August 2014 - Lnc-business - Moellman Enterprises Email

Meanwhile, in places other than Oregon
by Joshua Katz 14 Aug '14

14 Aug '14

Any thoughts on the appropriate LP response to the Ferguson riots? Anonymous has stepped in - I think the largest liberty-based organization in the country should probably weigh in, but I'm not sure how. Joshua A. Katz Region 8 (Region of Badassdom) Alternate Libertarian National Committee Chair, Libertarian Party of Connecticut

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archive of historical convention data
by Alicia Mattson 14 Aug '14

14 Aug '14

I've started working on a project that I hope will be useful to this LNC and future LNCs for convention planning purposes. I'm taking the information I have available from past national conventions and trying to assemble it into a more usable archive. Perhaps when I'm finished we can drop this on the staff wiki that was set up last year for easy reference by convention planners and site scouters as needed. The data that I have is spread across a lot of documents with wildly varying formats, so someone unfamiliar with the pile of documents would have to do a lot of digging around to find comparable figures across different years. One of the key elements of this project is that I'm creating a spreadsheet with a column for each year that collects key data points into more easily-referenced locations. I want to include for each year notes about how certain key elements were handled, delegate attendance, hotel room night usage and booking patterns, profit/loss data, package pricing, package sales breakdowns, etc. I want to include copies of the executed contracts, invoices from the hotels and various other vendors, the spreadsheet template I built to help us compare future bids from potential sites (and somewhere in the past I wrote a guide document to help LNC members understand that spreadsheet), the convention planning to-do list that I created for 2012, etc. I have some information in my possession already from my past work with the conventions, but I don't have everything I'd like to put into this archive. Robert Kraus likely can provide me with some additional info, and I'll make inquiries with him as needed. After I assemble what I can, maybe past convention planners can help us fill in blanks or add to it. My effort should be viewed as a starting point to build institutional knowledge on a subject that has a lot of financial risk for the party. Future convention planners shouldn't have to reinvent all the wheels each year. They'll still have to do a lot of work, but maybe I can give them a jump start on the process. -Alicia

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first draft of 2/13/14 EC minutes
by Alicia Mattson 14 Aug '14

14 Aug '14

At the final LNC meeting last term, a large number of minutes from the term were adopted. The one set of minutes known to be missing from that list was for an EC meeting on 2/13/14. Following the convention, Mr. Blau provided me with a set of draft minutes for that 2/13/14 meeting. Now that the new LNC is fairly well caught up on its own minutes and email ballots, I'm giving attention to this remaining issue. It may seem a little weird for the new EC to adopt missing minutes for the previous one, but it's the body as a whole that's empowered to do it, even if some of the people on the body have changed. Four of the EC members from last term are again on this LNC so they're getting a copy of this message, and I've cc'd the other three EC members from last term so they have opportunity to let us know if they disagree with anything in these draft minutes. I've also cc'd Dianna Visek and Paul Frankel as they attended the meeting as LNC representatives, though not EC members. Since we're well past the possibility of auto-approval of the attached draft EC minutes, I think it will be easiest to just formally approve these either during the Secretary's report at the next LNC meeting in Alexandria, or at an EC teleconference if we have one before then. By distributing the draft now, I'm giving ample time for anyone to provide feedback or request changes. Alicia Mattson LNC Secretary

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Fw: EOM June Reports
by Tim Hagan 13 Aug '14

13 Aug '14

The June End-of-Month financial reports are attached. The financials have improved, but are still poor. Per the Policy Manual, the targeted reserve requirement is the sum of all monthly occupancy, labor, and governance expenses, which is $56,499. We were at $-2025 at the end of June, compared to $-28221 at the end of May. Revenues from Donations, Membership Dues, and Board Solicitations are all below budget this year. Ballot access expenditures, by necessity, were spent mostly in first half of the year. On the plus side, that expense will drop for the rest of this year. The convention is showing a profit of $17,545 at this time. Currently, we have about $36k in unrestricted funds available but have $45k payable, most of which is the unpaid portion of the Hyatt Regency bill from the convention. The Policy Manual Section 2.03 requires the financial statements to include a report on financial transactions of related parties. Please send me the name of immediate family or domestic partner/relations who may have either contributed to the LNC, received a payment from the LNC, or any other financial transaction with the party so that they may be included in future reports. Tim Hagan Treasurer

