[Lnc-business] February LNC Meeting

Sun Dec 20 22:12:50 EST 2015

While I found the comments by Kevin interesting, and while I have no problem paying for attending Libertarian meetings,  I would agree with Norman because as a general rule I do not enjoy wasting money.  Thus, if I need to stay in a hotel room for the night,  I pick the cheapest clean hotel available that fits my needs, because I use a hotel room to sleep in, and I sleep just as well in a $28 bed as I do in a $280 bed.   If I am at a small business meeting,  I find the discussions go just fine in a cheaper setting as a expensive setting.
Roland Riemers Reg 6,  ND

      From: Kevin Ludlow <ludlow at gmail.com>
 To: Norman.Olsen at lp.org; lnc-business at hq.lp.org 
 Sent: Sunday, December 20, 2015 5:05 PM
 Subject: Re: [Lnc-business] February LNC Meeting

Norm,

I really enjoy talking with you, loved our chat on the way to the MCO airport last month, and always appreciate your technology pushes within the LP.  I also think you're just a really nice guy.  That said, I have to very strongly argue against your plea here.  Furthermore, now that I have discovered that this email list can apparently be read by the general public, I don't feel the plea makes a good case for us and would like to suggest a strongly opposite view to those reading along.

LNC:

I have now written several responses to the spending mentality of the LNC.  I'm not sure how they're received by the body, but I would like to once again take an opportunity to inject real-world business thinking into our team.  I hope I am not dismissed for my age as I've had a fairly successful run with my businesses and have many, many years to grow.  Since I've had at least SOME successes, I would like to bring those experience into the board.  Surely, I cannot be the only person who sees a million dollar budget as a 'very small' budget.

This recurring theme of having members focus on absolutely nominal dollar amounts paints a picture that we are a clubhouse of amateurs.  As I keep harping on, we are going to be seen that way so long as we continue to focus on the lowest common denominator and ignore business advice that maximizes the ROI from our donation base.

We can not cater our meetings to the needs of the elected body.  That is not how the process works.  We must cater our meetings to whatever maximizes our ability to do our job and whatever presents the best appearance for the Libertarian Party.  There are obviously other factors, but nominal cost should really not be an issue.  If members are unable to afford meetings then the cold truth is that they lack the basic requirements for being a board member.  As an alternative, I would argue they simply need to put in extra effort to raise the money it takes.  It really blows my mind that the Libertarian Party, of all groups in the world, struggles with this reality.  We preach it philosophically and then perpetually ignore it in practice.  Think for a second how angry any of us gets when the government wants to cater to the lowest common denominator.  We flip the hell out.  We cite all of the reasons on how it's bad for progress; we illustrate how it removes choice; we illustrate wow it removes innovation.  We even form a political party to counter it.  And then we go and do the exact same thing with said political party.

It might appear unnecessary to rant on this merely because a member asks the body for an "inexpensive" meeting, but in my 6 short months on this board it has become so clear to me that this is a systemic problem.

Among others, I serve on the board of directors for a local theater group in Austin called "The Rude Mechanicals".  Even we require that our members give-or-get $600 per year.  For local theater, the mostly poorly paid, non-business-savvy collective of people in the entire art sphere, they figure it out!  Why can't we?

So my point is that I couldn't care less if a hotel room is $79 or $129 or $179.  Further, as a member of this board, none of you should either.  If it accomplishes the objective that we need to accomplish, then it is the cost of doing business.  Nobody is advocating we get suites at the Ritz and that too would be inappropriate.  But penny pinching in this manner is counter-productive.  If this means you spend an extra $200 / year on hotels, then that's just what it takes.

I would be more than happy to put together a report illustrating how this kind of thing is perceived outside of the LNC.  I can assure you it's not good.  You know why rich people give to rich organizations?  Because they know the organization knows how to spend their money!  You know why rich people rarely donate to amateur organizations?  Because they know their money is likely to get pissed away.  Saving $20 on a hotel does NOT indicate to wealthy donors that you know how to save money.  To the stark contrary, it illustrates that you have so little experience with raising, earning, and/or spending money that $20 must actually be important to you.  Please think about that.  I'm not making this stuff up.

