Thanks, Marcy. If I understand the situation (and I'm by no means confident of that), the point in signing now is just to ensure that our members stay informed. Nothing to oppose there, so I'd join you in your vote.
My understanding is that the letter to be sent to members would *not*
simply inform them of what's been going on at the national and state
level with dues. According to LPC Secretary Dan Wiener,
"The mailing which is in the preparation process will only go out to
those Counties who have signed MARA, since *that's the only way it
makes financial sense* [emphasis added] for the state party to do the
mailing."
This suggests to me that not only will we be binding ourselves to an
agreement which would presumably be communicated to our members by the
LPC, making it more confusing for members if we decide we want to
withdraw later, but that the LPC will use this letter as an opportunity
to try to get members in the habit of sending checks to national to now
start sending them to the LPC rather than to the LPSF. They will
probably also include language rationalizing their (in my opinion)
unwise decision to more than double dues to $50 a year.
Given the LPC's strong interest in getting current LP members to renew
as LPC members, I strongly suspect that they will send our members some
kind of explanatory letter of this nature at some point in the
not-distant future anyway, whether we opt in to this program or not.
Better in my opinion that we communicate with the members ourselves
first. The MARA plan would commit us to regularly communicating with
new and lapsed members anyway, so handling renewals ourselves too
wouldn't be doing that much more than what we'll be required to do if
we opt in.
Yours in liberty,
<<< Starchild >>>
Thanks, Marcy. If I understand the situation (and I'm by no means
confident of that), the point in signing now is just to ensure that
our members stay informed. Nothing to oppose there, so I'd join you
in your vote.From: lpsf-activists@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:lpsf-activists@yahoogroups.com]On Behalf Of Amarcy D. Berry
Sent: Thursday, September 01, 2005 10:04 AM
To: lpsf-activists@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [lpsf-activists] Membership Agreement with LPCAAt this time I have seen comments on this proposal only from Starchild
and from Justin. Therefore, I am asking the ExCom to vote on whether
LPSF should get in on the first round of announcement letters or not.
If I do not hear from the other three ExCom members, we will discuss
this subject at our next meeting, and see if then the membership
present can come to a decision.I have been forwarding all the pertinent information I have received
from LPCA to this list. In summary, the way I see it: Current UMP's
will phase out at Oct 1, if you want to renew at $25 you need to pay
before then, LPSF can sign the LPCA agreement by Sat Sep 3 noon and
get in on the mailings advising members of this situation or not, LPSF
can sign the agreement at a later time or not at all, LPSF can opt out
of the agreement at a later date or continue the relationship.If LPSF does not wish to sign the LPCA agreement at all, LPSF will
have to operate as a stand alone entity, keeping its own database,
performing its own membership outreach and retention, raising its own
operating funds.I vote to sign the agreement before the due date of Sep 3.
Marcy
Yahoo! Groups Links
Yahoo! Groups Links
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Fair play? Video games influencing politics. Click and talk back!
http://us.click.yahoo.com/VpgUKB/pzNLAA/cUmLAA/69cplB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
lpsf-activists-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos