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    <p>I would also like you to ask your state chairs and members if
      they would rather staff spend more time functionally allocating
      expenses, or if they would rather us spend that time improving our
      new website, LP.org, or helping our state affiliates with
      fundraising.</p>
    <p>Please send them a copy of our financial statements, and ask your
      members and state chairs if they understand all the detail.</p>
    <p>And ask your state chairs if they'd like my help getting their
      state financial statement to be as complex as nationals, or would
      they be happier to simply have a higher revenue number? <br>
    </p>
    <p><br>
    </p>
    <pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">Wes Benedict, Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee, Inc.
1444 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314
(202) 333-0008 ext. 232, <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:wes.benedict@lp.org">wes.benedict@lp.org</a>
facebook.com/libertarians @LPNational
Join the Libertarian Party at: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://lp.org/membership">http://lp.org/membership</a></pre>
    <div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 12/2/2016 7:57 PM, Wes Benedict
      wrote:<br>
    </div>
    <blockquote cite="mid:b2df1a3b-4715-036c-5c7f-9a3e410886ec@lp.org"
      type="cite">
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      <p>You are clearly an expert and so rather than doing it to prove
        something to me, would you consider working with the EPCC Audit
        Committee, and Treasurer, to generate a good coding system that
        answers the questions of how to allocate? <br>
      </p>
      <p>Perhaps test it for a few weeks once a draft plan is created.</p>
      <p><br>
      </p>
      <pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">Wes Benedict, Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee, Inc.
1444 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314
(202) 333-0008 ext. 232, <a moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:wes.benedict@lp.org">wes.benedict@lp.org</a>
facebook.com/libertarians @LPNational
Join the Libertarian Party at: <a moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://lp.org/membership">http://lp.org/membership</a></pre>
      <div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 12/2/2016 7:05 PM, Caryn Ann
        Harlos wrote:<br>
      </div>
      <blockquote
cite="mid:CAL4U=_p4RaTykJvmndCJ6zJpOuyLi51NJ_T5PtANhDva4s8JgQ@mail.gmail.com"
        type="cite">I have done it twenty years in my job.  As do
        attorneys all over the world.  I don't need to prove it further.
        <div><br>
        </div>
        <div>The issue is a good coding system that answers the
          questions of how to allocate.<span></span><br>
          <br>
          On Friday, December 2, 2016, Wes Benedict <<a
            moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:wes.benedict@lp.org">wes.benedict@lp.org</a>>
          wrote:<br>
          <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0
            .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
            <div bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">
              <p>Caryn Ann, I don't mind if you do it successfully.  I'm
                not saying it can't be done.</p>
              <p>So, I hereby challenge you to do it, if you can do it
                without my help (meaning don't ask me what goes in what
                category).<br>
              </p>
              <p><br>
              </p>
              <pre cols="72">Wes Benedict, Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee, Inc.
1444 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314
(202) 333-0008 ext. 232, <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','wes.benedict@lp.org');" target="_blank">wes.benedict@lp.org</a>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://facebook.com/libertarians" target="_blank">facebook.com/libertarians</a> @LPNational
Join the Libertarian Party at: <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://lp.org/membership" target="_blank">http://lp.org/membership</a></pre>
              <div>On 12/2/2016 5:11 PM, Caryn Ann Harlos wrote:<br>
              </div>
              <blockquote type="cite">
                <div dir="ltr">Wes I'm not the best person to make that
                  challenge to.  I'm a paralegal.  My entire work day
                  requires me to keep track of every six minute block by
                  L and A codes.  I have done it for twenty years.  It
                  does require setting guidelines for what things get
                  calculated as and tolerance levels on level of
                  granularity.
                  <div><br>
                  </div>
                  <div><br>
                    -- <br>
                    <div>
                      <div dir="ltr">
                        <div dir="ltr">
                          <div dir="ltr">
                            <div dir="ltr">
                              <div dir="ltr">
                                <div><font face="arial, helvetica,
                                    sans-serif" color="#666666" size="4"><b>In
                                      Liberty,</b></font></div>
                                <div><font face="arial, helvetica,
                                    sans-serif" color="#666666" size="4"><b>Caryn
                                      Ann Harlos</b></font></div>
                                <div><font size="1">Region 1
                                    Representative, Libertarian National
                                    Committee </font><span
                                    style="font-size:x-small">(Alaska,
                                    Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Kansas,
                                    Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Washington)
                                    - <a moz-do-not-send="true">Caryn.Ann.
