Thursday, February 20, 2014

Proposal #17c: Who Should Pay the Cost of Libertarian Conventions?

DRAFT This is a draft proposal which has not yet been voted on by the committee.

Proposed by Aaron Starr.


  • Problem: At a previous Libertarian National Convention, delegates voted to require a Libertarian National Convention to conduct the Party’s national business every two years.

    In current dollars, each meeting costs $40,000 to $60,000 to:
    • rent a Meeting Room for 600 to 900 Libertarian Party delegates for 3 days
    • rent tables and chairs, a stage, and a podium to conduct the meeting
    • rent Audio-Visual Equipment so that delegates can hear, be heard, and participate
    • provide delegate registration, identification, and other Convention business materials
    • pay for other costs, such as decorations & draping, keynote speaker fees and travel, parliamentarian services, security, signage for seating, staff travel, website, etc.
    Because we delegates write the bylaws, we are the ones who impose these costs. The Republicans and Democrats require that unwilling taxpayers pay for their conventions. Because we are Libertarians, we do not tax other people to pay for our conventions. The question is, “Who ought to pay for our conventions?”
  • Solution: We offer three proposals for your consideration:
    1. Requires that general party funds be used to pay for convention overhead costs.
    2. Requires that the delegates bear an equal portion of the costs of each convention. For example, if the projected costs of the 2016 Libertarian National Convention are $50,000, and if projected attendance is 700 delegates, each delegate would pay his equal share of the costs: roughly $72.
    3. Codifies the current practice of requiring only those who buy speaker and meal packages pay toward the convention’s costs. For example, if the projected costs of the 2016 Libertarian National Convention are $50,000, and if 500 of the 700 projected attendees buy packages, each of those buying packages would pay an equal share of the costs: roughly $100. The other 200 who do not buy packages would pay nothing.
  • Benefits:

Note: Aaron Starr prefers that these 3 proposals be presented as one proposal.


Bylaws of the Libertarian Party

ARTICLE 11: CONVENTIONS

  1. Delegates:
    1. Convention overhead costs shall be taken out of general Party funds.


pending amendment (substitute language):

Bylaws of the Libertarian Party

ARTICLE 11: CONVENTIONS

  1. Delegates:
    1. Convention overhead costs shall be taken out of general Party funds.
    1. Convention overhead costs shall be equally divided and paid for by attending delegates. Each person’s equal share shall be based on the projected common costs of the convention divided by the projected number of attending delegates.


pending amendment to the amendment (insert and add words):

ARTICLE 11: CONVENTIONS

  1. Delegates:
    1. Convention overhead costs shall be equally divided and paid for by attending delegates attendees who buy event packages. Each person’s equal share shall be based on the projected common costs of the convention divided by the projected number of attending delegates attendees purchasing packages.
Proviso: Whatever version is adopted, the amendment shall take effect upon the close of the convention at which it is adopted.


Key

  • removed - red, strikethrough
  • added - blue, underline, italic

4 comments:

  1. Comments from Matt Cholko at a previous version of this blog entry:

    Matt Cholko February 21, 2014 at 12:31 AM
    Better than charging floor fees. I would consider supporting [the general fund paying cost of conventions].

    Matt Cholko February 21, 2014 at 12:31 AM
    Strongly oppose [delegates paying cost of conventions]. There should not be any fee associated with attending business sessions (for party members).

    Matt Cholko February 21, 2014 at 12:28 AM
    I would support [event package buyers paying cost of conventions] if it included a provision that states that delegates not be required to purchase packages to participate in business sessions.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The passage of this proposal will likely result in the Libertarian Party of Oregon voting in the affirmative to end our relationship with the LNC Inc.

    Even its being passed by the committee will contribute to the serious consideration of this notion at our 2015 convention.

    Disclaimer:
    The Libertarian Party of Oregon has an unresolved legal dispute with the LNC Inc resulting from their hiring of the Oregon Republican Party’s Lawyer, then sponsoring his litigation against us to through signing a conflict of interest release in pursuing an agenda of replacing our state party leadership through a sponsored coup, initiated by officers of the LNC at the time and composed of current members of the bylaws committee. Further our delegation was not seated in 2012 due to a poisoned credentials committee which included several of the plaintiffs in the dispute and the Chairperson of the LNC at the time was willing to allow that committee to violate the bylaws and their authority under RROR at the Las Vegas Convention.

    You may consider my statements on this matter bias or experience depending on your disposition.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wes, If they pass all three of these contradictory choices, there will be great confusion.

    I believe the cost of the business meeting should be born out of dues.

    ReplyDelete
  4. If there is one thing that the LNC should do above all else and that is hold conventions. First and foremost. Before anything else, including staff and ballot access. Just my opinion

    ReplyDelete