Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Part 2 - NW Herald Columnist Takes Larry Snow to Woodshed
This is Part 2 of an analysis of Northwest Herald columnist Jennifer Martikean's attack piece on Huntley School District Board member Larry Snow. For Part 1, click here. Part 3 comes on July 6th.
Snow was the beneficiary of automated phone calls revealing (beyond the Northwest Herald's readership) the fact that the board's 6-member ruling faction installed one of their own in a $101,000 administrative post at a meeting to which the Northwest Herald did not assign a reporter.
The call also suggested those who supported Snow's vote against this appointment call him at 847-515-2427. Since Martikean mentioned Snow's political action committee, I added and add again the address to which contributions could be sent:
Now, regarding the cost, perhaps Martikean has not been solicited by a phone company that charges a flat rate, regardless of how many calls one makes. Mine allows me to make calls all over the country for “X” dollars per month.
If Jack Martin, owner of Libertyville's Saddle Shop and the phone equipment, has a similar phone plan, the marginal cost would be as close to zilch as I can imagine.
Let me digress into a short lesson in college economics.
Class, today we are going to learn the difference between fixed costs and marginal costs.
Fixed costs in a newspaper operation are things like the building, press, composing equipment, etc. They must be paid regardless of how many newspapers are sold or how much advertising is sold.
Marginal costs are those which can be diminished if revenue falls below expectations. Staff, for example, can be laid off. One can print fewer newspapers.
You get the idea, class?
For someone with an automated phone operation, the equipment is a fixed cost. The owner pays for it whether or not it is used.
Since Jack Martin’s equipment is used mainly around election time, it is probably sitting idle most of the summer. So, the marginal cost of using it is limited to the time it takes an employee or volunteer to prepare and record a message and program the calling machine for the area to be called. Not much, I would guess.
The additional costs for the calls would probably be ZERO, if a flat rate phone calling plan is in effect. Figure out how much it costs to make a short phone call, if you wish under a non-flat rate plan. Would it be 5 cents a call?
Do you understand the difference between marginal and fixed costs now, class?
In any event, teachers’ unions and tax hike committees have complained about Jack Martin’s phone calls so often that he and his attorneys are experts in the what the state campaign reporting laws say.
If his calls are defined as “in-kind” contributions, the law says he has to send a letter to Snow telling him how much they cost. If they are not so defined, the Huntley tax hike committee, columnist Martikean and anyone else who wants to know their cost will have to do their own research.
The final installment in this 3-part analysis of Jennifer Martikean will appear tomorrow.
Snow was the beneficiary of automated phone calls revealing (beyond the Northwest Herald's readership) the fact that the board's 6-member ruling faction installed one of their own in a $101,000 administrative post at a meeting to which the Northwest Herald did not assign a reporter.
The call also suggested those who supported Snow's vote against this appointment call him at 847-515-2427. Since Martikean mentioned Snow's political action committee, I added and add again the address to which contributions could be sent:Solutions NOWThe following relates primarily to the cost of making such automated phone calls.
in care of Larry Snow
3380 Banford Circle
Lake in the Hills IL 60156)
Now, regarding the cost, perhaps Martikean has not been solicited by a phone company that charges a flat rate, regardless of how many calls one makes. Mine allows me to make calls all over the country for “X” dollars per month.
If Jack Martin, owner of Libertyville's Saddle Shop and the phone equipment, has a similar phone plan, the marginal cost would be as close to zilch as I can imagine.
Let me digress into a short lesson in college economics.
Class, today we are going to learn the difference between fixed costs and marginal costs.
Fixed costs in a newspaper operation are things like the building, press, composing equipment, etc. They must be paid regardless of how many newspapers are sold or how much advertising is sold.
Marginal costs are those which can be diminished if revenue falls below expectations. Staff, for example, can be laid off. One can print fewer newspapers.
You get the idea, class?
For someone with an automated phone operation, the equipment is a fixed cost. The owner pays for it whether or not it is used.
Since Jack Martin’s equipment is used mainly around election time, it is probably sitting idle most of the summer. So, the marginal cost of using it is limited to the time it takes an employee or volunteer to prepare and record a message and program the calling machine for the area to be called. Not much, I would guess.
The additional costs for the calls would probably be ZERO, if a flat rate phone calling plan is in effect. Figure out how much it costs to make a short phone call, if you wish under a non-flat rate plan. Would it be 5 cents a call?
Do you understand the difference between marginal and fixed costs now, class?
In any event, teachers’ unions and tax hike committees have complained about Jack Martin’s phone calls so often that he and his attorneys are experts in the what the state campaign reporting laws say.
If his calls are defined as “in-kind” contributions, the law says he has to send a letter to Snow telling him how much they cost. If they are not so defined, the Huntley tax hike committee, columnist Martikean and anyone else who wants to know their cost will have to do their own research.
The final installment in this 3-part analysis of Jennifer Martikean will appear tomorrow.