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LP of Oregon, National LP Judicial Committee
by Scott L. 13 Aug '14

13 Aug '14

I have no clue whether the Oregon issue will or will not be heard by the current National LP Judicial Committee. And even if it is heard, I have no idea how the Chair of the Judicial Committee would vote. However, I find it interesting that Wes Wagner is complaining about a potential conflict of interest on the part of the current Chair of the National LP's Judicial Committee. See the comment below from Dan Wiener. Note that Lee Wrights cast the deciding vote that made this opinion the majority opinion of the National LP JC back in 2011: http://www.libertyforamerica.com/201109.pdf (Hat Tip to Dr. George Phillies) "But the LNC and the Executive Committee did purport to recognize and empower one group (the Reeves Group) over another group (the Wagner group) to represent the Libertarian Party of Oregon. This action was beyond the authority of the LNC or EC based upon the Bylaws, and is void" GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG http://www.independentpoliticalreport.com/2011/11/lp-nat-com-votes-to-overtu rn-jc-on-oregon-lp/ "Daniel Wiener <http://www.independentpoliticalreport.com/2011/11/lp-nat-com-votes-to-overt urn-jc-on-oregon-lp/#comment-718885> November 23, 2011 at 12:56 am Thomas Knapp@23: "My flash take on the SPECIFIC issue at hand is that the matter in question was not personal to Ruwart, and that Wrights on the Judicial Committee taking the same position as she did on the LNC/EC was not obviously a function of their relationship, whatever that relationship might be. - [TK]" Tom, unfortunately it was more than just Ruwart on the LNC and Wrights on the JC happening to take the same position. Mary Ruwart submitted a written argument to the JC in support of the Wagner faction in Oregon, and then she was a prominent proponent of the Wagner faction in oral arguments and Q&A during the Judicial Committee's hearing. Without getting into the nature of Ruwart's and Wright's relationship, let's just take the most benign analogy: If a lawyer who shared the same home address as a judge was one of the principal attorneys arguing a high-profile case in front of that judge, could there be any doubt that the judge would have a conflict of interest (or at the very least the appearance of a conflict of interest) and need to recuse himself?" GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG Scott Lieberman _____ We all know you were put up by your allies to get the item on the table just to bring it to issue to fork it over to the judicial committee where the chair who is a chief plaintiff in the lawsuit can commit an act of extreme perversion. It will have no real affect on the lawsuit. Given that the members in oregon are poised to leave the LP anyway ... probably not much long term effect on the LPO. It will however destroy the LNC. I don't waste my time on people who have proven they are a nationalist through their words and ild enough to know better. That is why I closed our dialogue. As far as our internal dispute .. it was over in 2010 and the due already cast. The LNC made it their dispute by interfering. Wes [Wagner]

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seeking co-sponsors for email ballot regarding Oregon
by Alicia Mattson 13 Aug '14

