The issue was never DearElder charging for any service. David Bateman was free to charge whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, for any service he wanted.

What was unethical is that DearElder asked for donations with zero disclosure that the web site was actually very profitable. As well as the fact that donations helped pay for equipment when the business was starting.

As I noted in an update to the post, back in 2005 David Bateman and I exchanged a few emails. He actually compared DearElder and the donation requests to McDonald’s and the Ronald McDonald House Charities. Seriously. That’s how ethically detached from reality the dude was.

Don’t they know that everything is supposed to be free for everyone in Obamaland? No private effort is needed, this is the internet where just because somebody works hard and provides something valuable that I would want to pay for, why should I?

Just an ethically impaired entity.

Sounds like a bit (or alot) of jealousy at play here.

Not at all.

I’ve used and love the service, and cannot perceive any hint of dishonesty on the part of dearelder.com.

Me too. In fact, I donated at least once to the service back when I was using it to write to siblings in the mission field.

My only point was that the line they drew, or didn’t draw, between “charity” and business was way too blurry.

I haven’t visited the site in ages, but you used to be able to read quotes from folks who donated and you would see things like, “So glad I could help the cause!” Heh. They didn’t realize that there was a business behind this “cause”.

To me that is fundamentally different, for example, than McDonald’s having coin collection bins for the Ronald McDonald House. There is a clear separation between business and non-profit in McDonald’s case.

As we approach the top of the prosperity cycle, increasingly we’ll see those who rather than being productive themselves attempt to tear down those who are indeed being productive.

I certainly wouldn’t categorize myself as “unproductive” (how or why you would is, well, kind of odd).

But you’re absolutely right in general terms. The trend to punish the productive elements in the economy is especially obvious in the rhetoric of some presidential campaigns (“shared sacrifice, shared prosperity”, etc).

Someone who comes up with a great idea like dearelder.com deserves to make a decent living. More power to them.

Agreed, as long as they don’t do it under the auspices that they are some sort of charitable organization…not a profit driven business.

As to the other criticism, families shouldnt be sending bad news out to their missionaries out in the field. If they need to come home then contact the mission office or stake pres. Dont burden the missionary with something that they can do little about. If you need a blessing, go to your hometeacher, not your out of state missionary.

Use your brain!