[Pnp-wg] Proxy question

[Phil Huckelberry]

Steve Greenfield writes:
> My wife sees me at meetings, walking my town, and sitting here in front of
> my computer working on Green Party stuff day and night. At least once a
> day she asks me how my fundraising is going for Oklahoma City. I don't
> have an answer yet. We can't afford it. OKC is not a hub city. It costs
> more and takes longer to fly there than if I was going to the Pacific
> coast. I have three kids aged 4 and under and two of the convention days
> are workdays for my wife, not that she could (or should) handle all three
> of them alone for 3-4 days even if she could take the days off. What is
> the GPUS solution to this? Perhaps someone can put me in contact with
> Richard Mazess. I'm sure he'll lend a hand.

ILGP bylaws specifically refer to reimbursements for our delegates.  I
wasn't here when they were written but my understanding was, and is, that
the state parties are expected to put up the money.  In all earnestness,
for all the work that you do, the least GPNYS could do is pay your way to
Tulsa.

Although you're obviously being sarcastic at the end, in a lot of ways, I
don't really see that as an off-color question.  I've maintained all along
that one of the reasons the convention ought to be large(r) is because the
party gains, and grows, from the face to face interaction.  Among other
options, one way I could see for a large donor to actively contribute to
the growth of the party in a no-strings-attached way would be to earmark
funds for expense offsets for lower-income convention delegates.  I think
it'd be an easy sell that R/D delegates are often fatcat businessmen and
businesswomen whereas Green delegates are mothers and fathers, people who
work for pennies on the dollar at non-profits to do things they believe
in, etc.  I know Brent McMillan is looking for ways to couch fundraising
appeals - we've talked a lot about ballot access, but I think this is
something else that could be brought up (and I do think this discussion is
relevant to this group.)

The reason I'm so adamantly opposed to proxies is because I've seen no
attempt made to stem proxy abuse.  "Carrying a proxy" means that you're
voting on behalf of someone else.  It does not mean that someone else lets
you decide/cast their vote for them.  If there's a way to split the
difference, my position on proxies would likely soften.  But I've brought
this point up time and time again and I've almost never gotten
acknowledgment that proxy abuse is a problem.

Phil Huckelberry
Illinois Green Party