Here are my suggestions, from the point of view of someone who spends WAY too much time writing to and perusing Salon's Letters pages:

1. Salon should decline to publish letters that contain obscenities.

2. The red stars now used to identify exceptionally good letters would be better off instead used to separate and leave behind the very worst ones.

3. The Daou Report should be set up to handle reader comments regarding the selected excerpted blogs, many of which do not allow feedback.

4. Requiring our real names will prevent me, for one, from participating any further. In my purplish state, wealth and power are by definition controlled by republican class warriors; and my livelihood has always depended on my remaining silent in staff meetings as my GOP-contributor boss chuckles at the weekly anti-Clinton tirade from the office wingnut. These people on the Angry Authoritarian GOP Right are petty, intolerant, and vindictive.

5. Salon's staff writers should not hesitate to mix it up with us. I like it when the King dives into the middle of a vigorous discussion concerning one of his sports columns. Not only is this entertaining, it serves to settle or at least refocus and advance the argument at hand.

6. Here's a real wild one: Why not invite chosen letter writers to write a guest-of-the-week column? I know I am not the only one here who would be interested in hearing more from talented regulars such as LeCastor; so how about it, Salon?

I went and looked at their quarterly statement--they only owe $1.5 million all told. The $90 million you are talking about is in shareholder's equity. The accumulated deficit is offset by additional paid-in-capital. Equity isn't owed to anybody, so maybe somebody may be throwing good money in after bad, but Salon isn't levered up that much.

Stolen presidential elections, and the impeachment of our last duly-elected president; the worst terror attacks in U.S. history because a fictitious "president" was too busy clearing brush while his handlers plotted for the chance to sell a stupid and doomed war based on threats that did not exist; meanwhile, the real perpetrators of 9/11 remain free to threaten the West five years after the fact; the repeal of the U.S. constitution in favor of a so-called "unitary executive"; corporate media cheerleaders too busy covering runaway brides and celebrity court cases to notice any of the above; and a viciously partisan right-wing media that labels as "traitors" and "terrorist sympathizers" anyone who has noticed and has tried to speak out. I swear, it's enough to make a thoughtful person want to scream.

Thank you, Salon, for giving me a safe place to scream. Whatever happens next, thanks.

Kevin,

Thanks for correcting me but if you look again at the letters post do me a favor and riddle me this...

ok...so Salon has like 600,000,000 million shares and at one point they were worth basically nothing (in 2002 it was worth .01 I believe, now up to 1.30 - which accounts for what you mentioned)

So, when people bought into Salon before this crash, and the stock tanked - the capital vanished, so to speak.

I recall reading, don't know where, that when the last editor stepped down they had over 80 million that was washed up....

I'm no stock wizard but doesn't this all mean that from their high water mark of above 10$ that many many people lost money throwing it at this site? I suppose this doesn't mean they own anyone this money, because the market spoke and the shareholder lost out or held on and rose back up a little...

would anyone venture a guess as to the per word rate these guys get paid or the price per article?

or you Kevin, any further illumination would be appreciated...

thanks again!!

Here's a real wild one: Why not invite chosen letter writers to write a guest-of-the-week column? I know I am not the only one here who would be interested in hearing more from talented regulars such as LeCastor; so how about it, Salon? -- WeikuBoy

I wanna write for Salon!

Hey, wait a minute. I already DO!

here is what I got off of Rosenberg's blog

"Salon does not have $79 million in debt. Salon has substantially no debt.

Salon's financials report an accumulated deficit of $79 million for our seven years of operations. If you break this down I think it's roughly $50 million in cash and the rest is non-cash accounting charges. If you look at the financials over the years you'll see that our spending for a couple years at the height of the boom (1999 and 2000) accounts for a disproportionate chunk of that.

This money represents losses, not debt. You'd think that's an important enough distinction for the financial press — and the pundits in the blogging gallery — to get right. Argue all you want about our business strategy, our prospects and the quality of our prose; but let's keep the facts straight."

So, I should have done my research first....but all the same....79 mil in losses....sheesh....I wish someone would give me 79 mil to lose for them....In fact, I bet I would be pretty good at that....

again, not sure if this is up to date (must be a few years old...)

again...good luck salon!!! I get hours of free enjoyment out of your site --- what gives a flop about "journalistic standards" anyway --- what a crock!

As a Premium member of Salon with over 700 posts in one year my pseudonym Locutus has become a name-brand. I get a few hateful replies, but for the most part (about 10 to 1) I also get a lot of LWs who complement me on my letters.

Now here's where I have it over people who refuse to pony up the $35 a year: I can be YOU if I wanted to.

Yes, joe, and A.J. and SR and FDRs Ghost and all of you non-subscribers, all I have to do to write a letter under your pseudonym is to log out, turn off my popups and cookies and enter Salon the same way you do, by looking at the ads first.

Then I'm able sign my name as YOU!

And really, there's nothing you can do about it. Oh, you could complain to Salon I guess. But what do they care? you're so cheap you won't even buy a subscription to the magazine.

Ah yes, but my IP address shows up at the Salon Sysops. Fine. I just go a few blocks to the public library and log on there.

I don't do this, of course. Some of you make me sick enough just reading your crap. Mimicking you might make me throw up.

But may I suggest to all the disgruntled readers who don't like some of the trash and troll letters, you could log in as your troll and make a sincere apology for causing a mess, or just make such an ass out of yourself under your troll's handle that they will squeal like stuck pigs.

Ah, the possibilities are endless.