13 Aug '14

The Wagner group has been for a while essentially treated as the affiliate by our staff due to administrative decisions, rather than the past decisions of the LNC which were to recognize the Reeves group and not the Wagner group. The only rationale I have heard for this is the Judicial Committee ruling dated August 25, 2011. I have already explained numerous ways in which the JC ruling is inoperable. Rather than repeat them all again while the readers' eyes glaze over, I'll just emphasize that at the very least it is inoperable because the Oregon SOS refuses to accept the responsibility the JC attempted (without bylaw authority) to delegate to them. The JC said the SOS has to do it. Then the SOS said a judge has to do it. The judge says the party has to do it, in contradiction to the JC which said the party can't do it. That's an inoperable JC decision in the most basic sense of the word, without even having to dig into longer debates about rules which I have previously presented, which I believe also make the JC ruling null and void. I am asking for co-sponsors for the following motion: ----------START OF MOTION---------- WHEREAS, the national Libertarian Party's Judicial Committee ruling dated August 25, 2011 is inoperable; RESOLVED, the Libertarian National Committee (LNC) Secretary is directed to send a letter to the Oregon Secretary of State: 1) Asking her office to correct their records because after May 21, 2011, the outgoing chair of the Libertarian Party of Oregon (Wes Wagner) failed to notify them of the expiration of his term; and 2) Reminding her that the LNC has several times acknowledged the legitimacy of the Tim Reeves group of officers who were selected on May 21, 2011 to replace them (and by implication, any subsequent successor officers); BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the LNC hereby directs staff to update their records to reflect that the Tim Reeves group of officers are - and have been since May 21, 2011 - the leadership of the Libertarian Party of Oregon and that they are entitled to the same rights and privileges as that of any other affiliate, including being listed on our party's website, subscribed to the state chairs' email list, and sent monthly data files required by LNC policy. ----------END OF MOTION---------- -Alicia

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Financial woes
by Joshua Katz 13 Aug '14

13 Aug '14

Since I had only one person join me in my call to authorize additional debt, and that was qualified with the idea of waiting another month, I now float the following three motions and seek sponsors. 1. The LNC shall authorize no expenditures other than those necessary for activities already authorized by vote or bylaws to be undertaken (to include votes which closed before the effective date but which have not yet been reported on the effective date, if any.) No money shall be expended by the party until November 1, 2014, other than that which has already been authorized or encumbered, exempting expenditures from restricted funds. No additional expenses shall be undertaken, and no agreements with vendors entered into requiring payment before November 1, 2014. In addition, the LNC shall direct the Secretary to write official notices of apology to all vendors whose payments are delayed via negotiations by staff, or via non-payment or extension of terms, on behalf of the LNC. 2. Prior to the December meeting in New Orleans, staff shall be requested to issue all necessary reports in written form, to be presented at the meeting (as specifically required, or traditional.) Staff presence at the LNC meeting shall be restricted to the Executive Director and one additional staff member, to be chosen by the Executive Director following consultation with the Chair. 3. The LNC directs the Executive Director to issue a report with all specific staff responsibilities, estimated hours required per week, and skills needed to perform staff functions. The Executive Director then shall issue a report indicating potential to replace staff functions with volunteer efforts, after conducting a member survey for skills and willingness to volunteer. The LNC requests that the Chair, after consulting said report, reconsider all staff arrangements and contracts. I favor the first, but am looking for all ways to stem costs. We have a balloon payment hanging over our heads, currently are bankrupt, and have continued to vote to authorize expenditures. I believe these operations must be reconsidered. I understand that our financial hole is a temporary phenomenon, and that our bankruptcy is a matter of accounting, but we are still in dire financial straits. I do believe that we need to bring in more money, but a financial crisis is also an opportunity to reconsider our spending habits, which should be restrained, and mostly aimed at our core mission, at all times, regardless of circumstances. Joshua A. Katz Region 8 (Region of Badassdom) Alternate Libertarian National Committee Chair, Libertarian Party of Connecticut

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Why is it important to run for winnable offices?
by Joshua Katz 12 Aug '14

