When Riverini of EN24 re-posted my article over reaching half trillion, he also added a comment: "TBH, I wonder if a guy like Gevlon or DannyCentauri would have been in charge of TEST finances how would they look like today...". I'm glad I was bored and had some time swimming in poor man tears that the other forum comments are, because it's an important question.
So how would TEST finances look like if I was in charge? Worse than now.
Let me explain. When a system doesn't work as it should work (and an alliance shouldn't be permanently at the edge of bankruptcy) people look at the leaders and shake their fists. TEST is poor? Fire the damn incompetent and put someone in his place who has skills! Sometimes their rage works and the leader is removed or leaves in disgust (for example Montolio). The people get what they wanted, a new leader who does as they pleases and ... things go from bad to horrible. I mean while Montolio was at the helm, the timers were offensive.
When a system doesn't work, it's the system that doesn't work and replacing "clerks" won't help. While those who work in the administration of a democratic system consider themselves powerful, they are just clerks. They can't make the system work any better. Leader change works in only two cases: if the old leader was indeed some horribly incompetent or corrupted one, or when the new leader can somehow convince the people to change the system itself. But for that you don't need to be the leader. Actually it makes the change harder because everyone assumes that the changes are for your own good.
TEST is poor not because their income is mismanaged. Goons aren't fighting over pitiful moons because Mittani and Rydis RMT-ed the tech money away and need replacement. They both work on an income scheme that makes them naturally poor. Their income is a joke. I mean we are talking about 5000 man organizations that live on 0.5-1T/month. That's 50-100M/person income. A few weeks old highsec miner would laugh on that.
People believe that some genius will come who makes things right. Riverini here cast me into the role of a financial genius who could turn this 50-100M into a meaningful sum. I can't. No one can. TEST and Goons are doomed to either stay docked when the chances are against them or field comedy fleets like Thalwars, Caracals and bombless bombers. I loved how The Mittani claimed "while shooting a structure with 30 bombers is a miserable, time-consuming process, 150 bombers can nuke an Ihub down into reinforced within 20 minute". It is plain stupid as it's the same man-hours, just distributed over more people. Maybe these doctrines are my punishment from fate for calling Drakes the ships of poverty. Now I can think of them as the lost golden age when unnerfed Tech made the alliance "rich" enough to field battlecruisers. (I can hear highsec mission runners laughing).
To have decent finances, these alliances need at least 1B/month/member. Moons and other passive income sources won't provide these. I mean if you are a CFC or TEST member and flied 2 hours/day on average as part of the war effort, you put 45 hours into this conflict. If your side wins today and keeps Fountain with no further combat in the next 4 years, then you gained the same ISK as you'd have if you spent the same time ratting.
Oh, I'm sure you'll say that ratting is bad and fighting is so much fun. Well, according to The Mittani himself "the foe is either being blueballed or massacred entirely, and not having much fun." But let's act like sov war was fun. Even if you have fun, the alliance coffer is still empty and reimbursement requests are coming in.
Decent money can only come from one source: the members. They must contribute. It can be either a mandatory tax, it can work in alliances which have mandatory CTAs. For those without CTAs, only volunteer donation is imaginable, probably motivated by some toplist. Either way the alliances must have industrialists, miners and ratters who pay for the bills both for themselves and for the combat pilots who can't make money since they spend their time in fleets. Luckily there are such people, many already inside the alliances.
To utilize this income source the alliances need to change their culture, making PvE a valued activity instead of "lol carebear". Changing the clerk who desperately trying to make ends meet won't make difference.
So how would TEST finances look like if I was in charge? Worse than now.
Let me explain. When a system doesn't work as it should work (and an alliance shouldn't be permanently at the edge of bankruptcy) people look at the leaders and shake their fists. TEST is poor? Fire the damn incompetent and put someone in his place who has skills! Sometimes their rage works and the leader is removed or leaves in disgust (for example Montolio). The people get what they wanted, a new leader who does as they pleases and ... things go from bad to horrible. I mean while Montolio was at the helm, the timers were offensive.
When a system doesn't work, it's the system that doesn't work and replacing "clerks" won't help. While those who work in the administration of a democratic system consider themselves powerful, they are just clerks. They can't make the system work any better. Leader change works in only two cases: if the old leader was indeed some horribly incompetent or corrupted one, or when the new leader can somehow convince the people to change the system itself. But for that you don't need to be the leader. Actually it makes the change harder because everyone assumes that the changes are for your own good.
TEST is poor not because their income is mismanaged. Goons aren't fighting over pitiful moons because Mittani and Rydis RMT-ed the tech money away and need replacement. They both work on an income scheme that makes them naturally poor. Their income is a joke. I mean we are talking about 5000 man organizations that live on 0.5-1T/month. That's 50-100M/person income. A few weeks old highsec miner would laugh on that.
People believe that some genius will come who makes things right. Riverini here cast me into the role of a financial genius who could turn this 50-100M into a meaningful sum. I can't. No one can. TEST and Goons are doomed to either stay docked when the chances are against them or field comedy fleets like Thalwars, Caracals and bombless bombers. I loved how The Mittani claimed "while shooting a structure with 30 bombers is a miserable, time-consuming process, 150 bombers can nuke an Ihub down into reinforced within 20 minute". It is plain stupid as it's the same man-hours, just distributed over more people. Maybe these doctrines are my punishment from fate for calling Drakes the ships of poverty. Now I can think of them as the lost golden age when unnerfed Tech made the alliance "rich" enough to field battlecruisers. (I can hear highsec mission runners laughing).
To have decent finances, these alliances need at least 1B/month/member. Moons and other passive income sources won't provide these. I mean if you are a CFC or TEST member and flied 2 hours/day on average as part of the war effort, you put 45 hours into this conflict. If your side wins today and keeps Fountain with no further combat in the next 4 years, then you gained the same ISK as you'd have if you spent the same time ratting.
Oh, I'm sure you'll say that ratting is bad and fighting is so much fun. Well, according to The Mittani himself "the foe is either being blueballed or massacred entirely, and not having much fun." But let's act like sov war was fun. Even if you have fun, the alliance coffer is still empty and reimbursement requests are coming in.
Decent money can only come from one source: the members. They must contribute. It can be either a mandatory tax, it can work in alliances which have mandatory CTAs. For those without CTAs, only volunteer donation is imaginable, probably motivated by some toplist. Either way the alliances must have industrialists, miners and ratters who pay for the bills both for themselves and for the combat pilots who can't make money since they spend their time in fleets. Luckily there are such people, many already inside the alliances.
To utilize this income source the alliances need to change their culture, making PvE a valued activity instead of "lol carebear". Changing the clerk who desperately trying to make ends meet won't make difference.
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