August 2014 - Lnc-business - Moellman Enterprises Email

Re: [Lnc-business] New Orleans - early arrival for a River tour?
by SAM8074＠aol.com 07 Aug '14

07 Aug '14

Can we ask Wes Wagner to go on this trip to see alligators? Sam In a message dated 8/7/2014 11:25:15 A.M. US Eastern Daylight Time, scott73(a)earthlink.net writes: I am currently talking to our Louisiana LNC members to see if it is possible to arrange a trip to Port Eads. Where the heck is Port Eads? Go to http://mapcarta.com/21021362 And then zoom out enough so that you can see where it is in relationship to New Orleans. Because you need a boat to get there, if we pull this off it is going to be a full day trip. It would probably have to happen on the Thursday before our probable LNC Session in New Orleans. The bad news is that it means arriving in New Orleans on Wednesday. The good news is that you would have all day on Friday to tour New Orleans. The attraction of this trip would be 1. Getting to see a section of the Mississippi River that very few tourists ever get to see. 2. You would probably get to see a few alligators You can read about the destination here http://www.porteads.com/ Our negotiations with the various vendors are very preliminary right now. I am going to try to get the transportation cost from New Orleans to Port Eads and back down to the $100 to $200 per person range. (1) I know that sounds steep, but remember that this would be a full day trip – probably leaving New Orleans at 7am and returning around 6pm. At this point, I just want to let you know we are working on this, in case it piques your interest. Needless to say, this trip would also be open to any LP of Louisiana members. Scott Lieberman 1. The price I have been quoted is $650 round trip for a boat. And that is from the end of the road in Venice, LA to Port Eads, and back. But – if we can get enough people to attend, I hope we can knock the per person price down to $100 or so. _______________________________________________ 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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Meeting costs
by Joshua Katz 07 Aug '14

07 Aug '14

Ron posted an excellent letter from Starchild on the costs of conventions. I thought the $2500 I had heard was high. As I said a few days ago, when I was corrected and found it was much higher, I was shocked. I do not want to meet in DC every meeting. We should use the office we own when feasible, but it's just not fair to hold every meeting in the same location. If LNC members want to bring a camper instead of staying in a hotel, that's fine, but irrelevant, since it has nothing to do with what the LP pays for our meetings. But, really, $3000 for a room for 18 people to meet (or $2000 in food and beverage to get the room for 'free?') I used to work at a school that weekly held meetings for 40 people. I assure you we could not have rented out the room we used for $3000/weekend. And we were on the beach! 18 people can meet in a park in nice weather. 18 people can meet, as I said before, in a suite. 18 people can meet in a coffee shop. 18 people do not need to pay $3000 for a room - and we wouldn't if it were our money. We should be as careful, if not more so, with our donors money, as with our own. Convention is one thing. This is quite another, and is quite insane. Joshua A. Katz Region 8 (Region of Badassdom) Alternate Libertarian National Committee Chair, Libertarian Party of Connecticut

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high Libertarian percentages in Washington primary elections
by Wes Benedict 06 Aug '14

06 Aug '14

These percentages at first glance appear relatively high compared to Libertarian results in similar races in other states: http://results.vote.wa.gov/results/current/Legislative-All.html Plus the candidate count is up (hopefully I got my numbers right): 2014 - 12 candidates I'm not sure how many candidates were on the primary ballot in 2012, 2010, and 2008, but I bet it wasn't that high. Way to go Washington! -- Wes Benedict, Executive Director Libertarian National Committee, Inc. *New address: 1444 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314* (202) 333-0008 ext. 232, wes.benedict(a)lp.org facebook.com/libertarians @LPNational Join the Libertarian Party at: http://lp.org/membership

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Re: [Lnc-business] Meeting costs
by Ron Windeler 04 Aug '14

