ARNOLD ZIFFEL AND READER PLEDGES: THE SEQUEL

From reading some of my stories, you may have suspected that I’m not very electronically adept. For example, I’ve mentioned that I don’t carry a phone—not even a flip phone. I hate filling out computer forms. Anything with passwords bugs me out and, without a phone, so does text authentication. Yes, I know this stuff is simple. I just don’t want to use it.

The only things I know how to do on a computer are generating essays and legal documents, sending and receiving e-mails and searching the Net for stuff like power skating and piano tutorials. Some people are good teachers. I never would have figured out some of those tricks on my own. I wish these lessons existed when I was 10. But then, some people used to be able to make a living teaching piano or selling how-to books.

Given my tech aversion, tonight when I went to the Substack site to fill out the form to accept reader pledges, I noticed that the subscription amounts had been pre-set by Substack at $8/month and $80/year. These rates were higher than I would have set if I had known that I had a choice. Sorry.

My father was an auto worker with four kids and a stay-at-home wife, and my wife and I raised three kids on my modest income. So I know from experience that many people don’t have much economic margin. And the dollar buys 17% less than it did two years ago. Though I guess that means that any payments I receive are commensurately less valuable.

In any event, I’ve reset these default amounts to $5/month and $60/year. My wife, who does my tech support, told me that she thinks $5/$60 are the minimum rates.

Thus, for now, I apologize for the initial $8/month, $80/year rates. I don’t want the cost of subscribing to be an obstacle to subscribing. And, as I said, I won’t paywall stuff, so anyone can read it for free. But some people volunteered to support me. And I think my posts are worthwhile because they approach the Scamdemic differently than anyone I’ve seen. Like Oscar Wilde said, “Be yourself. Everyone else is taken.”

Be that as it may, I’ll refund the difference to anyone who subscribed at the higher rate. Send me an email and I’ll send you a check for the difference. Old school.

Onward.

This week’s story is done. I didn’t have the idea until one of my brothers sent me an email. I’ll post it on Thursday. I think it’s worth reading.