Sunil, as a moderator it feels to me that you are walking close to the line of making several very personal attacks. Highlighting your issues with his generosity, his personality flaws, his personal affluence (wealth), and his honest feeling that he doesn't get much from the magazine anymore as negative things make me feel uncomfortable. Perhaps you can take further discussion with him about these issues into a private message.

Spark has given back to many of us in a multitude of ways (even offering free advice via private message when our small engines need tuning...). he has given in many ways to the forum and I can't see he owes any money beyond what he feels truly inclined to give.

Missouri (and Texas) are a long way away from Freedom Indiana.

This thread was giving everyone the opportunity to give honest feedback about going to these events. The feedback from those who actually went should be the most important. Those who didn't go should be free to say why they didn't go, or what might have changed their plans to allow them to go. I was hoping we could keep the environment friendly and supportive so EVERYONE could feel free to speak honestly about the good and the bad and the PB team could use that feedback constructively. I hope more will weigh in on this.

I hope there was opportunity for this feedback to be given in writing at the time of the conference? Was their feedback sheets distributed and collected at the time of the conference to rate the speakers, event venue, food, cost, and to ask how things could be improved so that more could come? Having that feedback while the conference is fresh in their mind is helpful. You also have to be sure that people feel comfortable leaving the feedback so you have to accept anonymous feedback too.

It takes courage to be honest about your feelings in this forum and we want people's feedback to be accepted. Calling them out as lesser members because they don't see conference costs as justifiable for their family, or because they don't donate enough to the PB Forum or didn't subscribe enough years to the magazine is going to scare folks away from expressing their feelings.

I hope this thread isn't locked as it really was a great way to get those feelings out in the open.