Ron Paul Blimp Questions??? I have answers.

[ItsTime]

You think that $500 an hour lawyer with a $10,000 retainer would have told them that?

FAR 91.15; "Dropping Objects. No pilot in command of a civil aircraft may allow any object to be dropped from that aircraft in flight that creates a hazard to persons or property. However, this section does not prohibit the dropping of any object if reasonable precautions are taken to avoid injury or damage to persons or property."

 

[rory096]

Those are pretty high numbers. My lawyer is only $150 an hour. The retainer seems high. The $500 an hour for the lawyer was the final straw for me against this project.

This is one of the best election law attorneys in the country. He's a former chairman of the FEC!

 

[Mark]

Honestly, you think they want us as owners after the shitstorm we put them through?

Posters and emailers to me like you are the ones who have created a ****storm.

A few people had legitimate questions due to the huge change in the donation scenario at the last minute,

and posters of your type have convinced many not to donate.

I hope you're proud of yourself for such a nasty attitude.

If the blimp doesn't fly, thank yourself for driving away sponsors.

 

[ItsTime]

Sounds good.

This is one of the best election law attorneys in the country. He's a former chairman of the FEC!

 

[freest8r]

Minimum to Get in the Air

I just waded through 33 pages of forum-talk (my brain is now mush) and I didn't see the answer to this question.

What is the minimum amount that needs to be raised in order to get the blimp in the air? I saw $200,000 on another thread, I think. There was also talk of the company taking out a loan in order to get the blimp off the ground. I think that may make sense, particularly for a small business startup.

I'm convinced that once the blimp is in the air and people see the sheer awesomeness of a giant, smiling Ron Paul visage staring down at them, they will be moved within the deepest part of their freedom-loving hearts to give more to the cause.

Let the rEVOLution continue!

 

[cien750hp]

I just waded through 33 pages of forum-talk (my brain is now mush) and I didn't see the answer to this question.

What is the minimum amount that needs to be raised in order to get the blimp in the air? I saw $200,000 on another thread, I think. There was also talk of the company taking out a loan in order to get the blimp off the ground. I think that may make sense, particularly for a small business startup.

I'm convinced that once the blimp is in the air and people see the sheer awesomeness of a giant, smiling Ron Paul visage staring down at them, they will be moved within the deepest part of their freedom-loving hearts to give more to the cause.

Let the rEVOLution continue!

200k downpayment by friday, full (350k) by the 10th

 

[Man from La Mancha]

That's simply not the case. An LLC was specifically formed based on the promise of funds, without which, the company would not be formed. This makes the 'donors' actual investors.

And I'm sorry but don't pass this off as "meager salaries but no profit". That simply isn't the case. Based on the words of Katherine they are forming a company with the hopes of future revenue beyond that of a 1-month blimp drive. And tell the people living off of much less that $1k/week or even $500/week all expenses paid is meager. You can maybe sell that to Congress but not me.

I would still like an answer to the question or at least justification from them on why the idea of considering people giving money as investors rather than customers isn't feasible.

Please note we aren't donating or buying the blimp but just renting advertising space.

You are sponsoring advertising with Liberty Political Advertising, a for-profit political advertising agency. You are not making a donation to any political candidate or committee.

You will be entitled to a refund, minus any expenses, incurred if your message does not appear on the Skyship 600 for the specified amount of time that you purchased. However, if the advertising you purchase is oversold, we may substitute other advertising of equivalent value that expresses a similar message. For example, if all the advertising time is sold out on the blimp on a given day, we might add planes, balloons, parachuters, or other similar enhancements to the blimp rally. If the Skyship 600 flies with the advertising messages displayed, your purchase is not refundable.

 

[Mckarnin]

Will there be an official Blimp logo? If so, will that logo be made available free-of-charge for any other grassroots operation, for example, posters, teeshirts, bumper stickers, coffee mugs, etc.

I think a yes answer to both of these is pretty important to spread this through the grass roots.

Good idea, I'll throw it into conversations and see if we can get this going.

 

[Paul4Prez]

Under a PAC donations to the blimp would count towards donations to the official campaign. For example, if a person contributed $100 towards the PAC then they would only be able to contribute $2,200 of the $2,300 maximum to the official campaign.