12 Aug '14

A radical pragmatist manifesto Last night, my Planning Commission looked at a proposal to use the zoning regulations to get rid of donation boxes on private property. It seems people are concerned that the boxes, placed near the sidewalk so people know they are there, don't fit their aesthetic views, and they wish to use force to make the town look more like their vision of a New England town. This New England look thing happens fairly often. A previous applicant for a permit had been berated by a commission member for proposing a garage that : Did not contain any apartments Looked nice but wasn't visible from the town green Was facing a direction he didn't like Would have a parking cut out associated with it I let that tirade pass by since I knew the permit would be given and he was just making himself look silly. Anyway, many members spoke in favor of the regulation. I spoke against it. In the end, the commission opposed it. I could fight this since I was elected. I could instead have gotten 1% in a hopeless race. I could have run in this race campaigning on irrelevant issues and lost. I could have run on eliminating all regulations and lost. I could have felt pure. Donation boxes would now be banned. So what makes this a radical pragmatist manifesto? The radical part is presenting strongly libertarian stances within the context of the campaign. I did not call for less corporate welfare, I called for none. I spoke clearly and without apology. I presented a coherent libertarian vision within the context of the Planning Commission. Hence, radical pragmatist. Joshua Katz

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Re: [Lnc-business] Financial woes
by Ron Windeler 11 Aug '14

