Document:LNC Minutes 2-3 December 1989
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
| THIS DOCUMENT IN OTHER FORMATS |
Minutes of the Meeting of the
Libertarian National Committee
2-3 December 1989
San Diego, California
Members Present:
Chair Dave Walter
Vice-Chair Mary T. Gingell
Secretary Joseph W. Dehn III
Treasurer Stephen R. Fielder
At Large I. Dean Ahmad
Steven Alexander
Toni L. Black
William Redpath
Norma D. Segal
Region 1 Karen Allard
Region 2 Geoffrey J. Neale
George O'Brien
Region 3 Stephen L. Dasbach
Region 4 Ron Crickenberger
Region 5 Clifford F. Thies
Region 6 Vicki Kirkland
Region 7 Steven I. Givot
Region 8 Gary Johnson
1. CALL TO ORDER: The regular meeting of the Libertarian National
Committee was called to order by Chair Dave Walter at 9:17am on
Saturday, 2 December 1989, at the Clarion Hotel in San Diego,
California.
2. CREDENTIALS: It was noted that all members were present, and the
address list was passed around for corrections. Walter announced that
Jim Turney had requested to videotape the meeting; there were no
objections.
3. APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MINUTES: The minutes of the August and
September meetings were approved with no objections.
3A. CONVENTION REPORT: Without objection, corrections to the report of
the 1989 convention [Attachment A] were considered. Fielder proposed
that the last sentence of section D should read "The motion passed on
a voice vote, but the report was not taken from the table." Ahmad
proposed a set of corrections submitted to him by Dehn [Attachment M].
Walter proposed correcting section A to show that the convention
managers were Dave Walter, Don Ernsberger, and Linda Morrison, and
that the Convention Oversight Committee consisted of Steve Givot,
Peggy Jeny, and Tonie Nathan. All the proposed corrections were
accepted with no objection [Attachment Z]. Black noted that a
resolution regarding Chinese students had been adopted, but did not
appear in the report.
4. REPORT ON MAIL BALLOT: Dehn submitted a written report on the mail
ballot of 22 September [Attachment B]. Dehn moved to repeal Resolution
347; the motion passed on a voice vote.
5. SETTING OF THE AGENDA: Dasbach moved that item 23 (Campaign 90) be
deleted and that 5 minutes be added to item 15 (Affiliate Parties).
Black moved that item 26 (Advertising Development) be made item 12A.
Ahmad moved to add Judicial Committee Rules for 5 minutes as item 10A,
and Future Meetings for 10 minutes as item 18A. Walter moved to add
New Chair of Convention Oversight Committee for 5 minutes as item 16A.
Thies moved to add 5 minutes to item 21 (Audit Report). Walter moved
to expand item 19 (Regional Reports) to 30 minutes. These changes
were approved without objection.
Fielder moved that item 18 (Budget) be split into two 30 minute parts,
one as the last item on Saturday and the other as the first item on
Sunday. The motion failed.
Givot moved that item 25 (Ballot Access) be made item 18B. Ahmad
moved that Resolution on the Middle East be added for 10 minutes as
item 18C. These changes were approved without objection.
6. CHECK OF PAPERWORK: Walter reviewed the paperwork that had been
distributed up to that point.
7. CHAIR'S REPORT: Walter presented charts on membership and income
[Attachment N]. He commented that more needs to be done to encourage
the affiliate parties to bring in memberships and to be active in
between elections, that fundraising is basically doing OK and that we
would end the year with a surplus, that there had been lots of direct
mail activity recently, and that various committees were actively
working. He described the proposed budget for 1990 as aggressive, and
said that this would require aggressiveness in fundraising.
A discussion followed on the role of the affiliate parties in bringing
in memberships, and the accuracy with which we can measure the effect
of their efforts. Several people questioned the meaningfulness of the
income source codes. Several people remarked on problems involving
transfer of dues and membership information from the affiliate parties
to the national office. Several people reported that states were
doing followups on the C-SPAN inquiries. Ernsberger remarked that
membership could expand dramatically as a result of recent increased
publicity and the activities included in the new budget.
8. TREASURER'S REPORT: Fielder presented a written report [Attachment
O]. In reply to questions from Walter, Fielder said that FEC reports
were being submitted on time and that John Famularo was verifying that
the program was working correctly, Givot reported that the BAC now has
its own employer ID number, and Fielder said that the FEC had not
questioned our reports as a result of the Nadia Hayes incident but
that an amended report would have to be filed.