Is this correct? I thought that contributions to PACs were separate, and didn't count toward the official campaign contribution limit. I have heard that other individuals have started PACs for this very reason, for people who are maxed out. Do you have a reference to the FEC rules to clear this up? I haven't found it spelled out anywhere in the FEC rules I have looked at.

Thanks.

 

[hillertexas]

Any word on my question yet?

It has been implied that foreigners cannot sponser the blimp. I thought the whole point of becoming a LLC was to avoid such limitations. How can a privately owned LLC fall under the jurisdiction of the FEC?
Are you saying that someone from say Ireland could not buy a billboard in the US?
I am confused as to why there are limitations on foreign support when this is now a private business and doesn't even say "president" or "election" or really anything political on the blimp.

Thanks.

 

[kill the banks]

Any word on my question yet?

It has been implied that foreigners cannot sponser the blimp. I thought the whole point of becoming a LLC was to avoid such limitations. How can a privately owned LLC fall under the jurisdiction of the FEC?
Are you saying that someone from say Ireland could not buy a billboard in the US?
I am confused as to why there are limitations on foreign support when this is now a private business and doesn't even say "president" or "election" or really anything political on the blimp.

Thanks.

i'd appreciate a definitive answer as well

kill the banks

 

[hillertexas]

Is this correct? I thought that contributions to PACs were separate, and didn't count toward the official campaign contribution limit. I have heard that other individuals have started PACs for this very reason, for people who are maxed out. Do you have a reference to the FEC rules to clear this up? I haven't found it spelled out anywhere in the FEC rules I have looked at.

Thanks.

http://www.fec.gov/pages/brochures/citizens.shtml

An individual may give a maximum of:

$2,300 per election to a Federal candidate or the candidate's campaign committee.2 Notice that the limit applies separately to each election. Primaries, runoffs and general elections are considered separate elections.

$5,000 per calendar year to a PAC. This limit applies to a PAC (political action committee) that supports Federal candidates. (PACs are neither party committees nor candidate committees. Some PACs are sponsored by corporations and unions--trade, industry and labor PACs. Other PACs, often ideological, do not have a corporate or labor sponsor and are therefore called nonconnected PACs.) PACs use your contributions to make their own contributions to Federal candidates and to fund other election-related activities.

$10,000 per calendar year to a State or local party committee. A State party committee shares its limits with local party committees in that state unless a local committee's independence can be demonstrated.

$28,500 per calendar year to a national party committee. This limit applies separately to a party's national committee, House campaign committee and Senate campaign committee.

$108,200 total biennial limit. This biennial limit places a ceiling on your total contributions, as explained below.

$100 in currency (cash) to any political committee. (Anonymous cash contributions may not exceed $50.) Contributions exceeding $100 must be made by check, money order or other written instrument.

*$108,200 Biennial Limit
You have a biennial (two year) limit of $108,200 on your total contributions to Federal candidates and Federal political committees combined. Of the $108,200, an individual may contribute no more than $42,700 to candidates and no more than $65,500 to all PACs and parties (no more than $42,700 of the $65,500 may be given to committees that are not national party committees).


It seems to me that you could potentially donate all of these line items because it doesn't say that you can only do one...but hey, I'm no lawyer

 

[robert4rp08]

Actually, it makes no sense that contributions to a PAC count toward the $2300 maximum to a candidate. How can the max contribution to a PAC be $5000 then? That would put your contributions to the candidate $2700 over the maximum if you donated the full $5k to the PAC.

So yeah... they are wrong about that. They need to remove that.

 

[hillertexas]

Actually, it makes no sense that contributions to a PAC count toward the $2300 maximum to a candidate. How can the max contribution to a PAC be $5000 then? That would put your contributions to the candidate $2700 over the maximum if you donated the full $5k to the PAC.

So yeah... they are wrong about that. They need to remove that.

they ARE wrong.....come on lawyers! what are we paying ya for?