11 Aug '14

Josh, You answered part of your own question. We can't replace any of paid staff's fundraising duties with your volunteer effort. When you floated your temporary loan idea, you discovered that there are few borrow and spend Republicans amongst our group. Our money printing press is broken and we don't have the money to fix it. You don't seem to have any enthusiasm for Democratic tax and spend solutions, even when the "taxes" are voluntary contributions. You're right. If all methods of revenue enhancement are off your personal table, then spending cuts are the only hammer that you have in your toolbox. Remember please, though, that your colleagues on the LNC and our staff are not nails. Respect our knowledge, skills, and rational thinking abilities. Some of us are as smart as you, maybe even smarter. We don't need gimmicks that try to trick us into becoming spendthrifts overnight. You remind me of a politician, no, a typical American. You think that every problem can be fixed by passing a law.(or motion) You can't control us, you can only control yourself. If you want to pledge to not propose any ideas that involve additional spending before November, we will support you and help you to keep that promise. Better still would be to join with me in arguing against all unnecessary spending and let's keep up the pressure on paring down all spending to the lowest practical level always, because "the fact remains that saving money remains good, even if more is taken in, so more can be spent on our core mission, or saved." (this may include resisting the argument that it is OK to spend more than $5,000 that we don't have on an LNC meeting because we are also checking out a possible convention site and impressing the bellhops and desk clerks) We can handle the occasional ridicule that comes with that territory. Pull back for a second and look at the big picture. If we ignore revenue enhancement, (otherwise known as growing the party) those charts that we saw recently depicting membership and revenue trends will inevitably reach zero. I don't care how perfectly you tighten belts and pare down expenses, I'm expecting you to be the volunteer who turns out the light in the borrowed tent headquarters in a needle park when the last member doesn't renew. I'm floating two proposals for revenue enhancement from my last message. One is to bring back Project Archimedes as a direct mail campaign with new mailing lists and freshly written solicitation letters. (funded by dedicated contributions) The other is to get LNC members to make personal fundraising appeals to the people who have recently contributed to the building fund. We would be asking them to contribute a much smaller amount into the general fund to help us get through the temporary squeeze caused by buying the building (because it was their fault!) Please study project Archimedes and help us to redesign it using tools from this millennium. The original doubled our resources in about six years. If you put your mind to it, I'll bet you could have young people transmitting billions of bitcoins into our bank account from their smart phones while they are driving and smoking pot. Or maybe you could hack in to the Federal Reserve. Oh, here's another opportunity for you to volunteer that you forgot to comment on: "Maybe you could locate a suitable meeting facility within walking distance of headquarters that could be rented for a few hundred dollars per day." Then do the same for NOLA. (is that the same place as "N'Orlinz"?) Please try to be part of the solution. Don't try to convince us that we have to be restrained because we are part of the problem. Ron Windeler rowindeler(a)aol.com -----Original Message----- From: Joshua Katz <planning4liberty(a)gmail.com> To: lnc-business <lnc-business(a)hq.lp.org> Sent: Sun, Aug 10, 2014 10:59 am Subject: Re: [Lnc-business] Financial woes Thanks. To clarify, I meant for 2 to apply to New Orleans, not DC, to reduce travel and lodging costs. The intent of 3 is to see what staff functions can be performed by volunteers. I already explained my views on our continuous email meeting. I do think phone or video meetings will be useful, but still value physical meetings, just at the lowest cost possible. 1 would prevent the EC from spending, and require a 2/3 vote to spend, but can be passed by only a majority. I will get to work on your suggestions, I am not particularly willing to make calls regarding a non existent building when I was not in favor of the purchase, particularly since it kept us in Mordor. Joshua Katz On Aug 10, 2014 12:32 AM, "Ron Windeler" <rowindeler(a)aol.com> wrote: Josh, I appreciate your thoughtful concern about our current financial situation, and your previous suggestions for saving money, but these three proposals don't appear to be particularly effective or necessary to address the situation. Dan has explained why the balloon payment is not threatening us. Nobody else thinks that we are anywhere near bankruptcy, just experiencing a temporarily tight cash flow. Our financial experts advise us that we'll get by just fine if we avoid extravagant spending for a while. If we had the votes to pass #1, we would have enough votes to reject any unnecessary new expenditures without tying our own hands. Furthermore, it would prevent us from pursuing opportunities to spend a small amount to dramatically improve our financial status. I was thinking of new membership and fundraising outreaches, but what if we received an email from the son of a Nigerian prince, who's father tragically died of ebola before he could finish donating a hundred pounds of gold to our building fund. Your motion would prevent us from sending the small sum needed to pay the duties, shipping, and handling (sterilization?) to carry out his father's dying wish. Any negotiated agreements with vendors concerning delayed payments are voluntary contracts that don't require formal apologies from the LNC. If you feel that it is necessary to apologize personally, you are free to do so. #2 implies that staff doesn't know how to do their job and that it would somehow save money if no more than two staff members walked down the street to physically attend the meeting. (do we actually have more than two paid staff on duty any particular day?) While #3 doesn't authorize any additional expenditure, it does expend paid staff's time to produce an unneeded report. I believe that Wes has already gone through that planning process many times in order to enable our tiny staff to accomplish the great things that they have. Do we really need him to write a report telling us how efficiently he will manage things after he finishes writing the report? Do we have the expertise to interpret that report and tell him how to do his job better? I believe that our staff practices economy every day and doesn't need us to tell them how to be thrifty. The last thing that they need from us is more make work assignments. Better that you return to thinking of ways to help our cash flow by reducing spending and increasing revenue. Maybe you could locate a suitable meeting facility within walking distance of headquarters that could be rented for a few hundred dollars per day. And/or you could help me convince this group that our continuous email meeting would allow the in person LNC meeting to be shortened to a single day.