In reply to a question from Ahmad, Walter stated that Paul Jacob is
not on a leave of absence, having submitted a resignation and not
having accepted the offer of leave. Givot pointed out that the
figures for the Field Coordinator appear strange because of various
adjustments between the general LNC budget and the BAC. Thies
questioned the meaning of the figure for the Ballot Access Fund on the
balance sheet, and asked some questions about leases.
9. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE REPORT: Dehn reported that minutes of the
Executive Committee are available, and pointed out two resolutions
that the Committee had passed. In reply to a question from Givot,
Walter stated that he felt that the Committee had adequate authority
to deal with headquarters matters.
The question of whether the Committee should be making statements on
public policy was discussed. Walter said that it is important to make
statements on a timely basis, and that they have more credibility if
they come from a committee than if they come from the Chair. Several
people said that it was better for the Chair to be the spokesperson,
but that consulting with the Committee was a good idea. Ahmad said
that resolutions made by the Committee should be labeled as such,
rather than as statements of the Party. Dehn said that having the
Committee take positions on controversial issues could interfere with
proper functioning and selection of the Committee. O'Brien said that
the Committee should only make statements when there is a consensus.
10. HEADQUARTERS REPORT: Dunbar reported that the office had two new
employees, presented a new chart of accounts that will have separate
account and deparment codes, and suggested that we should increase the
subscription price if the LP News is published monthly. In reply to
questions from Walter, he reported that the intern situation is
"dismal", and that he is making some improvements to the first floor.
In reply to a question from Walter, Thies and Redpath commented on the
possibility of purchasing a headquarters building.
In reply to a question from Gingell, Dunbar described what was known
about the failure of the LP News to be delivered to the Northwest. He
estimated, based on the amount of postage used, that the printer
failed to send out approximately 1000 copies. He will be trying to
figure out more precisely who didn't get it, and will send them an
apology and give them a three month extension on their dues.
In reply to a question from Steve Fielder, Dunbar stated that Chris
Fielder had been hired to do some of the more difficult bookkeeping
work, and that it might be necessary to have her do a little more in
the future, but that the regular work is being done by the office
staff and he has hired a CPA to do the monthly closings.
In response to a question from Allard, Dunbar said that he thought
backorders of pamphlets were being handled properly.
Fielder moved that Resolution 253 be amended by inserting "except
payroll accounts" before "will require two signatures". He explained
that an outside payroll service was being used, but there is
insufficient time for an officer to sign the checks. The motion
passed on a voice vote.
In reply to questions from Dehn, Dunbar described the use of an
outside service for list rental. The service is provided with a
36-month contributor list, updated every four months; they make tapes
when necessary.
10A. JUDICIAL COMMITTEE RULES: Givot moved to approve the Judicial
Committee Rules [Attachment C]; the motion passed without objection.
[The meeting was recessed for lunch at 11:55am, and called back to
order by Dave Walter at 12:26pm.]
11. MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE REPORT (part 1): Allard submitted a written
report [Attachment D] and an updated report [Attachment P]. She said
that it was necessary that we "service" our members and treat them
like customers.
Allard moved: "A membership packet (contents to be determined by the
Membership Committee) will be sent out by the LP national office to
all new and renewing members. This packet will be sent to the members
within 2 weeks of receiving their dues in the national office.
Individuals who are active on the pledge program will receive a
membership packet every January 15. This membership packet program
will begin January 1, 1990."
There was a discussion of how difficult it would be for the office to
implement such a program, and whether membership cards need to be
included every year. Ahmad moved to amend Allard's motion by changing
"2 weeks" to "one month"; the motion to amend passed. Dehn moved to
amend the motion by inserting "life members and" before "individuals
who are active on the pledge program", and to change "every January
15" to "annually"; the motion to amend passed. The main motion passed
on a voice vote.
Allard moved that "Membership cards will be sent to every new/renewing
member. The card will be included in the membership packet." Dasbach
moved to substitute "Membership cards will be sent once to each member
or upon request.". The motion to substitute passed and the substitute
language was adopted.
Allard moved to amend Resolution 65 by changing "20 percent" to "50
percent", and by deleting the second sentence. The motion passed.
