[hazmail]

I would like to try and put it all in perspective, we don’t know how good we have it.
Anything we buy here is just about double what you guys pay there, and for Phil in the UK it's probably tripple, fuel here is now $7.82 a gallon, but compared to most places, it's cheap. – I know I don’t earn double, whatever a fireman in the US earns, and Phil certainly would not earn triple. I drove to Queensland last week to pick up a boat, cost me $600 in fuel (in a 4 cylinder car). Granted, I am single and don’t have the costs of some, with a wife and a couple of kids, but I did, and still managed to go fishing 2 or three times a month (probably why I’m single).
TU is not my whole life, but has become a large part of it. In the short time I have been on here, both on line, and in person, I have met quite a few, what we would call ‘genuine people’; ready to help with their ‘secrets’ and knowledge, gained over years of hunting/fishing. Here (in Au), I get sick of talking to people who idolize some pro fisherman, who says ‘X’ brand lure is the only one to use. They believe him every time he comes up with a new one, and shell out $15 or $20, just so they can say to their mates ‘Starlo’ or ‘Bushy’ use these – They are usually crap imported from China, don’t work, and probably have mark ups of 500%, they happily pay this, yet in the next breath complain about beer going up 4 cents a schooner.

For those that say, “why should I pay $60 a year when I can get it for free“, nothing is FREE. The Wild World Web appears to be, but every time we click on something .00001 of a cent is paid to somebody, and when we buy anything, the sting is added on. I am sure you know Jock Strap (World all time Bass Champion), gets his boat, sonar, batteries, outboard, rods, lures and probably jocks, for endorsing these products. Every time I/we buy one of these same products, the company has added a percentage to pay Jock Strap, (and his hangers on), so who is paying for Jock to have fun, and fish, ‘big note’ himself, and coincidentally, making a pretty good living at it – you and me. I just paid US$2,300 for a 54lb Minn Kota, 2 batteries and charger, add it up, how much are these there? It costs about US$3000 to fly from here to there, by the time I pay taxes etc, how much from there to here? I know your economy (and ours) is currently in a death spiral, to where the rest of the planet already is, welcome to the real world, where you pay for what you get, and everything is NOT subsidized (or endorsed).

I think we still have 4 choices here,
1. Sell/shut down TU.
2. Let Jerry pay for it.
3. Indirectly pay $60 a year when you buy something that is advertised in the ‘side bar’.
4. Or pay TU $60 a year.

I think I have a conscience, so for me the first 3 are not really an option - I would rather just send the $’s, even if it’s US$60, it’s about A$64.20 here. At 50/50, I don’t envy Jerry, having to make this decision ! ! Pete