Yes, I realize these are harsh words.  Yes, I realize they're likely not received well by many in this group.  But I did not sign up to be a member of the LNC so that I could worry about getting perpetually re-elected.  I write what I write not because it is popular, but because it is one of the many realities of why we struggle to build our membership.  I would genuinely like to see this party grow into something bigger than it is.  If it going to do so then it requires financiers.  ...and it is not going to get a steady stream of financiers if it cannot illustrate that it knows how to spend real-world money in a way that makes money.  I would be more than happy to defend that position if anyone wants to challenge it.

When we start acting like a board that understands how to spend millions of dollars, perhaps people will be willing to give us millions of dollars.  Until then we're going to get exactly what we appear to be worth.

Finally, I know some very impressive fundraising coaches in Austin.  I would really encourage us to hire one of these people at some point.  It would probably cost a couple hundred dollars.  The LNC would do very well to learn how this stuff works from professionals.  I've had the benefit of attending a variety of these classes over the years given other boards and commissions I work with.  I would be more than happy to suggest a firm or two if anybody is interested.

Un-opinionated as always,
Kevin Ludlow
Region 7
512-773-3968 (please call or text with your complaints :) )

On Sun, Dec 20, 2015 at 1:32 PM, Norm Olsen <region1rep at donedad.com> wrote:

As a retired person living on a declining (as opposed to fixed) income, with interest rates still at almost zero, oil below $40, natural gas at $2; I vote for someplace that’s inexpensive. Norm--Norman T OlsenRegional Representative, Region 1Libertarian National Committee7931 South Broadway, PMB 102Littleton, CO  80122-2710303-263-4995 From: Lnc-business [mailto:lnc-business-bounces at hq.lp.org] On Behalf Of Sam Goldstein
Sent: Saturday, December 19, 2015 7:41 AM
To: lnc-business at hq.lp.org
Subject: Re: [Lnc-business] February LNC Meeting Alicia, Thanks for taking the initiative on this.  I'd be ok with any of the sites, although the WA site is very far from Sea-Tac and Atlantic City is Atlantic City.  I don't want to have the meeting at OKC. Sam Goldstein On Sat, Dec 19, 2015 at 1:50 AM, Alicia Mattson <agmattson at gmail.com> wrote:Since we don't yet have a plan for a February meeting location, I just emailed our 2018 site search agent asking her to find out if any of the short-list options might have available space for the Feb 20 weekend.  (Cities are:  Atlantic City, NJ; New Orleans, LA; Phoenix, AZ; Bellevue, WA)  I indicated that time is of the essence, so they should send us their offers quickly if they're available.
-Alicia

 On Tue, Dec 15, 2015 at 4:10 PM, Guy McLendon <guy at mclendon.net> wrote:I'd go for OK City ...

-----Original Message-----
From: Lnc-business [mailto:lnc-business-bounces at hq.lp.org] On Behalf Of Wes
Benedict
Sent: Monday, December 14, 2015 11:42 PM
To: lnc-business at hq.lp.org
Subject: Re: [Lnc-business] February LNC MeetingSam, at least as of a week ago I don't think staff has been asked to
research any locations. Copying Robert to verify. I proposed San Francisco
recently but got zero interest from the LNC.

I found a great place in Oklahoma City for $79 per night if you all are
interested. Best Western Saddleback. Nice meeting space and free breakfast.
Southwest Airlines doesn't charge change fees if you need to change your
flight. I flew into the ice storm Saturday after Thanksgiving and the people
there didn't seem to panic even with downed power lines and trees
everywhere. Was nice to be able to change flight just in case though

Sent from my iPad

> On Dec 14, 2015, at 7:49 PM, Sam Goldstein <goldsteinatlarge at gmail.com>
wrote:
>
> The date we set for our next meeting is rapidly approaching and we
> have not yet selected a location.  Can we please get a report from
> staff as to which locations we are considering?  I, for one, would
> like to get this wrapped up in the next week so travel plans can be made.
>
> Live Free,
>
> Sam Goldstein
> _______________________________________________
> Lnc-business mailing list
> Lnc-business at hq.lp.org
> http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org

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-- 
========================================================
Kevin Ludlow
512-773-3968
http://www.kevinludlow.com/

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