Allard moved to amend Resolution 65 by inserting "and LP News
subscribers" after the second occurence of "national membership", and
by adding the sentence "For those memberships sent into the National
LP office by individuals or state parties without the signed oath,
those members will be considered LP News subscribers until the oath is
signed."; the motion passed.
Allard moved "to add a new membership category: second member at same
address. When a basic membership of $15 is paid, the second member at
the same address pays $10 for a basic membership and the household
only receives 1 LP News". Gingell moved to postpone discussion of
membership categories and prices to tomorrow for 30 minutes; the
motion to postpone passed.
12. OUTREACH COMMITTEE REPORT: Black submitted a written report
[Attachment E]. She reported that there will be a spring edition of
Liberty Today, and that the LP presence at the Washington "Pro-choice"
rally led to calls. She asked for clarification of the division of
responsibility between the Outreach and Membership committees, and for
LNC discussion of "special projects".
There was general agreement that membership prospecting mailings, to
lists other than our own, should be the concern of the Outreach
Committee. Walter said that the Membership Committee should
concentrate on membership policies and services. Alexander remarked
that the Finance Committee traditionally helps with prospecting
mailings.
There was a general discussion of "special projects", such as protests
and lobbying, as opposed to electoral activity. Comments included:
projects should not be "negative", such projects are good activities
for parties that have trouble getting ballot status, they are good for
media relations, and they should be things that can be successful
without requiring all states to participate. Black said that
materials were available for Volunteer Day, lots of people like the
idea of a project on the 4th of July, states seem to be able to handle
April 15th protests by themselves, and she is looking into
possibilities for Bill of Rights Day.
There was discussion specifically of the census project. Ernsberger
said it would involve a letter to the membership, material for people
to use in protest, and a mailing to the state parties soliciting
purchase of those materials; the project is expected to break even
financially, with material sales covering the cost of the printing and
mailings. There was disagreement about whether this is an issue of
concern to the general public. Nathan said that it is an issue that
we are out in front on. Dasbach moved to "do it"; the motion passed
on a voice vote.
12A. ADVERTISING DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE REPORT: Nolan submitted a
written report [Attachment Q] and presented the new series of print
advertisements. These have a cleaned up logo and a consistent theme:
"Defenders of Liberty". He recommended that we distribute them to the
state parties and track which ones are cited by prospects; he also
suggested that the same theme be used for a bumper sticker. He also
discussed targeting mailings by "life-style cluster", and use of radio
commentaries, and presented the results of his survey of state chairs
regarding TV spots.
There was a discussion of the financing for production of the TV
spots. Nolan said that the $5300 that the ADC has available would
probably be enough to produce two spots, but that the LNC should
appropriate a little money to give him slack if necessary. He plans
to do fundraising for additional production once the first ones are
made available. Several members said we should concentrate on TV,
with repetition, and not divert resources to radio or print. Nolan
said that our marketing problem is different from that of the
Republicans and Democrats, and that we need to have some print ads.
Various topics for ads were suggested, including the LP in general,
social security, taxes, drugs, education, and women and guns. Nolan
asked for a show of hands on the question of what should be produced
first. A slight majority favored a general ad; among specific topics,
taxes was the favorite.
Various people suggested use of a professional for buying time, and
testing the ads before giving them to the state parties.
13. MEDIA RELATIONS COMMITTEE REPORT: Johnson submitted a written
report [Attachment F]. He said there was a need for more "experts" to
whom the media can be referred. Givot suggested trying to get TV talk
shows to have 3-way panels.
13A. GUN ADVERTISEMENT: Black moved to suspend the rules to allow
John Vernon to present a print ad proposal from the LP of California;
there was no objection. Vernon presented the ad [Attachment R], which
would be placed in a gun-oriented publication, and suggested that the
national LP might want to share the expense; no action was taken.
14. INTERNAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE REPORT: Segal submitted a written
report [Attachment G]. She said that there are uncataloged videotapes
from Jim Turney that could be useful for internal education, and that
she is still looking for somebody to run a speakers' bureau. Givot
moved to repeal Resolution 151 (requiring speeches to be approved by
the APRC); the motion passed.
15. AFFILIATE PARTIES COMMITTEE REPORT: Gingell submitted a written
progress report [Attachment H] and additional material [Attachment S].
She reported on her surveying of state chairs, and mentioned that she
had run into problems in using Marshall Fritz's system for
teleconferencing.
