[Lnc-business] LIBERTARIAN PARTY POST-LIFE MEMBERSHIPS

[Wes Benedict]

*EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:*/When the Libertarian Party raised the price of Life 
Memberships from $1,000 to $1,500 in 2014, there was a one-time spike in 
the purchase of Life Memberships to beat the deadline, which resulted in 
a revenue windfall of tens of thousands of dollars.That bump suggested 
that other extended-period memberships might be equally 
profitable.Accordingly, the Re-Membership Committee was formed to 
consider out-of-the-box options to the existing Libertarian Party dues 
structure.Our committee was tasked with presenting its recommendations 
in time for the 2016 national convention to consider them.This is our 
committee’s report./

**

The Libertarian Party’s membership structure currently consists of 
non-dues-paying members who have signed the non-initiation-of-force 
pledge; sustaining members who have paid at least $25 per year; and life 
members who have paid $1,500 (or more in some cases, for higher honorary 
levels).But each life membership ends by definition with that person’s 
death.What happens afterwards?In rare cases supporters have left 
bequests for the LP in their wills, but that is an unpredictable and 
undependable source of revenue.Furthermore, it provides little direct 
benefit to the donor after his or her death, and only hypothetical 
benefit for the furtherance of libertarian values which the donor will 
never actually see.

We propose to solve this problem by offering Post-Life Memberships in 
the Libertarian Party, which will be pre-paid but take effect only after 
a person’s death, thus filling a currently under-served donor 
niche.Establishing a much freer society for our nation and indeed the 
entire world is a life-and-death matter and should be treated that 
way.By purchasing a Post-Life Membership, a person’s association with 
the LP will transcend that artificial boundary, and will represent an 
enduring legacy.

Suggested Post-Life Membership levels would be as follows:

·*Libertarian Party Angel -- $3,000*.This would be a limited-period 
post-life membership which would only extend until the year 3,000.

·*Libertarian Party Archangel -- $33,400.*This is an unlimited post-life 
membership, with the amount indexed to the FEC’s maximum annual 
contribution limit.

·*Libertarian Party Heavenly Inhabitor -- $100,200.*This is a 
specialized post-life membership aimed at Libertarians who are focused 
on where they will dwell in the after-life.It represents the maximum 
annual amount which the FEC says can be contributed to the LP Building 
Fund, and will also be indexed to that contribution limit.

·*Libertarian Party Lucifer -- $1,000,000 and up.*This is an 
unrestricted post-life membership for Libertarians who refuse to be 
bound in either life or death by arbitrary rules and standards, and are 
willing to brave the consequences (whatever they may be) in the cause of 
freedom.

All Post-Life Members will be sent electronic copies of the /LP News/ to 
their last known email addresses, and their estates will continue to 
receive the same email fundraising pitches as all other LP members.Their 
names will be placed on plaques in the LP office and memorialized at the 
next national convention, and they will continue to pad the Libertarian 
Party’s membership rolls just as Life Members do.

(As a side note, we believe that libertarians who have been placed in 
cryogenic storage should still be able to qualify for Post-Life 
Memberships.When they are successfully revived, they would then be 
categorized as “un-dead” and their Post-Life Memberships would be 
suspended until such time as they later re-died.)

The Re-Membership Committee is optimistic that a test mailing targeted 
to older sustaining members and especially to current Life Members could 
produce exceptionally lucrative results.We urge that this be done as 
rapidly as possible, since time is of the essence before more of this 
demographic passes away.

This report is hereby submitted on behalf of the Re-Membership Committee 
this day of April 1, 2017 by Daniel Wiener, Chair, who wishes to express 
his appreciation to the rest of the Committee, especially Aaron Starr, 
Alicia Mattson, and David Nolan (deceased).

Daniel Wiener, Re-Membership Chair

P.S.While we had originally intended to include Pre-Life LP memberships 
with the Post-Life proposals, our committee has been unable to complete 
that portion by the April 1^st target date.Several complex issues remain 
to be resolved, such as whether the Pre-Life memberships would apply 
prior to conception between the sperm and the egg, or prior to actual 
birth?Also, in the case of a miscarriage, would the parents be entitled 
to a full refund or a pro-rata refund based on the fraction of nine 
months?And how would unexpected multiple births be handled?For example, 
are twins each entitled to half of a Pre-Life membership, or must 
parents buy an extra one?These represent difficult philosophical 
questions upon which libertarians can reasonably disagree.


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