At long last, the
fate of the famed Fake Statue of Liberty has been determined. Sort of. Currently, Hammond, Indiana is saddled with the storage costs of this monstrosity and they have no place to put it in public. So the choices are:
- Find a donor willing to sink several million into shoring up the island where it was originally supposed to go. (Not likely)
- Send it back to Beryl Martin (Best choice, let Kim, Coach and Scott figure out how to dispose of their own mess)
- Cut it up in pieces and use it at a welcome center
This seems like a fitting end to yet another poor management decision for YTB. Had this news come a few weeks earlier, they could have incinerated her and scattered her ashes from the YTB Lear Jet across the golden plains.
As a Vet...all I have to say is this, Tomers you can take that POS statue and shove it! That's what I think about you!
ReplyDeleteActually he was brilliant. Create an artificially inflated (cost wise) fake statue as a stage prop. Deduct the expense as a business expense. Keep the revenue at his own private little company. Then rather than being saddled with disposal of what essentially is a piece of trash, he "donates" it to a town and likely writes off the cost as a charitable deduction. He wins on all counts and contrary to John--this seems like a brilliant management decision.
ReplyDeleteNow hopefully the PR will not be too bad.
But you can be sure that B-M nor YTB will take it back. The thing is huge and if it took 40 trucks to move it, B-M does not have the room to store it. Maybe YTB will erect it on top of the K-Mart?
As a Vet...I don't think the Tomers care what you think about them.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting and accurate comment on the story:
ReplyDeleteNot surprising at all. I mean what was anyone thinking? Taking a styrofoam stage prop that was destined to deteriorate and become an environmental hazard and put it on an island in a lake that would require several millions in repairs to accept the thing?
I hope they can send it back to YTB and let them figure out how to dispose of their trash legitimately and not merely donate the trash and mask it as charity
New Anonymous here. As A Vet, I am appalled that they made it seem to be something "for the troops" ....send supplies, care packages, something to show REAL support not a $6 million (LOL ~ sickening) piece of foam that is a replica to the real deal ... that no one wants on top of that :(
ReplyDeleteOh but FM this is where your very very wrong....this statue was supposed to be decicated to the vets and fallen heroes. I guess you got the wrong message. You better hit up the old fart and find out what the real message was, since neither of you are correct.
ReplyDeleteFiremedic you are pathetic.
ReplyDeleteMy father is a Vet of the Vietnam war, I asked him how he'd feel if someone had donated a statue worth even $1M in their honor, instead of sending the money or supplies overseas. He told me that he probably woulda told them to shove the statue.
ReplyDeleteThe soldiers need food, supplies, not a big fake POS that nobody seems to want. What purpose does it serve? None. The vets didn't want it, YTB doesn't want it, and now the town doesn't want it. This doesn't surprise me in the least.
"Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteFiremedic you are pathetic."
I'm crushed Anon.
Since it was stated (falsely, I might add) that UPS was a sponsor in this, they should turn it into packing peanuts and sell them at the UPS Stores. Or maybe Travel Pro can have it put in his back yard.
ReplyDeleteI think this is just hysterical! I hope it gets picked up by a lot of papers! I thik the packing peanuts is a great idea! but really, it was a brilliant strategy - they had to know what it would cost to dispose of that piece of crap AND they certainly knew it was not made from materials that would hold up outdoors. Now it looks as though it's actually a safety hazard - even the "steel" is questionable and they're afraid it could fall on someone!
ReplyDeleteLets see...
ReplyDeleteBuying the building from an insider then selling it 18 months later for a huge loss
Buying the statue from and insider, then trying to get rid of it
Buying the plane from an insider then selling it for a huge loss....
They sure are good at pumping money to the insiders...
Maybe all those people that are taking advantage of the wonderful bus trip to the inaguration can strap it to the top of the bus and take it with them. Then they could climb to the top of it and maybe catch a glimps of the outskirts of the city where the inaguration is taking place.
ReplyDeleteI am only here to address Firemedic. As a vet I am surprised that that 'speech' of it going to fallen troops doesn't bother you in the least. I have family members who endured Vietnam, a brother who served in Iraq TWICE. Maybe Coach should have done a survey to see what the troops needed.
