[Lnc-business] LIBERTARIAN PARTY POST-LIFE MEMBERSHIPS

Sat Apr 1 11:37:53 EDT 2017

This adds additional motivation to my pledge on a life membership if the
records motion passes.  I really hated to think my membership would end
when I was hit by a car as we were planning for.

- Caryn Ann

On Sat, Apr 1, 2017 at 6:32 AM, Brett Bittner <brett.bittner at lp.org> wrote:

> Wes,
>
> Please share my thanks with the members of the committee not on the list
> for their hard work in making this a reality.
>
> I think that we could really see some benefits from this new program, and
> I look forward to the outcome.
>
> Thanks again,
>
> Brett
>
> **This message sent from my phone. Please excuse any typos.
>
> On Apr 1, 2017 07:15, "Wes Benedict" <wes.benedict at lp.org> wrote:
>
>> *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 1st 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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>>
>>
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>

-- 
*In Liberty,*
*Caryn Ann Harlos*
Region 1 Representative, Libertarian National Committee (Alaska, Arizona,
Colorado, Hawaii, Kansas, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Washington) - Caryn.Ann.
Harlos at LP.org <Caryn.Ann.Harlos at LP.org>
Communications Director, Libertarian Party of Colorado
<http://www.lpcolorado.org>
Colorado State Coordinator, Libertarian Party Radical Caucus
<http://www.lpradicalcaucus.org>
Chair, LP Historical Preservation Committee

A haiku to the Statement of Principles:
*We defend your rights*
*And oppose the use of force*
*Taxation is theft*
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