Babe’s Auction

Jake D wrote:

The day they quit SS will be a blessing

Haha. Won’t ever happen. Would take an act of God to even touch it.

The issue with quitting SS is there’s no easy out…for multiple reasons. I would have loved to invest every dime I was required to pay into SS for my entire life, but that ship has sailed. For it to change now would screw most of us that still frequent IDO.

First and foremost, politicans from all sides of the aisle have one top priority – keeping their job and “power.” Talking about SS is the proverbial “slitting one’s own throat.”

The other issue is that there’s no feasible way to phase it out. You could see a small scale Civil War if there was just some arbitrary end to SS at a certain date or date of birth. Those who have paid in for years would be screwed out of both their anticipated payments and the potential gains they could have had if they were allowed to invest that money elsewhere for all their years of working. If they just cut it off and terminated the program say for anyone born in 2025 and beyond…SS would be bankrupt and then some by the time people like us who have paid in will be retiring.

queenswake wrote:

I know people have their complaints about him, but I used to really like his show. I liked how he took his family on trips with him and it was all about the excitement of fishing. Less about technique like other shows. It captured the spirit of what fishing is for me, so I was into it.

He shares the face of early MN fishing with the Linders, Ron Schara. Faces that have always been there.

I totally agree. I always enjoyed his show and in my opinion he’s a Minnesota icon. I think he always represented the state and angling in general very well.

I loved seeing Minnesotans representing Minnesota angling on tv. A lot of the angling media started to get way too Southern Fried with way too much emphasis on Billy Ray Jackjaw catching stocked bass for the camera.

He had his flaws but when my son was about 10 Babe was at the Deer Classic in St Paul. He talked to my son for at least a 1/2 hour. Not treating him like a kid but having a serious conversation about fishing techniques. I’ve always been grateful for the way he treated my son.

gim wrote:

Why is he bankrupt?

Seems a little odd for someone with an outdoor show and sponsors.

I don’t know the specifics for Babe, but there is and has been a huge misconception that outdoor shows make great money. Most of them are barely surviving, and that sponsor money goes towards the cost to keep them on TV. I think YouTube has helped some since you can post for free (instead of buying air time on TV), but still need a ton of viewership and sponsorship to cover expenses, let alone put some money away. The most successful ones like IDO and the Linders leveraged their TV shows into marketing/promotional companies that actually make legitimate money, and most of that has nothing to do with what we see on TV/YouTube. The Hunting Public has a good video about this, and basically they need to have a whole bunch of revenue streams (YouTube, Podcasting, Appearances, Sponsorships, Merch, Production etc.) in order to keep doing what they are doing. The days of being wealthy bc you were on TV are long gone, if they ever existed to begin with.

Good response Werm.

I think that most of these guys that are doing well for themselves such as Flair on youtube has found different avenues and ways to make money. Selling merchandise, gear, Beef Jerky, Seasoning anyway to capitalize on the viewership. Why some of these have created things like Googan bait and frostbite.