Recurring Revenue

Donald Trump identified a silent movement of fear and loathing within white America that delivered him to the White House. But, Trump didn’t invent fear-based movements; he’s simply a current practitioner. There’s evidence that fear has been used to lead and control people since the beginning of human history. The primary purpose of public crucifixions for Roman emperors was to make subjects fear the authorities. In the 19th century, whites in the South justified killing blacks by sowing the fear that they would rob whites or dishonor their women. And today, Donald Trump is using the fear of Islamic terrorists to order a travel ban. He’s stirring fears of Mexicans taking American jobs, burdening our hospitals with unpaid medical care, or taking advantage of welfare to justify building a wall. He claims news reporters who write unflattering stories are mentally unbalanced people with an agenda. Many of Trump’s critics are … Continued

I remember, early in my monthly continuity days, waking up on the first of the month, looking at my Blackberry, and seeing hundreds of emails from my credit card processor — one for each transaction, indicating all of the credit card pre-approved subscription payments getting processed for the month. It was a moment of sweet appreciation. Even now, as I see the monthly credit card charges flow through, I take a few moments to express my appreciation for the members who have confidence and faith in me to subscribe. It’s an honor. Then it all goes off the rails when you log in and discover how many pre-approved transactions failed. The credit card number was correct last month. The card expiration date is still valid. But the card declines for some reason. This is often 7–10 percent of total charges each month. And, unless you have an active system for … Continued