                                      Harlos@LP.org</a></span></div>
                                <div><span style="font-size:x-small">Communications
                                    Director, <a moz-do-not-send="true"
                                      href="http://www.lpcolorado.org/"
                                      target="_blank">Libertarian Party
                                      of Colorado</a></span></div>
                                <div><span style="font-size:x-small">Colorado
                                    State Coordinator, <a
                                      moz-do-not-send="true"
                                      href="http://www.lpradicalcaucus.org/"
                                      target="_blank">Libertarian Party
                                      Radical Caucus</a></span></div>
                                <div><br>
                                </div>
                              </div>
                            </div>
                          </div>
                        </div>
                      </div>
                    </div>
                    <span></span>
                    <div><br>
                      On Friday, December 2, 2016, Wes Benedict <<a
                        moz-do-not-send="true"
                        href="javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','wes.benedict@lp.org');"
                        target="_blank">wes.benedict@lp.org</a>>
                      wrote:<br>
                      <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px
                        0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid
                        rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
                        <div bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
                          <p>An interesting experiment would be for each
                            LNC member to track its hours for one month
                            according to the Functional Allocation of
                            Expenses procedures requested. It would give
                            you some hands on experience in dealing with
                            the reality that we switch categories often
                            every few minutes, like from:<br>
                          </p>
                          <p>40 - Admin (this conversation)</p>
                          <p>88 - Outreach (LNC photos on the website)</p>
                          <p>80 - Media or 85 - Member Communications
                            (delivering the message the LNC wants)</p>
                          <p>85 - Member Communication (recording the
                            termination of the membership of person who
                            disapproves of LNC buying meat)</p>
                          <p>40 Admin? or 55 Branding? or 70 - Ballot
                            Access?  - approving staff getting a poster
                            about ballot access printed.<br>
                          </p>
                          <p>I literally switch tasks every few minutes.
                            Trying to track this in detail is very
                            tough.</p>
                          <p>I really would like to see the LNC track
                            themselves for a month. You'll find out how
                            hard this is after one hour.<br>
                          </p>
                          <p><br>
                          </p>
                          <pre cols="72">Wes Benedict, Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee, Inc.
1444 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314
<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="tel:%28202%29%20333-0008" value="+12023330008" target="_blank">(202) 333-0008 ext. 232</a>, <a moz-do-not-send="true">wes.benedict@lp.org</a>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://facebook.com/libertarians" target="_blank">facebook.com/libertarians</a> @LPNational
Join the Libertarian Party at: <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://lp.org/membership" target="_blank">http://lp.org/membership</a></pre>
                          <div>On 12/2/2016 3:21 PM, Joshua Katz wrote:<br>
                          </div>
                          <blockquote type="cite">
                            <div dir="ltr">
                              <div>I pointed out earlier the concern I
                                am expressing here, but I did it briefly
                                and without much explanation, because I
                                wanted to know if, in fact, I have
                                misunderstood, if I was making a big
                                mistake, and if my concerns were
                                unfounded.  All of that remains
                                perfectly possible, but the fact that I
                                have not received an explanation making
                                those points suggests to me that perhaps
                                I am onto something important.</div>
                              <div><br>
                              </div>
                              <div>80% of the proposed budget is
                                accounted for by administration and
                                compensation.  A member seeing that
                                might be excused for believing that the
                                national party simply consumes 80 cents
                                of each dollar received.  This would be
                                a mistake, but it would be an
                                understandable mistake - and one we can
                                easily prevent.  </div>
                              <div><br>
                              </div>
                              <div>This member would be mistaken because
                                compensation is not consumption.  Staff
                                does a lot of things.  Staff work is a
                                very large proportion of what the
                                national party does.  When we see an
                                affiliate support line with a rather
                                small number on it, it conceals the fact
                                that staff spends a good amount of time
                                supporting affiliates.  Since staff time
                                is split between different functions, we
                                have a timesheet policy allowing staff
                                time to be billed to different lines.  </div>
                              <div><br>
                              </div>
                              <div>So this brings us to, perhaps, a
                                bigger problem:  even knowing this, the
                                member reading this budget has no idea
                                how much of staff time is spent on what
                                projects.  Perhaps most importantly,
                                neither does the LNC.  Certainly the LNC
                                is not giving direction as to how staff
                                time should be spent.  We have,
                                essentially, created a black box into
                                which we place 50% of the annual budget.