Gingell reported on the search for a Field Coordinator, and asked for
comments on the five applications that were received. There was a
discussion of the purpose of this position. Dehn said this should be
resolved before approving the budget item. Several people said that
the job was vague; it was suggested that part time or temporary
helpers might be hired as specific problems are identified. Gingell
said that there are 8 states which already have specific needs for
help, and 13 others who are interested in some way. Dasbach said that
a cheerleading-type of field person would not help state parties stay
active; the parties need help with getting members, having things to
do, and with organization and skills. Ahmad suggested evaluating the
results achieved by the half-time coordinator we had this year. Thies
pointed out that Resolution 63 calls for a Field Coordinator and
specifies what kind of help should be given state parties. Givot
moved to repeal Resolution 63; the motion passed.
15A. AFFILIATE CAMPAIGN SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT: Dasbach submitted a
written report [Attachment T]. In reply to a question from Walter, he
reported that he was working on identifying potential winning races in
Idaho, Utah, New Hampshire, and possibly Texas.
15B. BUDGET COMMITTEE REPORT (part 1): Fielder moved to amend the
1989 budget by increasing the following expense items:
Office Rent and Utilities by $4000 to $24000
Clipping Service by $500 to $2000
Postage and Shipping by $2000 to $14000
LP News Expense by $1500 to $37500
800 Line by $1200 to $4500
In reply to a question from Dasbach, Fielder explained that there was
sufficient underspending in other categories and various extra revenue
to cover these expenses, even though the budget would be in deficit.
The motion passed.
Fielder presented a review of the revenue categories contained in the
proposed budget for 1990 [Attachment I], to let the Committee know
"how much money we're going to have".
[The meeting recessed for the day at 6:13pm, and was called back to
order by Dave Walter at 9:14am Sunday.]
15C. MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE REPORT (part 2): Allard reported that after
discussing the question of membership categories with various people
she was withdrawing the proposals contained in her written report, and
instead moved to amend Resolution 89 to replace "basic" with
"contributing", to delete the clause about instant members, and to add
"individuals who sign the oath but have not sent money shall be called
'members', and also to repeal Resolution 195.
She explained that under this plan the "contributing" category would
be the lowest category that would be counted as dues, and that there
would be no effect on convention delegate eligibility or allocations.
There was a discussion of various advantages and disadvantages of this
plan. It brings the terminology into line with the bylaws and avoids
insulting people by telling them they have "expired". Dues revenue
might decrease, we will have to change the wording in renewal notices,
and the meaning of membership trend graphs might be affected. There
was some discussion of how to handle members who have not responded in
a long time. At the request of Alexander, the question was divided
into two parts; both parts passed.
15D. ADVERTISING/PUBLICATIONS REVIEW COMMITTEE REPORT: Ahmad moved to
take up this subject out of order; there was no objection. He
reported that the APRC had considered three items since the last
meeting, and requested that $200 be budgeted to cover phone costs for
this committee in 1990.
15E. BUDGET COMMITTEE REPORT (part 2): Discussion of the revenue side
of the 1990 budget continued.
Givot moved to eliminate the percentage-based service fees for SFACs
and to charge them the actual cost of providing services. He objected
that the BAC had to pay more for use of the list than would an outside
user. Black stated that taking a percentage of the revenue was
contrary to the purpose of having SFACs. Several members pointed out
that there are additional costs associated with SFAC revenue beyond
just providing the list: processing incoming mail, preparing reports,
and the effect on general fundraising mailings to the same list.
Givot's motion passed by a vote of 11:4.
Givot moved to increase the minimum dues to $20 as of 1 July 1990.
Allard objected that an increase would conflict with her approach of
trying to increase member satisfaction at this time. Givot cited
increased costs, and specifically the switch to a monthly LP News, as
justification for an increase. Ahmad moved to postpone consideration
of a dues increase until after discussion of the LP News expense.
Discussion of the LP News began with various members pointing out
advantages of a monthly publication. In general it was felt that this
would be of benefit to ordinary members, although it was reported that
this was not considered a high priority by some state chairs, and that
other projects such as TV might be more important. Fielder pointed
out that we had no bid for bimonthly publication.
Walter moved to accept the figure of $66000 contained in the proposed
budget. Gingell moved to amend the amount to $60000, the amount of
the bid for monthly 8-page issues, and suggested that we could decide
later in the year to increase it. The motion to amend and the motion
to adopt this figure passed.
