Document:LNC Minutes 11-12 August 1990: Difference between revisions

Givot moved the adoption of the following plank on  "The Environment" in  place of the existing one on "Pollution":

Every one of us is dependent on the environment to support our lives. When a person,  a company, or a government dumps waste from its property onto the property of others without their Consent, it has trespassed against them.  The victims of pollution should be able to sue the polluter, require it to stop, and collect damages.

The best way to understand why we have a high level of air and water pollution we have today is to recognize that responsibility for protection of the environment has been turned over to a government bureaucracy. Today's failures are a result of the ineffectiveness of the government to deal with such important issues. Corporate officials are often protected from liability. Various levels of government  -- often the worst polluters -- impose ever-greater regulations on private parties, while hiding behind legal exemptions which permit them to violate their own standards.

Current laws relating to the environment are not based on the concept of trespass. These laws define acceptable levels of pollution and attempt to prevent anyone from exceeding those levels. They fall short of what is needed for several reasons.

By setting acceptable levels of pollution, the government is actually approving those levels of pollution. Libertarians do not believe that government bureaucrats in  Washington should determine how much poison we are forced to eat, drink, and breathe!

Government sanctions environmental destruction; polluters feel safe as they poison our environment up to government accepted levels. It is an uphill battle for an injured private citizen to sue a polluter who has met all government guidelines.  Even if the individual has been unquestionably harmed, the polluter's claim that all applicable government standards were met provides a strong defense.

When polluters exceed government standards, the penalties they pay typically go to the government, not to the people who were harmed. Why should the government be paid for poisoning private citizens?  Why shouldn't polluters compensate their victims?

Faceless bureaucrats can never be as effective in fighting pollution as individual citizens;  provided that we give citizens the tools they need to do so. The following are some initial steps to protect our environment.

1. Clearly establish the legal right of individuals or groups to claim that harmful pollution of their body,  property, air or water is a trespass, allowing them to successfully sue individuals, companies, or governments for damages.

2.  End all regulatory attempts to define acceptable levels of pollution.  Setting such standards has the effect of legally sanctioning that amount of pollution, even when it might be reduced below that level.  It also deprives citizens the right to successfully claim damages from levels of pollution which are lower than government standards.

Dasbach moved that a new resolution titled "Position Description of National Treasurer" be approved, consisting of and replacing the existing Resolutions 55, 2, 253, and 26.  The motion passed on a voice vote.

Dasbach moved that Resolutions 1, 14, 19, 43, 62, 149, 313, and 348 be deleted and a  new resolution titled "Position Description of National Secretary" be added as follows:

The  Secretary shall take minutes of all LNC meetings.  Minutes shall be mailed to all LNC members not more than 30 days after each meeting.

The Secretary shall prepare a synopsis of convention business, including committee reports and the records of voting for offices, for approval by the National Committee.

The Secretary shall keep a tally of mail ballots between meetings, and shall destroy the ballots after each meeting. Mail ballots shall not include argument (the term argument shall include whereas clauses). An LNC member may change his or her vote on a  mail ballot. The change must be signed and dated and received by the Secretary by the deadline for return of ballots.

The Secretary shall maintain a concise and complete accounting of the LNC's resolutions in manual form. Such form shall be conducive to ease of identification and replacement of former or amended resolutions.

LNC members, alternates,  and state chairs shall receive copies of the Bylaws and Platform after each convention.

LNC agendas, minutes,  mail ballots, resolution updates, and other supporting material shall be sent without charge to all LNC members, alternates, and committee chairs, as well as to any state chair that requests them.  Any  Party member may obtain these materials at his or her own cost. A list of such material shall be available from National Headquarters on request and may be periodically sent to state chairs and/or advertised in [[LP News]].

Dasbach moved that a new section  20 be added to Resolution 243: "The Chair writes a monthly  'Chair's  Report' and ensures its timely distribution to all  LNC members", renumbering the existing section 20 to 21 and deleting Resolution 311. The motion passed on a voice vote.

Dasbach moved that "in writing monthly" be added to the end of section 14 of Resolution  244, and that  Resolution 312 be deleted. The motion passed on a voice vote.

Dasbach moved that  "Minutes shall be kept of  Executive  Committee meetings" be inserted before the last sentence of Resolution 335 and that Resolution 343 be deleted. The motion passed on a voice vote.

Dasbach moved to delete Resolutions 292 and 325. The motion passed on a voice vote.

Dasbach moved to  amend Resolution  240  by  replacing  "Resolved"  by "Legal Action Committee", to add a new paragraph:

All contracts entered into or modified by the LNC shall be reviewed by the Legal Action  Committee prior to signing by the National Chair or approval by the LNC, for contracts of more than one year in duration or more than  $5000.  Further,  that all contracts or modifications thereto be reduced to writing.

Dasbach moved to amend Resolution 244  by inserting a new section 24: "The Director maintains control over the  Party's computer database and develops distribution and pricing policies for mailing and telephone lists, with the advice and consent of the Executive Committee", renumbering existing section 24 as  25. The motion passed on a voice vote.

Dasbach moved to delete Resolutions 241, 69, 336, 301, and 219, and to adopt the following new resolution:

The National Director shall require a 50% deposit on all mailing label or list orders, except for commercial mailing list houses  or organizations that have a  perfect track record of paying within 30 days for the previous year.

Rentals, exchanges, or sales of the Party mailing list shall not include the names of anyone who has cumulatively given over $5000 to the national Party.  

Any member of the Libertarian Party who so requests may have his or her name removed from lists made available to outside organizations.

Neither the mailing list, nor any other Party asset, shall be given, rented, sold, or otherwise made available to any other political party or its candidates.

Telephone numbers shall only be provided to state affiliate parties, LNC members and committee chairs, and  Libertarian Party candidates.

Dasbach moved to delete Resolutions 96 and 274, and add to Resolution 44: "No news release emanating from the National Headquarters or National Convention shall misrepresent the position of the Party as reflected in the  Platform.  Vote totals  are not to be  described  as membership in any Party communication." Thies moved to substitute that Resolutions 44, 96,  and 274 be  deleted.  The motion to substitute passed by a  vote of 4  to 2, with Ahmad voting no.  The main motion passed on a voice vote, with Ahmad voting no.

Dasbach moved that  Resolution 324 be  amended by deleting  "Resolved, that", deleting the second paragraph, and adding a new paragraph "The Libertarian Party shall maintain membership in the Coalition for Free and Open Elections  (COFOE)", and that resolution 93 be deleted.  The motion passed on a voice vote.