                                 </div>
                              <div><br>
                              </div>
                              <div>A budget that breaks down staff time
                                the way it is to be billed, and that
                                funds staff time from line items, also
                                allows members, at a glance, to see what
                                priorities the national party has, and
                                to know easily and quickly what staff is
                                doing.  Most importantly, it assures
                                members that these priorities are being
                                set by those they elect to make such
                                decisions, not being left to the ED, or
                                to chance, or to "whatever is most
                                pressing at the moment."  I have said
                                before that my most pressing </div>
                              <div><br>
                              </div>
                              <div>After all, functional and operational
                                transparency require not only that
                                members see and hear us talking, but
                                that we are talking about the things
                                that members need to know.  If we make
                                ourselves open, but exercise no control
                                over fully half the budget, we are not
                                transparent.</div>
                              <div><br>
                              </div>
                              <div>This is not at all hard to fix.  We
                                know the proposed total compensation. 
                                We may modify it at our meeting.  A
                                portion of that, perhaps 20%, should be
                                left in the compensation black-box.  The
                                LNC can decide what we'd like to
                                prioritize by setting percentages to
                                various functional lines.  The remaining
                                compensation multiplied by the
                                percentage gives the amount to be moved
                                from compensation to the appropriate
                                line item.</div>
                              <div><br>
                              </div>
                              <div>Maintaining is also easy.  Simply
                                fund compensation from the various
                                lines, in accordance with the timesheets
                                received.  The Treasurer can, in turn,
                                keep an eye on the lines, and see if
                                some lines are over or under funded.  If
                                so, the board can decide how to react -
                                by amending the budget, or by
                                instructing staff to respect the
                                priorities set.  </div>
                              <div><br>
                              </div>
                              <div>I am not known as a transparency
                                champion.  In large part, I have a
                                different notion of transparency from
                                many of my colleagues.  The above shows
                                the sort of transparency I worry about. 
                                I hope, though, that my colleagues who
                                are known as transparency champions will
                                join me on this issue, and join me in
                                requesting that we not place 50% of our
                                annual expenditure in a black-box line
                                item such that members cannot use the
                                budget to determine what it is that we
                                do, and we cannot use the budget to
                                govern the organization.</div>
                              <div><br>
                              </div>
                              <div>For my part, I am disinclined to vote
                                for a budget that black-boxes 50%, and
                                that charges 80% to administration.</div>
                              <div><br>
                                <div>
                                  <div>
                                    <div>
                                      <div dir="ltr">
                                        <div>
                                          <div dir="ltr">Joshua A. Katz
                                            <div><br>
                                            </div>
                                          </div>
                                        </div>
                                      </div>
                                    </div>
                                  </div>
                                </div>
                              </div>
                            </div>
                            <br>
                            <fieldset></fieldset>
                            <br>
                            <pre>______________________________<wbr>_________________
Lnc-business mailing list
<a moz-do-not-send="true">Lnc-business@hq.lp.org</a>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org" target="_blank">http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listi<wbr>nfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org</a>
</pre>
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<fieldset></fieldset>
<pre>______________________________<wbr>_________________
Lnc-business mailing list
<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','Lnc-business@hq.lp.org');" target="_blank">Lnc-business@hq.lp.org</a>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org" target="_blank">http://hq.lp.org/mailman/<wbr>listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.<wbr>org</a>
</pre>

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-- 
<div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" color="#666666" size="4"><b>In Liberty,</b></font></div><div><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" color="#666666" size="4"><b>Caryn Ann Harlos</b></font></div><div><font size="1">Region 1 Representative, Libertarian National Committee </font><span style="font-size:x-small">(Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Kansas, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Washington) - <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:Caryn.Ann.Harlos@LP.org" target="_blank">Caryn.Ann. Harlos@LP.org</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size:x-small">Communications Director, <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.lpcolorado.org" target="_blank">Libertarian Party of Colorado</a></span></div><div><span style="font-size:x-small">Colorado State Coordinator, <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.lpradicalcaucus.org" target="_blank">Libertarian Party Radical Caucus</a></span></div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div><span style="font-size:x-small">
</span></div><div style="font-size:12.8px">
</div></div></div></div></div></div></div>



<fieldset class="mimeAttachmentHeader"></fieldset>
<pre wrap="">_______________________________________________
Lnc-business mailing list
<a moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:Lnc-business@hq.lp.org">Lnc-business@hq.lp.org</a>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org">http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org</a>
</pre>

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