Discussion of a dues increase resumed, and Gingell moved to refer the
matter of raising dues to the Membership Committee and Finance
Committee to jointly report. The motion to refer passed.
Walter moved to add $1000 to the Torch Club revenue. Alexander moved
to postpose consideration of revenue adjustments until after all
changes to the expense side; the motion to postpone passed without
objection.
Ahmad moved to add an expense item of $200 for the APRC; there was no
objection.
In reply to a question from Givot, Walter explained that the "State
Conventions" item was intended to pay for national officers'
attendance at state conventions. Givot moved to delete this item and
to add a new item of $5000 for testing TV ads. On a motion by Ahmad
the question was divided.
Arguments in favor of the state convention expense were that the
national LP should be represented, and that the previous chair had
been able to pay for this because of his business. Arguments against
were that officers could pay for it themselves or the states could
afford it, that the states are more interested in "nuts and bolts"
help than attendance by officers, that there are LNC members in all
parts of the country who could serve as representatives, and that this
would be similar to the franking privilege of Congress. The motion to
delete the item passed.
Discussion of TV ad testing included issues of the importance and
cost-effectiveness of testing, when and where to test, whether the
proposed amount would be sufficient, and whether budgeting for this
was appropriate since the ADC is a SFAC. Alexander moved to reduce
the amount to $3800; the motion to reduce failed, and the motion to
budget $5000 passed.
Black moved to increase the Outreach Projects item by $2000 to cover
expenses of the census project; the motion passed.
Walter moved to accept the proposed budget of $55000 for the Affiliate
Parties Committee, with the Committee and Coordinator portions
combined into a single line of $43500. Gingell explained that how the
money would be split was not yet decided. Ahmad moved to reduce this
line to by $3200 to $40300. Dehn objected to the existence of a
single line of this magnitude, and said we should either allocate the
money for a Field Coordinator or not. The motion to reduce the amount
failed on a vote of 6:6.
[The meeting recessed at 11:55am, and was called back to order by Dave
Walter at 12:05pm.]
Gingell moved to divide the $55000 Affiliate Parties total as follows:
$5000 for Affiliate Parties Committee, $34000 for Affiliate Parties
Coordinators, $4000 for Affiliate Parties Special Projects, $12000 for
Campaign '90; the motion passed.
Redpath moved to add a line for Interest Income of $2000 gross, $700
cost, and $1300 net; the motion passed.
Alexander moved to increase the Membership Renewals line by $1000 and
the Torch Club line by $1000; the motion passed.
Walter moved to call all pending questions; the proposed budget as
amended [Attachment AA] was adopted.
Walter moved to authorize lending the ADC up to $2000 from the surplus
account for the purpose of finishing production of the initial TV ads;
the motion passed.
16. CONVENTIONS: LEI, Inc. submitted a written report [Attachment J].
Givot said that if we had any special requirements for the 1991
convention we would have to decide by the next meeting, said that we
should decide soon on a site for the 1993 convention, and announced
that he was resigning as chair of the committee.
Thies moved that we consider bids for the 1993 convention at the
summer 1990 meeting. Walter suggested waiting until after the 1990
elections to see what areas are interested; Givot said sooner was
better than later. The motion passed.
16A. APPOINTMENT OF CONVENTION OVERSIGHT CHAIR: Walter announced that
he was appointing Neale as committee chair.
16B. RESOLUTION ON THE MIDDLE EAST: Ahmad moved that this item be
considered; there was no objection.
Ahmad moved that the following resolution be adopted:
The Libertarian National Committee calls for an end to the
"Special Relationship with Israel" on the grounds that no
nation should be exempt from our Platform call for an end to
foreign aid, nor should any nation be exempt from any standard
of human rights which are applied to other nations.
Segal objected that the problem is one of general interventionism,
rather than something special about Israel, and suggested that state
parties might resent LNC action when a similar proposal for the
platform had been turned down by the convention. Neale said that the
case was indeed special, and likened it to the relationship between
Russia and Cuba. Ahmad said that the Indian Rights plank had been
handled in a similar way and then was approved by the next convention.
The motion passed.
17. FINANCE COMMITTEE REPORT: Alexander submitted a written report
[Attachment K]. There were no questions.