04 Aug '14

Neither Starchild nor I ever suggested that all future LNC meeting be held at headquarters, only that the one being discussed to introduce us to the newly acquired building should be. Mr. Katz is agreeing with us though, that it is fiscally irresponsible for the LNC to splurge on many thousand dollar luxury facilities when adequate meeting places are available in any city for between free and a few hundred dollars. The ALP holds similar sized meetings as often as weekly in restaurant meeting rooms that we reserve for free. Anchorage, a town of just over 1/4 million, has about a dozen such rooms available. We don't even have to commit to buying a certain minimum of food. They know that some of our members are bound to show up with a strong case of the munchies. I've come to associate the fragrance of French fries and catsup with libertarian discussions. Our board meetings, which are considerably smaller than the LNC, are held in private homes or office space provided by a member. A libertarian friendly banker/politician once hosted a meeting for us in his living room. It was almost big enough to hold a National Convention. We do hold our State conventions in hotel meeting rooms, but usually pay no more than a few hundred dollars for meeting space to accommodate fifty delegates and provide coffee, water, a whiteboard, and sometimes a sound system. If you want to hold a future LNC meeting in Anchorage, ALP could provide free meeting facilities and host many of you in private homes. It might take several weeks and thousands of dollars in gas for you to drive your motorhome to Alaska, but air fare for you would be similar to what I would spend to attend a meeting in any other state. We are currently rejecting an action item (fighting top two in Oregon) based not on its merits, but rather on our tight cash flow. I think we should do the same for any LNC meeting proposal that budgets more than $300.00 for meeting facilities. On a side note, Sharron Harris has offered to come to Alaska to make a presentation based on her new book if I can assemble an appropriate audience of a dozen or more. Whether meeting in Anchorage or other cities, I suggest that we invite her to an LNC meeting soon. 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: Sun, Aug 3, 2014 9:26 pm Subject: [Lnc-business] Meeting costs Ron posted an excellent letter from Starchild on the costs of conventions. I thought the $2500 I had heard was high. As I said a few days ago, when I was corrected and found it was much higher, I was shocked. I do not want to meet in DC every meeting. We should use the office we own when feasible, but it's just not fair to hold every meeting in the same location. If LNC members want to bring a camper instead of staying in a hotel, that's fine, but irrelevant, since it has nothing to do with what the LP pays for our meetings. But, really, $3000 for a room for 18 people to meet (or $2000 in food and beverage to get the room for 'free?') I used to work at a school that weekly held meetings for 40 people. I assure you we could not have rented out the room we used for $3000/weekend. And we were on the beach! 18 people can meet in a park in nice weather. 18 people can meet, as I said before, in a suite. 18 people can meet in a coffee shop. 18 people do not need to pay $3000 for a room - and we wouldn't if it were our money. We should be as careful, if not more so, with our donors money, as with our own. Convention is one thing. This is quite another, and is quite insane. 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

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FW: Time magazine: Revenge of Third Parties
by Scott L. 03 Aug '14

