The PPA, lets talk numbers vs results.

[DeadMoneyDad]

From a little digging and a little extrapolation, let us take a minute to look at some real numbers.

The PPA in the past two years or so has spent close to 1.5 million on lobbing efforts alone. Given some conservative estimates of expenditures on other consultants, other paid help, and freeroll sign up costs, you can extrapolate your own numbers. Very conservatively at least 3 million has been spent to date. These figures do not include any expenditure for the second half of '07.

Less than 6 months ago, before the budgets for '07 were written, there were something less than 300,000 members, and most of those were from past freeroll sign ups.

The actual cost to the PPA of all of those $5,000 freerolls is hard to calculate given the cross mix of sponsorship and leadership. Nevertheless, someone feels they paid that money regardless if the money actually went through the PPA budget directly. All of those costs should be consider at least donations in kind and money who's effectiveness is fairly questioned.

What exactly has been accomplished in real terms that actually affect the over all community?

We have 809,678 members, but the actual amount of money raised from other than the industry is a closely guarded secret, as well it should be.

We have 3 pieces of legislation percolating on the Hill. One is simply a study bill.

We have managed to make something of a media presence.

We have a website. I'll leave out the forum.... We are discussing this here, enough said.

Please feel free to add any major accomplishments I have missed. I really do mean to be completely fair to all the hard work done to date. All of that is good and helpful to the cause IMO. There has been a lot of hard work done by some very dedicated people.

But how far are we towards the goal of being able to really write a piece of legislation that will measurably change the future course of poker?

IMO we are barely on the course of getting a heavily regulated poker industry that will still be illegal in more than 25% of the States. We at best are looking at mid '09 before we even get that. IMO we are not even doing the work necessary to be a major player when that eventual bill is written. We have not shown the political players that they HAVE to address our communities concerns, not just make it easier for the industry to operate in the US. In political terms, we have picked the low hanging fruit.

We are nowhere in addressing Taxes, and most feel we will have to hope to get that after a "legalized" poker bill.

Live poker players and those who used to populate the on-line community feel the PPA is meaningless to them.

In concrete terms, we have the UIGEA, a website, some press, an expensive e-mail list and hope. With a strategy deeply dependent on continued paid help funded by the industry.

I have heard of many great ideas for raising money and building a true grassroots organization. I have attempted to pass on, however badly, many of these suggestions. I am completely baffled at the continual reliance of this organization to pay for things that many it could get for free for the asking. In addition at every turn where there was any opportunity to test out any number of grassroots building activates to address the “nothing substantial” complaint the PPA seems completely risk adverse. It has happened to many times for me to simply be over reading the strength of the PPA's hand at the time. I have gone back and asked a lot of questions about many of the ideas I have suggested as well as many others suggested by others.

I am in no way a "critic" out of any hurt sense of pride due to the authorship of any of these activities. I am critical because I have seen them work time and time again, they are tried and proven methods. I could not claim authorship if I tried.

IMO we are exceedingly weak as a poker community. It is the community itself who is at fault as much as it is the PPA's.

The US is currently by the nature of the size of the market, to some degree going to shape the future of the world poker economy. This is a double-edged sword. On the one hand it keeps the regulation from being to onerous to effectively bar new US entrants but at the same time it will affect the total world poker economy.

In many treaties on power, politics, and life, in general often the question of the nature of the strength of an organization given its source has been discussed through out history. The Prince is a good example, but not the only one.

The question and concern in my opinion is both the existing source of the "power" as well as the continued reliance on that source for continued sponsorship.

To put it crassly, the ownership of the PPA is tied directly to the source of its funds. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this as long as Machiavelli puts it the Prince does not seek to oppress his people.

I am not suggesting that the board does indeed have any desire to oppress the poker community as others may, as their is not a single shred of evidence to suport that premise.

However, as Niccolò and many others have pointed out with examples through out history, such a foundation for power is very limited and easily defeated. In his discussions, he warns repeatedly about hiring mercenaries’ and making alliances as a means of consolidating and keeping power.

I am not advocating any power struggle not an attempt to kill the Prince. I in Niccolò's example merely an attempting to do as he did and suggest you do not have to be a Prince to be able to give some thought to how to be a successful Prince.

IMO we are in a political battle.

We as a community are totally dependent on a benevolent set of nobles who have hired mercenaries in the form of lobbyists and consultants to fight the battles we either were unwilling to fight ourselves or unable to fight effectively.

As long as we "citizens" are dependent on the good will and self-interests of the Nobles in this enterprise, we are subject to their whims and really give them no choice but to continue to rely on the forces they have confidence in to fight the battles the best they can.

IMO the only fault that can be laid at the steps of the PPA is not being willing to train its own troops. Just $100,000 a year spent on grassroots training would empower many people to do a lot of the work we are currently paying close to 10 times that amount on hired hands.

Any honest lobbyist or consultant will tell you their job is much easier and cheaper to the organization, as Machiavelli and others have tried to tell people all through out history. Starting out this might have been they only way to get started, but we are well past the point of continuing on this course and expecting a good result.

D$D