ReplyDeleteAsk any of them - they will say, supplies, care packages, letters from loved ones, cold water, cots to sleep on, pillows, a VACATION (haha) all expense paid when they come home you ARE a travel company), assistance for the children whose parents paid the ultimate price in war, scholarships for the dependents, many many things. And you think that creating a catastrophe of a statue is HONORABLE??
Shame on you. A damn shame.
Anon,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all not everyone will see things your way otherwise everyone would be as bitter and pissed off as you. I too am and vet. Third generation vet. I have family members (grandfather) who endured WWII and was in every battle depicted in the Band of Brothers Series. My Dad served during Vietnam. I served before and after 9/11. Why does this matter? It doesn't. Being a vet means nothing here.
The statue's main purpose was for the convention first and foremost. It was also used as a symbol at that convention as a symbol of our freedom. Hence the honoring of our soldiers for that freedom. As I understand it, the statue was going to be used to honor the fallen by the city that it was going to be donated to. It wasn't YTB that decided how it would be dedicated.
Finally, it's absolutely ridiculous to say what YTB should have spent the money on (pillows, food,....) The only reason you say that is to so you can feel right about not liking YTB. There are tons and tons of companies that you could have decided be mad at for the way they used their money. There is always someone out there saying "boy, that sure could have been used to ______ instead of that." or "If it were me I would help ______instead of that".
By the way, our soldiers are not starving by any means. The last time you ate out, Anon, why didn't you take that money and send a care package instead? You're a vet! You should have known better, shame on you. And the last time you saw the guy on the side the road, with a sign asking for money, why didn't you give it when you first gut feeling was that you should? But when you didn't you started to tell yourself things like "oh, well he would have just bought alcohol anyway".
Point is, get off your hubristic soapbox about what you would have done with the money. There is always someone that disagrees with how a company decides to use marketing money.
FM, the difference is that when he goes out to eat he does not say he is donating a portion of his meal to the fallen heros.
ReplyDeleteHad Coach just spent the $6M or $8M on the statue and said we had a good year and we wanted an over the top prop there wodl have been no controversy.
But he went on to say it was sponsored by UPS, being covered by "all" the national networks, and was being donated by YTB in honor of fallen heroes.
Well, when some of the truth was exposed (like the connection to B-M) he backtracked and it was all Brummels pony. Brummel decided where to donate it and YTB mysteriously disappeared from the equation.
The guy tried to pull a fast one (again) and got caught.
THAT is the difference
OK, I have to chime in here.
ReplyDeleteThe statue wasn't going to be donated to the VETS. It was going to be used as part of a memorial/display for and in honor of the vets. There is a big difference.
It is like saying, instead of spending the money to build the vietnam memorial, send food.
Or instead of building the WWII memorial, send toothpaste.
The cost associated for the staute was for YTB's convention. It was THEN going to be used for a memorial or a tribute to those who fight for our Liberty.
If these are the arguments here then I want to make sure that ANYTIME someone or some organization is looking to spend money or raise money for a memorial of anykind, that the critics here are as outspoken then.
"Had Coach just spent the $6M or $8M on the statue and said we had a good year and we wanted an over the top prop there wodl have been no controversy."
ReplyDeleteJohn, you and I and everyone else that reads this blog knows that is not true. No matter what YTB does, good or bad, is bad in your eyes. If it's good for YTB, it's spun bad by you...every time.
Ditto what Josh said.
What is wrong with you people? FM and Josh you guys are so blind sighted you wanted to hear what you wanted. My POINT is that don't say the stupid statue is for fallen heroes to make himself 'look good' in the eyes of the people and for publicity reasons, and flush money down the toilet and say by the way it's for the fallen heroes. We already have a Statue of Liberty. LOL
ReplyDeleteFM I would love for you to tell the 1000s of soldiers in Iraq that the idea of a little comfort in their situation is 'ridiculous'. Second, I didn't say I was the vet, I said as a vet YOU don't feel bothered in the least.
For the record I am not with YTB...just an observer, and had something to say about that waste-of-money statue.