 

[tremendoustie]

Some may remember that I had been critical of the staffing plan for the blimp project. I am highly encouraged by the good faith the blimp team has shown by reducing salaries, eliminating one of the videographers, and setting up a plan for an audit committee. Thank you so much, because I was strongly hoping we could all come together on this project.

There are a couple remaining issues that I hope can be addressed, for the purpose of transparency:

1. There should be job descriptions for each paid staff position, so it's clear what the purpose of each position is, and what actual daily duties will be fulfilled. As part of this change, the line, "The man who made the This November 5th money bomb happen" should probably be removed. I know, Trevor, that you are probably not blowing your own horn, and that another person likely wrote this in the descriptions about you, but I think it's fairly clear that this could be (is being) viewed as a slap in the face to many grassroots supporters who also worked hard for the 5th. Indeed, this section should probably describe duties, not past accomplishments.

I know that you are all working hard, I'm not suggesting that anyone's slacking, but I think it's reasonable for people to know what the purpose/responsibilities of each position is. Trust and verify, as they say.

2.
# Bryce Henderson- Company Media Coordinator

* $1,000/week

# Joe Amidon - Assistant Manager

* $1,000/week

Are these positions necessary, or at least can the salaries be reduced to $500 here as well? I think it's understandable that people would wonder what the purpose of another manager is, and it seems like Trevor and Elijah are dealing with the press already. Maybe this will all become clear with descriptions as outlined above, but I hope at least we can bring the salaries down to match the others.


That said, I am thrilled with the responsiveness and good faith the blimp team has shown, and I plan now to fulfill my pledge. Let's all come together, and make this amazing, epic project happen people! Go BLIMMMPP!!!!!

 

[Mckarnin]

Any word on my question yet?

It has been implied that foreigners cannot sponser the blimp. I thought the whole point of becoming a LLC was to avoid such limitations. How can a privately owned LLC fall under the jurisdiction of the FEC?
Are you saying that someone from say Ireland could not buy a billboard in the US?
I am confused as to why there are limitations on foreign support when this is now a private business and doesn't even say "president" or "election" or really anything political on the blimp.

Thanks.

Thanks for your patience. All I know right now is that the way this is structured we cannot accept money from foreign nationals. If it were advertising for the Constitution or a non-person political message I think we could accept foreign donations. That's my current understanding.

 

[Mckarnin]

i'd appreciate a definitive answer as well

kill the banks

An LLC frees US Nationals from limitations on the amount of sponsorship that they can buy and keeps that sponsorship from counting towards the $2300 that they can donate to the campaign itself. Liberty Political Advertising is a political advertising agency and when a political ad we are running is for an individual I do not think it can receive any foreign sponsorship. Were it for an inanimate political object, like the Constitution foreigners could probably buy sponsorship.

 

[Primbs]

Wall Street Journal online mentions the Blimp.

http://online.wsj.com/public/articl...J7SWQNqn0Q_20080102.html?mod=tff_main_tff_top

 

[Mckarnin]

Actually, it makes no sense that contributions to a PAC count toward the $2300 maximum to a candidate. How can the max contribution to a PAC be $5000 then? That would put your contributions to the candidate $2700 over the maximum if you donated the full $5k to the PAC.

So yeah... they are wrong about that. They need to remove that.

I am pretty sure that although the donation limit to a PAC is higher that to the campaign directly, the first $2300 you donate to a campaign directly or a PAC counts towards your limit for direct campaign contributions and after that campaign contributions are no longer legal but you still have $2700 left that you can donate to a PAC.

I can double check that if you like.

 

[tremendoustie]

An LLC frees US Nationals from limitations on the amount of sponsorship that they can buy and keeps that sponsorship from counting towards the $2300 that they can donate to the campaign itself. Liberty Political Advertising is a political advertising agency and when a political ad we are running is for an individual I do not think it can receive any foreign sponsorship. Were it for an inanimate political object, like the Constitution foreigners could probably buy sponsorship.

This makes complete sense, the LLC makes it possible for each time "purchase" to count as an independent expenditure, but even independent expenditures cannot be made by foreigners. By the way, then, why is it that Paul's website cannot be referenced directly, nor can "for president"? Independent expenditures are allowed to say these things.