03 Aug '14

Former LNC Regional Representative Dianna Visek called this article to my attention. Scott Lieberman FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFf "This article appears on page 11 of the Aug. 18, 2014 issue of Time magazine. In the print version there's a map showing eleven states with "Senate Spoilers": Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, N. Carolina, S. Dakota, Virginia, W. Virginia. Dianna" ______________________________ This Election Season, Revenge of the Thirds <mailto:?subject=This%20Election%20Season%2C%20Revenge%20of%20the%20Thirds%2 0%7C%20TIME&body=This%20Election%20Season%2C%20Revenge%20of%20the%20Thirds%0 A%0AExtra-party%20politicians%20heat%20up%20the%20race%20for%202014%0A%0Ahtt p%3A%2F%2Ftime.com%2F3062892%2Fthis-election-season-revenge-of-the-thirds%2F > <https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Ftime.com%2F306289 2%2Fthis-election-season-revenge-of-the-thirds%2F> <http://time.com/3062892/this-election-season-revenge-of-the-thirds/> <https://plus.google.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Ftime.com%2F3062892%2Fthis-el ection-season-revenge-of-the-thirds%2F> <http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftime.com%2F 3062892%2Fthis-election-season-revenge-of-the-thirds%2F&title=This+Election+ Season%2C+Revenge+of+the+Thirds> Extra-party politicians heat up the race for 2014 For most of the modern era, third-party candidates have acted like the crazy uncles of American politics: fun to watch but rarely relevant. But in the past four years, the outcomes of four Senate races have been jumbled by outsiders, and this year is set to deliver even more disruption. Ten of the 12 Senate seats with the potential to swing in November have drawn third-party challengers. Nine of those races have Libertarian Party candidates who are likely to pull votes from Republicans. That's hardly news for Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, who is hoping his party can take six seats and regain control of the Senate, but who may have to contend with a Libertarian challenger of his own in Kentucky's general election. The question now is how much of a difference third-party hopefuls will make in the outcome of the fall contests. In the razor-thin race in Georgia, outside candidates like Libertarian Amanda Swafford, a paralegal and former city councilwoman who started her own newspaper, have drawn up to 7% of the vote in early polls. In North Carolina, Libertarian Sean Haugh, a pizza deliveryman, has rated in the high single digits in early polls, far more than the gap separating the two major-party candidates there. The Libertarian boom grows out of Tea Party estrangement from Establishment Republicans and should, at the margins, benefit Democratic candidates. But even the most strident antigovernment candidates may draw some Democratic votes this year. The volatile mix of angry voters and long ballots might even delay the election's outcome. In Louisiana's free-for-all contest, two outside candidates look likely to deprive the two main hopefuls, Democrat Mary Landrieu and Republican Bill Cassidy, of an outright win of 50% of the vote, forcing a runoff scheduled for Dec. 6. If control of the Senate hangs on that race, the nation will have to wait until then to learn who rules the chamber.

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Article on Libertarians affecting Senate races
by Daniel Wiener 03 Aug '14

03 Aug '14

This article from Fox News includes some good quotes from Wes Benedict: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/08/02/libertarians-factor-in-key-senat… Dan Wiener -- *"In general, we look for a new law by the following process. First, we guess it (audience laughter), no, don’t laugh, that’s the truth. Then we compute the consequences of the guess, to see what, if this is right, if this law we guess is right, to see what it would imply and then we compare the computation results to nature or we say compare to experiment or experience, compare it directly with observations to see if it works. If it disagrees with experiment, it’s WRONG. In that simple statement is the key to science. It doesn’t make any difference how beautiful your guess is, it doesn’t matter how smart you are, who made the guess, or what his name is. If it disagrees with experiment, it’s wrong. That’s all there is to it.”* -- Richard Feynman

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Informal Poll LNC December Meeting
by Daniel Hayes 03 Aug '14

03 Aug '14

Members, I started to write another email trying to compare and contrast the two seeming top contenders for our December meeting and just decided to repost the Email I sent to staff, the chair and Guy. Dec 13/14 seems to be by far the cheaper weekend. In addition to the mail there is also a chart of the top 2 contenders Hilton Riverside and Hampton inn Convention Center included. Can we get an informal indication from members as to their thoughts on these 2 hotels before we put a motion back up? Do people seriously want to consider NOLA for an upcoming convention and do we think its worth the extra money to stay in the Riverside to better evaluate it or would you guys rather stay in the Hampton which is less expensive? "After having spoken to Robert, he seemed to indicate that typically there are about 6 or so people interested in taking tours, even when in the hotel proposed for the convention. The increased convenience might bump the participation by a person or 2. Most members of the LNC don't put much interest into the location of the NatCon and leave it to the LNC Convention Planning Committee. I of course am interested in promoting NOLA for a NatCon for various reasons. Coming at it strictly as a member of the LNC. I think a top destination city like NOLA will only enhance NatCon Participation. I feel this increase will be most pronounced in an off election year like 2018. Coming at it from a local standpoint, we of course would love the increased access for a Presidential year NatCon like 2020, but the destination city increases would probably be lower than the effect it has on an off year as there is already increased interest during a Presidential year. I think from the LPHQ standpoint, the dates for the 13/14 are significant as well as the concessions garnered for the individual rooms. With those dates in mind for these 2 hotels. The Hampton can save us $1800. That said, the costs of the Riverside are in line with avg meeting costs for the LNC. Our State LP is looking at holding our Winter Peace Party the weekend that the LNC is in attendance. One of our local members has gotten us a bead on a private room at the top of the Jax. It's a premium location located right on the river in the French Quarter. With drinks and appetizers included, we have gotten it for a rate of $35/person. It's a great rate and we are hoping that some of our neighbors from surrounding states might be interested in coming in and socializing with us for the weekend. This location is somewhat of a straight shot from both hotels with the Riverside being about a 5-10 minute walk from Jax and the Hampton being about 15-20 minute walk. Overall the Riverside is right on the edge of the FQ, It's across the street from the Casino, etc. I am from the school of, let's save the money, but I have to realize that I am a lot different in my mindset from a lot of other people. So for me, staying at the cheaper venue would be a go. However on top of that, I am not staying at any of the venues, I am sleeping at home with my dogs. So there may indeed be some value in staying at the likely NatCon contender so that most LNC members can get a feel for it even if they arent paying attention.” Daniel Hayes ave HQ $1800.