Who said they were starving? Have you had a care package before FM? I'm actually not upset at all, just don't like when folks make ignorant statements and use anything having to do with soldiers lightly.
Josh, who said it was donated to the VETS? Read. In honor of the vets? That is what I'm addressing. It's an insult to spend money in that piss poor manner to gain publicity (all it did was gain more BAD publicity), and then say it's in honor of the vets. When he could have done something more productive for the heros with alll that money he spent on a 2day prop. Instead he created a HAZARD, and now no one wants the darn thing.
Hell all the donations he could have honored troops that way or the families of fallen troops. It would have gone a long way. But it's okay. It's not my burden to bare, it's your chosen one Coach, so moving on.
Now that I'm off my soapbox, I think it's funny and saw this coming a while ago. Hey I got a question, if they do give it back to BM, do you think Coach will own up and take some responsiblity?
Firemedic - If I or anyone against YTB would say that shit is brown, you would say it's purple. That's a fact. This must be another one of your 24 hours off, right?
ReplyDeleteWell, since Coach, Scott and Kim OWN Beryl-Martin they ultimately will take some responsibility. But my guess is that they say (via Frank Brummell) that they donated it and the town accepted it and it is now the town's responsibility to use (or dispose) of it.
ReplyDelete"Firemedic - If I or anyone against YTB would say that shit is brown, you would say it's purple. That's a fact. This must be another one of your 24 hours off, right?"
ReplyDeleteNo Moron just like AT/KIT all you have to offer when you get on here are personal attacks against me or someone else. Why don't you takes Steve's advise from last night? I disagree with Steve but he acts like an adult here. Why don't you take some lessons from him.
Again, Anon, it's hubristic for you to criticize what a company does with its money when one could criticize your for the same thing. The amount shouldn't matter.
ReplyDeleteWhile I don't want to get into the arguments here. I will say that I think it's funny that it would take $2 million dollars in engineering improvements for the statue to be put where the city intended.
ReplyDeleteThe only real story here is that YTB spent a bunch of money on this statue, funneling money from YTB to another firm owned by Coach, Scott and Kim. All those related party transactions are adding up. They are taking money from the YTB treasury and putting it into the pockets of the Tomers and Sorenson.
firemedic said...
ReplyDelete"No Moron just like AT/KIT all you have to offer when you get on here are personal attacks against me or someone else. Why don't you takes Steve's advise from last night? I disagree with Steve but he acts like an adult here. Why don't you take some lessons from him."
You know FM, your total hypocrisy is getting really old. You love to pull out the fair play card when a poster gives you a ration, but you have no trouble and never hesitate to attack other posters personally on here do you? Just the other day you flamed Ains, accused him of being a liar, laughed at him, mocked him, called him some silly name and more, over Margret, his roomie, posting. You love to play the victim and phony nice guy when it suits your needs but you are anything but a nice guy. You have no problem getting personal when attacking others on here, but when it happens to you, suddenly you want to point the finger and play Mr.Innocent.
"They are taking money from the YTB treasury and putting it into the pockets of the Tomers and Sorenson."
ReplyDeleteUnsubstantiated assumptions. You no proof of that whatsoever.
PIOTB - You love to say that I do all this attacking and name calling yet don't prove your case. Show me where I called Ainsworth a "liar". Your post are a broken record PIOTB and your posts are getting old. Like I said before, your rantings are those of someone that is complaining about the poor qualities of themselves but trying to pawn them off on someone else in order to feel better.
ReplyDeleteSteve, you hit it right on the head.
ReplyDeleteJosh, how on Earth could you compare the Vietnam Memorial or the WWII Memorial to a crappy hunk of foam? You CANNOT honestly say that the waste of foam is anything even close to either... IF you enjoy the idea of the statue, let them send it to you to rot and deteriorate in your yard
firemedic said...
ReplyDelete"PIOTB - You love to say that I do all this attacking and name calling yet don't prove your case. Show me where I called Ainsworth a "liar". Your post are a broken record PIOTB and your posts are getting old. Like I said before, your rantings are those of someone that is complaining about the poor qualities of themselves but trying to pawn them off on someone else in order to feel better."
What do you call the following jackass??
"firemedic said...
