<div dir="ltr"><div>I am pro-post-life-memberships. We may need a platform plank now to clarify whether unwanted hauntings by the dearly departed constitute violations of property rights, privacy, etc...<br><br></div>-Alicia<br><br><br></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Apr 1, 2016 at 6:35 AM, Daniel Wiener <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:wiener@alum.mit.edu" target="_blank">wiener@alum.mit.edu</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center" align="center"><span style="font-size:18pt;line-height:107%">LIBERTARIAN PARTY POST-LIFE
MEMBERSHIPS</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><b>EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: </b><i>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.</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><i><br></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">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.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">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.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Suggested Post-Life Membership levels would be as follows:</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul><li><b>Libertarian
Party Angel -- $3,000</b><span>. This would be
a limited-period post-life membership which would only extend until the year
3,000.</span></li></ul><br><p></p></div><div dir="ltr"><ul><li><b style="text-align:justify">Libertarian
Party Archangel -- $33,400.</b><span style="text-align:justify"> This is
an unlimited post-life membership, with the amount indexed to the FEC’s maximum
annual contribution limit.</span></li></ul><br><ul><li><b style="text-align:justify">Libertarian
Party Heavenly Inhabitor -- $100,200.</b><span style="text-align:justify">
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.</span></li></ul><br><ul><li><b style="text-align:justify">Libertarian
Party Lucifer -- $1,000,000 and up.</b><span style="text-align:justify">
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.</span></li></ul><br><p style="text-align:justify"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">All Post-Life Members will be
sent electronic copies of the <i>LP News</i>
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.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">(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.)</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">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.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">This report is hereby submitted
on behalf of the Re-Membership Committee this day of April 1, 2016 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).</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><img src="cid:ii_153cf8cfc26fdba1" alt="Inline image 1" style="margin-right:0px" height="40" width="181"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">Daniel Wiener, Re-Membership
Chair</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">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<sup>st</sup> 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.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><br></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p></div></div>
</div>
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