18. BUDGET: (see items 15B and 15E)
18A. FUTURE MEETINGS: After informal discussion, the following dates
and places were approved without objection:
28-29 April 1990, in Austin
11-12 August 1990, in San Francisco
8-9 December 1990, in New York City
Spring 1991, in Atlanta
18B. BALLOT ACCESS COMMITTEE REPORT (see item 18E)
18C. RESOLUTION ON THE MIDDLE EAST (see item 16B)
18D. AUDIT REPORT: Fielder moved that this report be considered out of
order; there was no objection. Thies reviewed his written report
[Attachment U].
Thies moved to amend Resolution 2 to read "The Treasurer shall see to
it that those who handle receipts and disbursements be bonded." Givot
moved to table this until we know the cost of bonding; the motion to
table passed.
Thies moved to amend Resolution 26 by substituting "a statement of
revenues and expenditures" for "a statement of receipts and
expenditures", substituting "a statement of overdue accounts payable
and debt outstanding other than National Committee-authorized
mortgages or leases if any" for "a statement of outstanding
liabilities", and substituting "summary pages of Federal Elections
Commission reports and income tax returns" for "federal financial
reports". The motion passed.
Thies moved to amend Resolution 26 by inserting "to the National
Committee" between "provide" and "a balance sheet", by inserting "on a
monthly basis, no later than the end of the month following the month
to which these statements pertain," before "and copies of summary
pages", and by substituting "no later than the end of the month during
which these reports were filed" for "at all future National Committee
meetings". The motion passed.
Thies moved to amend Resolution 55 by inserting "and income tax
returns" between "Federal Election Commission reports" and "as
required by law". The motion passed.
Thies moved to delete Resolution 134. The motion passed.
Thies moved to delete part (1) of Resolution 234. The motion passed.
Thies moved to delete part (4) of Resolution 234 and to add to
Resolution 26 "If the Party has overdue accounts payable or has debt
outstanding other than National Committee-authorized mortgages or
leases, then the Treasurer shall specifically comment on debt
reduction efforts in monthly financial reports". The motion passed.
Thies moved to delete Resolution 245 and to add to Resolution 26 "The
revenue and expenditure statement shall contain monthly, monthly
percent-of-budget, year-to-date, and year-to-date percent-of-budget
figures for each account". The motion passed.
Thies moved to delete Resolution 314. The motion passed.
Thies moved to delete "Treasurer and" from Resolution 216. The motion
was tabled without objection.
18E. BALLOT ACCESS COMMITTEE REPORT: Givot submitted a written report
[Attachment V]. He said that in 1989 only 17.5% of the money raised
went to petitioning, and that he plans to depend on pledges, solicited
from people who have previously given to BAC.
He reviewed the ballot status situation, saying that there are 35
states to worry about for 1992, 10 of which can be worked on now. In
North Carolina, 51-92 is trying to work out legal obstacles to their
funding a drive; there has been a miscommunication with the Kansas
party and he is waiting for them to put a proposal in writing; and
51-92 is going to be working on finishing Nevada.
In reply to questions from Redpath and Walter, Givot reported that
Kathleen Richman had been working as a tele-fundraiser for Paul Jacob,
but that commission records had been inadequate and had led to
confusion about the amount she was owed.
Givot also reported that he will be reporting to contributors on BAC
activities through articles in the LP News rather than separate
mailings, and will offer a $5 refund to anyone who subscribed to the
BAC newsletter.
In reply to a question from Ernsberger, there was a short discussion
of whether monthly pledges are being handled by the BAC or by the
office.
In reply to a question from Johnson, Givot said that the 10 states
that can be worked on are Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota,
Nebraska, Alaska, Arizona, Nevada, Wyoming, Alabama, and Ohio.
19. REGIONAL REPORTS: Allard (Region 1) and Johnson (Region 8)
submitted written reports [Attachments W and X] and also made oral
comments. O'Brien (Region 2), Kirkland (Region 6), Crickenberger
(Region 4), Givot (Region 7) gave oral reports. Thies (Region 5)
submitted a written report after the meeting [Attachment BB].
20. LP NEWS REPORT: Dehn reported that Karl Hess says that a monthly
schedule won't work unless we can get a second class permit, and that
Hess suggested we print a single-copy price on the front. O'Brien
moved to set the price at $1.50. Alexander moved to amend the motion
to make it $2.50. After some discussion, the motions were withdrawn
amidst general agreement that the Executive Committee could deal with
this if necessary.
Dehn also reported that Hess wanted the LNC to consider the idea of
setting aside a page for paid statements. It was observed that people
can already buy advertising space, and no action was taken.
