Those who know me are familiar with my love for the character of Batman, growing up with the comic books and TV shows in my homeland of Iran. I even made a video for FEE about it.
But an absolutely close second was Col. Steve Austin.
I was obsessed with “The Six Million Dollar Man,” as were many in the ‘70s, and even its spin-off, “The Bionic Woman.”
I can still fully see the opening of the show in my head, played back in real time:
“Steve Austin… Astronaut. A man barely alive…
Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology.
We have the capability to create the world’s first bionic man.
Steve Austin will be that man.
Better than he was before…
Better.
Stronger.
Faster.”
All accompanied by fantastically evocative visuals, graphics and music that really stands out even in the jaded eyes of today. Seriously. Watch it here.
Now, back in the ‘70s, six million dollars was a princely sum, something easily achievable with the pocket-robbing tentacles of government. It was an amount that was almost unimaginable to the lay person.
Of course, today, with skyrocketing inflation and revelations of profligate government and defense spending peppered in the news throughout the decades since the show premiered, with $900 toilet seats etched into people’s consciousness, Steve Austin would probably cost closer to six billion dollars.
BUT WHAT THE HECK DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH FEE?!
If you take a look at FEE’s financials, they hover right around the six million dollar mark with their fundraising. Although that amount won’t do much in creating cybernetic supermen, it’s still a lot of money, even in stagflation-teasing 2024.
But does it show?
Steve Austin could at least run really fast in slow motion, lift cars up off the ground with his right arm while miraculously not detaching from his torso, and could spot really far-away things with his doo-doo-doo-doo eye.
Now look at FEE’s output. Can you "see" the six million in action? Is its existence worth even a fraction of that?
Scan their social media. Their Facebook posts get a few hundred reactions at best, and a few dozen at worst. Is that worth six million dollars?
Their Youtube videos get anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand views, which is pathetic when you look at what the left are doing with their channels and videos, getting hundreds of thousands of views with ease.
Again… Is that worth six million dollars?
(Yes, FEE does have a new series, of which they’ve managed to churn out a whopping 2… TWO!! episodes in a year that’s gotten some decent viewership. And guess what? It’s just “Out of Frame” with a new name… Just amazingly weak.)
I mean, maybe if FEE had a cool theme song or something…
Undoubtedly, there are some good things FEE does. The outreach to Latin America has been pretty successful, and some of their in-class programs are doing okay.
But would you donate your money to an organization with such mediocre results?
Well, the rich don’t get there by being foolish with their money, and the scuttlebutt is that FEE hasn’t raised what they were hoping to this year, soooo… yeah.
Given the Foundation’s legacy and history, it should raise a lot more if their work was actually good and effective.
But this is what a failing organization that’s about to come crashing down. If the donors who have contributed to FEE over the years truly believe in it, then I hope they start clamoring for change.
Because what liberty needs is a FEE that’s better… stronger… faster.
And I can guarantee that I know people who could take a fraction of those funds and be a heck of a lot more effective.