[Foundation-l] Putting the Foundation back in WMF

[Dan Rosenthal]

If the US government defaults on its debts, the rest of the world's  
economy is in trouble.

-Dan
On Nov 17, 2007, at 8:12 PM, GerardM wrote:

> Hoi,
> If the US government defaults on its debts, there will still be a  
> Wikimedia
> Foundation. When it proves no longer possible to be based in the US
> (unlikely) we will be based elsewhere. You forget that we are an
> international organisation. When we must, we will continue elsewhere.
>
> The notion that we are dependent on the performance of the US  
> government is
> absolutely wrong.
>
> Thanks,
>     GerardM
>
> On Nov 18, 2007 1:33 AM, Thomas Dalton <thomas.dalton at gmail.com>  
> wrote:
>
>> On 18/11/2007, Ray Saintonge <saintonge at telus.net> wrote:
>>> Thomas Dalton wrote:
>>>> On 17/11/2007, Ray Saintonge <saintonge at telus.net> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Thomas Dalton wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Being able to fund activities off capital gains would be very
>> useful,
>>>>>> but really it requires large endowments to work. Building up a  
>>>>>> fund
>>>>>> from small fundraisers isn't going to work.
>>>>>>
>>>>> Capital gains are not a reliable investment, especially not in the
>> short
>>>>> term.  Short term capital gains are mostly a matter of good luck.
>>>>>
>>>> Putting the cash in a savings account still constitutes capital  
>>>> gains.
>>>> The term doesn't refer just to risky investments.
>>> Money put into a savings account yields interest income, not capital
>> gains.
>>>
>>> A capital gain is the increase in the value of an asset.  When the
>>> market value of a company's share increases from its original  
>>> cost that
>>> is a capital gain.  When you sell a piece of land for more than  
>>> you paid
>>> for it without having altered it since you bought it, that is a  
>>> capital
>>> gain.  If these values go down, it is a capital loss.
>>
>> Ok, perhaps my example wasn't a particularly good one, but my point
>> stands. The profit made on a Treasury Bill is a capital gain under
>> your definition, and they are generally considered risk-free (if the
>> US government defaults on its debts, keeping the WMF running will be
>> the least of our worries).
>>
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