22. MANAGEMENT AND AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT: Redpath reported that he
was exploring options for medical insurance for the staff; various
members suggested possible vendors.
Redpath moved to delete Resolution 138 (Computer Committee), on the
basis that the MAC can handle this function. The motion passed.
Redpath moved to delete all but section (g) of Resolution 336 (Mailing
List Committee). The motion passed.
24. COMPUTER COMMITTEE REPORT: A written report from John Famularo
[Attachment Y] was circulated.
27. LEGAL ACTION COMMITTEE REPORT: Bill Hall submitted a written
report [Attachment L] but was not present at the meeting.
Walter reported on a problem caused by someone continuously calling
our 800 number, and said that we will take legal action if it
continues. Dehn said that if such a thing happens again, the
affiliate parties should be warned, because the same person apparently
attacked the Oregon 800 number.
Walter reported that Bill Hall had resigned as chair of the committee;
several possible replacements were mentioned.
30. PROGRAM COMMITTEE REPORT: Givot reported that the committee had
not been active, but that there were three topics on which drafts of
planks should be prepared. In reply to his question, members
indicated whether they wanted or did not want to see planks on these
topics. Opinion was divided on "Abortion", overwhelmingly in support
of "Guns", and there was no interest either way on "Terms of Elected
Officials".
31. RESOLUTION ON CHINESE STUDENTS: O'Brien moved the following
resolution:
A Resolution Reaffirming the Libertarian Party Endorsement of
HR 2712 and Urging Congress to Override the Presidential Veto
Whereas, the Libertarian Party deplores the brutal massacre of
Chinese students and others by the Chinese government and is
outraged by the ongoing persecution throughout China of
intellectuals, workers, students, and other critics of
government oppression, and
Whereas, the Libertarian Party is aware that Chinese nationals
resident in the United States will in all likelihood face severe
reprisals if they are forced to return to their country of
origin, and
Whereas, recognizing this fact the Libertarian Party at its
Convention in September endorsed HR 2712 (introduced by Hon.
Nancy Pelosi) which would waive the requirement on J-I visas
that requires Chinese students to return to China for two years
after completing their studies in the United States, and
Whereas, despite its nearly unanimous approval by both houses of
Congress, President George Bush has vetoed HR 2712 -- thereby
revealing a deplorable lack of compassion and indifference
towards the suppression of individual rights,
Therefore be it resolved by the National Committee that the
Libertarian Party reaffirms our endorsement of HR 2712 and
condemns the veto by President George Bush; we call on all
members of Congress to join together to override it as soon as
that body reconvenes in January, 1990, and
Be it further resolved that we commend the Hon. Nancy Pelosi for
her efforts on behalf of the Chinese students.
The motion passed.
32. RESOLUTION CLEANUP: Givot moved to delete Resolutions 5, 29, 36,
46, 57, 69, 70, 124, 151, 157, 163, 173, 174, 177, 195, 198, 222, 223,
234, 246, 270, 270B, 290, 298, 300, 304, 314, 318, 322, 327, 332, 340,
and 341. Givot then moved to postpone this to the next meeting and
place it on the agenda after officer reports and before committee
reports. The motion to postpone passed.
The meeting adjourned at 3:11pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Joseph W. Dehn III
Secretary
Attachments:
[attachments distributed with the agenda packet]
A. Records of the 1989 National Convention
B. Report on Mail Ballot of 22 September 1989
C. Judicial Committee Rules
D. Membership Committee Report
E. Outreach Committee Report
F. Media Relations Committee Report
G. Internal Education Committee Report
H. Affiliate Parties Committee Report
I. Proposed 1990 Budget
J. Liberty Triumphant Status Report
K. Finance Committee Report
L. Legal Action Committee Report
[attachments distributed at the meeting]
M. Convention Report Corrections (CompuServe message from Dehn)
N. Charts of Membership and Income
O. Treasurer's Report for October 1989
P. Membership Committee Updated Report
Q. Advertising Development Committee Report
R. Proposed Gun Ad
S. Affiliate Parties Committee -- Additional Material
T. Affiliate Campaign Subcommittee Report
U. Auditor's Report
V. Ballot Access Committee Report
W. Region 1 Report
X. Region 8 Report
Y. Computer Committee Report
[attachments not previously distributed]
Z. Records of the 1989 National Convention, as corrected
AA. Adopted 1990 Budget
BB. Region 5 Report