(cutting the expenses in half would save over $2,500 from our current tentative arrangements) The second day could be taken up with familiarizing us with our staff and the new building, checking out future convention sites, and socializing in the parking lot or at that great barbeque joint I found during the last convention in DC. During the last decade of the last millennium, we doubled our membership and revenue, mostly with a project called Archimedes. Amidst some scandals and infighting, we abandoned it because it had been overpromised way beyond its wonderful results. Both revenues and membership have been steadily declining ever since. You're a bright young guy who understands this new digital stuff. Could you develop a modern version of Project Archimedes involving social media, crowd sourcing, bitcoins, etc? We could use another doubling of resources about now. Or maybe we don't need to update it. Lots of other organizations are still using direct mailing, so it must still work. I would be willing to put up the first $1,000 if we dust off the results from Archimedes and sent out a new batch of tested effective solicitations to the proven profitable mailing lists that we found. (see, there's ways to get around your proposed spending freeze) In the immediate short term, conventional political wisdom says go back to your previous donors and ask for more. We (yes, I mean you, me, and the rest of the LNC) could make personal phone calls to the donors to the building fund, asking them for just a 5 or 10% additional contribution to the general fund to protect their previous investment. Warn them that some crazies within the LNC want to sell the new building and move headquarters staff into a needle park nearby. The brass plaque with their name on it might be put on Ebay, where some metal recycler will buy it. Or, we could pass a special rule that says the sponsors of any motion that commits to new spending must personally submit the funds to pay for their proposed project along with their list of cosponsors. Even without your spending freeze, we have been doing pretty good so far this session. Alicia's proposed motion does commit the cost of a stamp and envelope. No expenses were actually committed to in the meeting motions. You and I and some others are lobbying to keep those meeting costs down. All other motions have been freebies. Ron Windeler rowindeler(a)aol.com -----Original Message----- From: Joshua Katz <joshua.katz(a)lp.org> To: lnc-business <lnc-business(a)hq.lp.org> Sent: Sat, Aug 9, 2014 10:21 am Subject: [Lnc-business] Financial woes Since I had only one person join me in my call to authorize additional debt, and that was qualified with the idea of waiting another month, I now float the following three motions and seek sponsors. 1. The LNC shall authorize no expenditures other than those necessary for activities already authorized by vote or bylaws to be undertaken (to include votes which closed before the effective date but which have not yet been reported on the effective date, if any.) No money shall be expended by the party until November 1, 2014, other than that which has already been authorized or encumbered, exempting expenditures from restricted funds. No additional expenses shall be undertaken, and no agreements with vendors entered into requiring payment before November 1, 2014. In addition, the LNC shall direct the Secretary to write official notices of apology to all vendors whose payments are delayed via negotiations by staff, or via non-payment or extension of terms, on behalf of the LNC. 2. Prior to the December meeting in New Orleans, staff shall be requested to issue all necessary reports in written form, to be presented at the meeting (as specifically required, or traditional.) Staff presence at the LNC meeting shall be restricted to the Executive Director and one additional staff member, to be chosen by the Executive Director following consultation with the Chair. 3. The LNC directs the Executive Director to issue a report with all specific staff responsibilities, estimated hours required per week, and skills needed to perform staff functions. The Executive Director then shall issue a report indicating potential to replace staff functions with volunteer efforts, after conducting a member survey for skills and willingness to volunteer. The LNC requests that the Chair, after consulting said report, reconsider all staff arrangements and contracts. I favor the first, but am looking for all ways to stem costs. We have a balloon payment hanging over our heads, currently are bankrupt, and have continued to vote to authorize expenditures. I believe these operations must be reconsidered. I understand that our financial hole is a temporary phenomenon, and that our bankruptcy is a matter of accounting, but we are still in dire financial straits. I do believe that we need to bring in more money, but a financial crisis is also an opportunity to reconsider our spending habits, which should be restrained, and mostly aimed at our core mission, at all times, regardless of circumstances. Joshua A. Katz Region 8 (Region of Badassdom) Alternate Libertarian National Committee Chair, Libertarian Party of Connecticut _______________________________________________ Lnc-business mailing list Lnc-business(a)hq.lp.org http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org _______________________________________________ Lnc-business mailing list Lnc-business(a)hq.lp.org http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org _______________________________________________ Lnc-business mailing list Lnc-business(a)hq.lp.org http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org

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Why are there two Green Parties?
by Scott L. 11 Aug '14

11 Aug '14

Those of you that follow the Green Party already know about this. I had a vague idea that there were a few state Green Parties that were not part of the National Green Party. But - I had no idea how deep that schism was until I read this web page: https://www.greenparty.org/why.php I think LNC members should read that web page, since it shows what the Libertarian Party can turn into if we can't decide what we want to be when we grow up. Scott Lieberman

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