[Lnc-business] Added Mortgage Payment

[Joshua Katz]

I don't have a number in mind, but my preference is to look at it from the
other side first:  how much did we short ourselves last year?  We should
obviously pay that much extra this year as a starting point.  (I'd say that
even if doing so pushed our reserves down; we should tighten our belts in
that circumstance.)  However, it seems that we can pay that much and more,
so how much more?

Well, here's one answer - imagine we, as an LNC, had absolutely no ideas.
We just couldn't think of a single thing we want to do beyond what we're
already doing.  Then, obviously, we should pay as much as we can towards
the mortgage, get down to bare subsistence, and hope that when it's paid
off, that LNC is more creative than we are.

On the other hand, we could believe that we have IDEAS, BIG IDEAS, LOTS OF
IDEAS, and that it is vitally important that we act now, not those jerks
who might be on the LNC in the future.  In that case, we should pay what we
shorted ourselves last year and leave it at that.

I don't think either of the two answers above is correct, but the point is,
where along that spectrum are we?  Also, what pressing things are there
that need to be done now?  I'd suggest this:  we just received record
Presidential vote totals and saw a large spike in membership.  It would be
appropriate to take action to retain the new members, and attempt to get
more commitment from those voters.  Perhaps a survey of our new membership
is in order so we have a better idea of why they joined and what they want.


After all, wasn't enhanced cash flow one of the selling points that
convinced a previous LNC to purchase a {noun deleted to avoid
controversy}?  Isn't it also the case that, if we adhere strictly to the
Wiener Rule, there will be no balloon payment due?  Granted, of course, any
delay in payments changes the calculation, so we'd need to pay somewhat
more than we were short last year to continue that rule.  Granted, too,
that every additional payment will decrease overall money spent on interest.

In 2017, I'd like to see us do more to help candidates coordinate and build
ground-games.  I'm hoping to continue over the term to promote my proposals
regarding appointments and "let national be national," both of which take
money.  I'm sure others have ideas, which can either out-compete mine or be
done simultaneously, that will also cost money.

Even so, I'd like to pay substantially more than what we owe ourselves
towards the mortgage.  I would also note, as I pointed out at the
e-meeting, that this year's enhanced revenue hasn't been across the board.
In fact, recurring gifts, last I checked, were below budget.  I'd encourage
optimism, and I absolutely will not say "well, we'll never see a year like
this again" but a lack of recurring gifts does raise the possibility of
coming back down.  If I believed we'd never see such success again, and
that we were just returning to normal, I'd say throw as much of it as
possible at paying down the dead pledge.  If recurring gifts were up, I'd
probably say the same thing.  I think, though, that what we do now will
determine if we will continue on an upward trajectory, or instead return to
'normal,' and that this might be worth some investment.

Before committing myself to a number, though, I'll want to hear from the
Treasurer.  I might also favor making this decision after the budget is
approved.

Joshua A. Katz


On Sun, Nov 27, 2016 at 10:11 AM, Sam Goldstein <goldsteinatlarge at gmail.com>
wrote:

> I intend to make a motion at our next meeting to spend a good portion of
> our 2016 surplus to make a payment on the principal on our office mortgage.
>
>
> Not knowing our final numbers at this time lends some uncertainty to that
> number, but I would like to start the bidding at $150,000.  That amount
> ought to leave us in a very favorable position as to our ongoing reserve
> for unforeseen expenses over the next few years.
>
> Does anyone want to offer a lower/higher amount?  If so, what is your
> reasoning.
>
> Thanks and
>
> Live Free,
>
>
> Sam Goldstein
> Libertarian National Committee
> Member at Large
> 8925 N Meridian St, Ste 101
> Indianapolis IN 46260
> 317-850-0726 Phone
> 317-582-1773 Fax
>
> _______________________________________________
> 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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