Justin,
Thanks for the research. I'd forgotten that all voting members had to
be registered Libertarian or not registered with any party. This all
looks kosher to me, although we do have some local options for
membership, such as instead of having a prospective member join at the
$100 level so that we'd have to give a percentage of that sum to the
LPC, ask them to join at the basic level and write a separate check to
the LPSF for the difference. We can also sell newsletter subscriptions,
etc., rather than giving the newsletters free to all members, if we
choose. Back in the '90s, I think the LPSF even threatened to affiliate
with the Arizona LP rather than California, out of dissatisfaction with
LPC leadership. May have even gone through with it, I forget -- though
whether such a move would be in compliance with the bylaws, or with
state law, and what all the implications might be, I can't say.
Yours in liberty,
<<< Starchild >>>
I've been reading and trying to understand our local, state, and
national bylaws, and the various articles and reports about recent
national decisions regarding dues, etc. Here are some highlights
clarifying what's going on with dues, as well as membership
structure in general between the LPSF, LPC, and LP:1. NATIONAL DUES DON'T GO TO ZERO UNTIL JANUARY, and UMP payments
are being phased out over several months, not stopped immediately.
Whoever had submitted dues to us recently should be asked what
they want to do, rather than us holding their dues.2. OUR MEMBERSHIP IS ENTIRELY DETERMINED BY THE LPC; the LPC
bylaws determine voting membership in the county organizations,
and we have no say in dues, etc. -- except, of course, through our
representation at the state conventions.3. LPC AND LP MEMBERSHIP ARE REALLY INDEPENDENT; dues sharing has
been a convenience which is allowed by both but required by
neither of the LPC and LP bylaws, and membership in neither is
required for membership in the other.4. ANYONE WHO HAS SIGNED THE PLEDGE IS ALREADY A MEMBER OF THE
NATIONAL LP, without ever having paid any dues, even before the
recent decision to set dues to zero. However, only those members
who are current with their dues are counted when calculating the
number of delegates each state affiliate gets to send to the
national convention. So as of January, if this decision stands,
anyone who has signed the pledge will be counted when calculating
delegates.5. ALL COUNTY OFFICERS MUST BE REGISTERED TO VOTE AS LIBERTARIAN,
as Starchild recently pointed out, according to the LPC bylaws.6. NO VOTING MEMBER MAY BE REGISTERED TO VOTE AS ANY PARTY OTHER
THAN LIBERTARIAN, even if not serving as a county officer, also
according to the LPC bylaws. Voting members don't have to be
registered Libertarian, as long as they're not registered as
anything else.7. ANYONE ELSE CAN ONLY BE AN ASSOCIATE, NON-VOTING MEMBER of the
LPC and the LPSF, and can neither vote at LPSF meetings nor serve
as an LPSF officer.Please correct any of these points if they are mistaken!
Cheers,
Justin
------------------------ 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