And sorry to get off subject but guess who Margaret is? Thought you no longer read Doug's blog Ainsworth?"
and
"firemedic said...
"Who is Margaret??"
Check this out Denyse:
http://www.justpictureitnow.com/2008/11/15/surprise/
Read the comments from Margaret and then Doug's response."
and
"Right Ainsworth! Did it take you all night to figure out how to get around this one? So you, Margaret, and Joe all live in the same house? What a crock dude!"
and
"Sorry Ainsworth, I didn't see any of these people in the background of your video. Wait, what video? It's gone! Why? Whatever Joemargsworth! LOL! This just goes to show you that there are a lot less people reading this blog than there are actually names on here. That's because most of the people are Joemargsworths or AT/Kits. Hillarious!"
Steve Mencik "They are taking money from the YTB treasury and putting it into the pockets of the Tomers and Sorenson."
ReplyDeleteFireMedic: "Unsubstantiated assumptions. You no proof of that whatsoever."
Let me see....
http://www.manta.com/coms2/dnbcompany_h94hsx
(Beryl Martin)
1313 E Main St, Griffith, IN 46319-2932
Contact's Name: J Kim Sorenson
Contact's Title: President & Chief Executive Officer
So....
YTB has spent Millions at Sorenson's company for printing
YTB has spend Millions for the statue at Sorenson's company...
So YTB has taken millions from the treasury and sent it over to Sorenson's company..
Firemedic - Let me ask you one other question. Yes, it's simple. Do you have a life of any type outside of all the blogs you participate in? BTW, if you call my previous remark a personal attack, you ain't seen nothing. You're just not worth me investing my time to counter all of your propoganda. No one takes you seriously so I don't. You're more of an amusement.
ReplyDeleteYTB has already admitted that they own Beryl Martin. Look at the financials from last quarter.
ReplyDeleteYTB used the vets in the same way they use God as their celebrity endorser. Just as they claim that the big man himself favors their company because it's a great recruiting tool, they claimed they were making a giant statue to honor the vets because again, it's a recruiting tool. The statue was nothing more than a tribute to their manipulation skills. If they would have had a statue of the world's greatest con artist, which would have been far more appropriate for this event, it wouldn't have had the warm fuzzies that the statue of liberty provided.
"But he went on to say it was sponsored by UPS."
ReplyDeleteThis was indeed a lie by Coach. I personally called UPS and spoke to their pr person. Her comment was "UPS was paid to transport the statue, they are not a sponsor." Big difference in hauling that piece of junk than sponsoring it.
Tomers indeed own BM.
"As a Vet...I don't think the Tomers care what you think about them."
You are right about that firemedic. The Tomers don't care what anyone says about them. In fact, they don't care about you or your fellow RTA's either. They are only in it for the $$$. Read the Alton Telegraph. HQ at Wood River is full of their relatives. They only care about themselves. And, if you think otherwise you are seriously deluded. Why you people keep throwing your money at a company run by known scam artists and con men is beyond me...You all need to be deprogrammed.
PIOTB, NMH, et al, thank you all for rising to my defense. I truly appreciate it. Just so you, and everyone knows, when people like FM and Dougie attack me, I just consider the source. They have all been proven to be misguided, ill informed, self rightous, holier than thou know-it-alls who, as FM likes to say, see all of their failings, but don't want to admit them, so have to project them onto others.
ReplyDeleteIt's because of all of that that when the attacks start, I sit here and laugh, secure in my life, knowing that I am far, far ahead of where they will ever be in the travel profession, and on a personal level. Because of this, I know that I shouldn't goad them on by responding to them, but sometimes it is just WAY too easy, and I have to admit, it's fun to sit here and watch them get all in a snit.
firemedic said...
ReplyDelete"They are taking money from the YTB treasury and putting it into the pockets of the Tomers and Sorenson."
Unsubstantiated assumptions. You no proof of that whatsoever.
===============
See above comments. Actually there is plenty of proof that is exactly what they are doing. That is why all those "related party transactions" are noted in each and every 10-Q. The YTB money is being funneled to other companies owned by the Tomers and Sorenson. Feel free to remain in denial, but for this issue, the proof is right there in black and white in the 10-Q.