How to Bankrupt the Watchtower Corporation
When I was a pioneer, we were expected to "place" 100 magazines a month. I knew I could only pawn off on people about 30 or 40 copies a month. Tops. I also knew that if I just ordered 30 or 40 mags. each month the magazine servant (or whatever they are called these days) would view me as a slacker and likely tell the PO I was a slacker. So I ordered 100 magazines per month. Within not many months I had accumulated enough unplaced, old magazines in my home to qualify me as someone with the obsessive compulsive disorder known as a "hoarder". Of course, I was not that. Indeed, I was "spiritually mature." Disposing of those magazines required discretion though, "spiritually mature" or not, lest I be caught by another dub putting all that trash in the trash. Luckily, (or should I say fortunately) I managed to trash my trash without being caught.
The same was true with books. I would order ten copies of the current "book-of-the-month" from the Watchtower Book Club and end up trashing 8 of them. Back then we were not to leave magazines at the door of not-at-homes. Being able to do that would have helped me a lot with my trash.
Today it is differerent. I swear that dubs today drive down the street and toss magazines out of the car windows at houses like they were on a paper route. I cannot go anywhere without seeing Watchtower litterachure, usually on the ground, looking like the ugly dirty litter it is. Ride a bus? You'll find a mag. on the bus. Waiting for bus? Yep. There's one on the bus bench or nearby. Laundry time? You'll find a WHOLE STACK of mags. in the laundromat.
Pioneers have become creative these days and do things I never dreamed of doing when I was a pioneer. I've seen this happen on at least a half-dozen occassions in the last year. You're in a small strip shopping center and are walking to one of the stores and a car pulls up along side of you. The driver of the car thrusts his hand out of the window and offers you a Watchtower or Awake! No presentation, no nothing. "Would you like a copy of the Watchtower magazine?" is the entire spiel.
Oh several occassions when this has happened I've said, "What is this? Drive-by pioneering?" They guy or gal would get startled and say, "How did you know that?" I would smile and walk away, leaving them scratching their heads.
Needless to say, we all know how much WT literature is wasted each month. Now, we all know it is wasted as soon as it comes off the presses, but I mean wasted AFTER it is wasted by coming off the presses.
As a dub, I always felt bad when I had to trash unplaced WT trash each month. I felt bad when I saw WT literature blowing in the wind on the streets or soggy after a rain. Maybe it is just me, but isn't WT literature ubiquitous, but in a "trashy" sort of way?
I have a simple solution to this problem, and it's a solution I feel is so sound, so practical and so elegant that I'm quite sure it will never be implemented. I feel this way for several reasons: first, the WTS has NEVER done anything simple, sound or practical. Second, and most importantly, it could bankrupt the WT Printing Empire.
What is it? Henceforth, all WT literature is to be given to publishers on a contingency basis. They are to be given a quantity of literature to sell or give away as they please. Whatever money they get from selling the literature, they give back to the congregation, which sends the money to the Printing Empire.
Chuckie Russell, that most modest and humble of men who was unremittingly faithful to his wife, set the standard for the WTS when he said that he or his followers should never have to beg for money; needed money would come in as long as Jehovah approved of his work. We know for a fact that unlike that scumbag Rutherford, Chuckie WAS faithful to his wife. We know that because the only sex he had in his entire life was with himself. If that.
But nowdays, the WTS is ALWAYS asking for money, going so far as to send a bill to congregations because their "voluntary contributions" for the literature comes short of what they feel they need to have. You want a badge and a little plastic badge holder thingy? BUY ONE! You want the Year's Text banner for your KH? BUY IT! You want to park in the stadium parking lot at one of our world-wide Book Promotion and Sale events (otherwise known as "Assemblies")? PAY TO PARK! Once you are in the stadium, buy LOTS of our newest books!
You want the CO to visit you and encourage you? FEED HIM, and better make sure it's not a cheapo meal! You wanna become an Elder? Slip the CO a hundred bucks each time he visits.
Donate to the congregation, donate to the world-wide preaching work, donate to your CO, donate to help your brothers during natural disasters, donate at the assemblies, buy lots of books at those assemblies, mortgage your Kingdom Hall through us, deed your Kingdom Hall to us when it is free and clear, give us your house and we will give you the privilege of living it until you die, give us your life savings, cash in your insurance policies and give it to us (you will never die, don't you see?), and make your wills payable to US. Think about this and then think about what Chuckie Russell said about this.
If literature was made available on a contingency basis and returned to the Society if not sold, I'd be willing to bet it wouldn't be long before the WT printing presses were cranking out only 20% of what they are now cranking out. WT cash flow comes from dubs buying literature up front and the WTS couldn't care less what they do with it after they buy it.
Note to Granny dub: do you REALLY want to give the WTS that home you sweated for 30 years to pay off and that nest egg you spent your entire life saving, instead of your children and even grandchildren who take care of you and will continue to take care of you until you die? After all, the WTS never helped you with ANYTHING. They just took your money for Watchtower Products(tm) and promised you you would never die. If they genuinely think you will never die, why do they want all your money when you DO die?
Farkel