account to use your credit card, and PayPal guarantees that your information will remain securely confidential. We will never even see your credit card information.
We consider it an honor to do what we do, and we do it out of love for our country and dedication to the truth. Please consider helping us with your financial support, so that we can do more.
Thomas Lifson, editor and publisher