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A couple things I just noticed
by Joshua Katz 03 Aug '14

03 Aug '14

1. LNC members are prohibited, for good reason, from running as the candidates of other parties. JC members clearly are not, as the bylaws don't say they are, and in fact, the Presidential candidate of a rival party was on the JC. It does seem somewhat odd that as regards fealty to the party, we require more of the LNC than of those who rule on whether our decisions are appropriate or not. 2. Other than going to war, the most permanent change a President makes is probably Supreme Court appointments. The first LP President will likely have fewer such nominations to make than average, since justices attempt to retire while their party is in office, and no current justices are Libertarians (or libertarians, for that matter.) If she were still on the bench, it is possible O'Connor would have been willing to give her seat to a Libertarian, as her general trend, philosophically, was economically conservative and socially liberal.. This was superseded at times by her desire for narrow rulings and to write opinions that command as large a majority as possible. However, I don't think any current justice would voluntarily retire with a Libertarian in office. Joshua A. Katz Region 8 (Region of Badassdom) Alternate Libertarian National Committee Chair, Libertarian Party of Connecticut

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Executive Committee Conference Call - 7/24/14 @ 9:30 pm EST - NH Ballot Access
by Nicholas Sarwark 02 Aug '14

02 Aug '14

All, There will be an Executive Committee conference call tonight at 9:30 pm EST to discuss spending ballot access funds to petition to put Gardner Goldsmith from the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire on the ballot. Wes or Robert will follow-up with the call-in details. -Nick

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updated Policy Manual dated 2014-08-01
by Alicia Mattson 02 Aug '14

02 Aug '14

Attached is an updated version of the Policy Manual. Staff please update the version on the website when you get a chance. Section 2.05 had been amended by previous LNCs to have different association levels, lifetime membership, etc. with an effective date of August 1, 2014. The Policy Manual had different sections showing both the "Prior to August 1, 2014" and "Effective August 1, 2014" rules. With this version, the old "Prior to..." information has been removed and only the post-August 1st information is left now. The document is 2 pages shorter as a result. Besides that change to the policies, this edition has the following "technical and conforming" changes, as described in Policy Manual Section 1.01.4: 1) The bylaw cross-references in footnotes 3, 42, and 43 have been updated as a result of bylaw amendments adopted at convention. 2) I made a formatting change in Policy Manual Section 2.02.9. We amended this in the post-convention meeting in Columbus such that the first sentence of the last bullet point was deleted. With that sentence deleted, the rest of that bullet point no longer made sense in the bullet list, as it is not part of the list of things the IT Committee is to do. So what was the last bullet point has been made a separate non-bulleted paragraph at the end, and the punctuations and "and" in the penultimate bullet point have been adjusted accordingly. The Secretary is authorized to proposed these technical and conforming changes, and they will be considered adopted unless the LNC decides to veto them within 30 days. Alicia Mattson LNC Secretary

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