JWs selling Bossert Hotel-New York Times Article 1-30-08 (page 3)

AWAKE&WATCHING

Nate - very interesting to see how the evil world views these god-given directives to sell. Thanks for posting that.

Gopher

I think the other folks in Brooklyn Heights would be relieved to see a decreased Watchtower presence in their area.

Also, won't the city government now get some of these buildings back on the tax rolls?

Bryan

Blonde,

You say the Tower is cash poor. With the multi-millions they bring in every year, and all their volunteers, do you really think they are hard up for cash?

Thanks,

Bryan

Open mind

Are they not just making the most of the "talents" they have been entrusted with?

1. Buy a dilapidated building sitting on valuable land.

2. Use volunteer labor (most expensive part of property improvement) to fix it up. Those volunteers shouldn't feel bad about being used this way. Most probably felt better about swinging a hammer for God than having to pound on doors. (One big ethical problem on Step 2: All the poor souls who permanently injured themselves and "took one for the team" rather than get properly compenstated for injuries.)

3. Get operational value out of it as housing for a while.

4. Sell for a big profit.

5. Lather, rinse, repeat somewhere else in the world.

Here's where I don't agree with most posters here. What's wrong with using assets wisely in the furtherance of "Kingdom Interests"?

Paying off pedophile cases is just an inconvenient reality of God's organization making it through Satan's old system.

I'm sure some JW's are benefiting financially on the periphery but the lion's share of these financial windfalls gets plowed right back into the "Worldwide Work", IMO. They actually have built a ton of no frills Kingdom Halls in developing countries over the last several years. Anyone have evidence to the contrary?

My point is, this issue is really a non-issue to the average JW. Even one who might be opening up their brains to a little healthy criticism of the Tower.

OK, let the vegetables fly!

OM

Homerovah the Almighty

If the WTS. was truly an honest and open organization in a real sense, they publish out their financial statements for all of

the witnesses to see,

Why would they hide anything as they do now ?

AlyMC

This is something that has always perplexed me and my husband both. Where does the money go. Assuming they are building a stockpile of money and wealth, who will eventually cash in on it? Is there someone up at the top actually looking to profit? When and how will they personally benefit from financial prosperity?

If all the money is reinvested into worldwide work- then it seems that those running the show are also believers and that makes it much harder to feel purposely deceived and more misguided by the misguided.

I don't know, I've just always wondered where the profits went and who was due to benefit financially from the whole farce.

nvrgnbk

If all the money is reinvested into worldwide work- then it seems that those running the show are also believers and that makes it much harder to feel purposely deceived and more misguided by the misguided.

That seems to be pretty accurate.

The purpose of the organization is to perpetuate itself.

The motives of those in charge aren't quite as clear, but some, if not most, seem to be true believers.

I think it was Ray Franz that called them "victims of victims".

Nulite

The old heads up at headquarters have a pretty nice set-up. Nice retirement work, free health care, nice living quarters, automobiles, some are able to get social security checks on top of that. Once I had a infirmary duty watching old John Booth of the governing body. He had 2 or 3 uncashed government checks (Social Security) and a wad of cash. It wasn't doing him any good, but if you hit it while your young enough, bethel is a nice way to close it out. On top of that they give you an office and some form of godly work. Control everything. Just don't get thrown out when you are 50. Like what's going on now.

NL

uninformed

Richard Devine, the building manager for the society, said in a telephone interview on Tuesday that the old hotel was “in very poor condition when we bought it.” The society then began an extensive renovation of the 14-story building.

I was on the brick-blocklaying crew in the basement of the Bossert in the early to mid 80's, 'temporary construction.

I wonder if they will send me a check for my work when they sell?

Brant

blondie

Blondie worked for years in facilities management of large institutional buildings. It is amazing the millions of dollars it takes each year to maintain such buildings. If the WTS keeps downsizing the number of their buildings I can see them saving some money. Based on individual jw donations from interviewing MS in several congregations, the flock are not donating like they used to as well.

JWs selling Bossert Hotel-New York Times Article 1-30-08

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