Reader Feedback:
(Leaving a comment is how to bring a question or error to my attention)
Date: Wed, 02 Jul 2003 14:56:06 -0500
Subject: Re: humanitarian efforts and other communist ploys
From: Adam Moore <atommoore@mac.com>
To: Washington Society <wash-soc@virginia.edu>
It's hard to know where to begin. You are all too far away for me to be able to hurl a economics text book and have it maim anyone. (And then I remember that battery would be a tort, and I just don't want to pay to make you whole.)
All parties cost X (time, money, neighbor relations, etc). If someone ever thinks that their total benefit Y from a party is lower than X, they will not throw a party. Simple as that.
From the perspective of the Wash. Dues are taxes, admission to the party is a user fee. Much like there are two ways to build a road (raise taxes or build a toll), there are two ways to increase the number or quality of parties.
The same thing would apply to individual parties, but as Penn points out, those are not the issue of Judson's email. It seems likely to me that the invitation simply reminded him of a separate issue he was having and he didn't mean to offend. Oh wait, he probably did mean to offend someone. Likely the communist traitors. (I hear that every Democrat is a tratior. How you like me now?) Well, here is an example of how one thing can bring up another thing. The way that the sodomy law reminded Scalia of the abortion law. Or the way being punched in the face makes me think about that dude who always wore a bowtie and worked on appropriations. Also, I think it is great that they stated that the profits will go to getting a hammock. If you attend a future party, you can look at some of the twine and think "if everything else goes wrong tonight, at least I can always fall back on my investment."
Back to the Wash.
Accepting money before the fact is part of reducing X in my accounting world. That is what the Wash normally does when it collects dues. It is also what Judson and I eventually did way back in the time that we lived on Price Avenue for a summer in paradise. Since our tip jar idea failed due to robbery, our preferred method happened to be securing big grants early. Sure, it was our house, but if someone else like Curley bought the hard alcohol to supplement our keg, then the party was better and we just enjoyed the time knowing we were each only out 30 instead of 60. For us, having parties was not something we could normally do during the school year. We both lived on campus. So for us, huge parties were ego boosters. Charging an admission would have gained us money at expense of attendance. If we hadn't have had a yard and driveway the size of Texas, then maximum attendance would have been a negative. There is all kind of marginal cost/benefit calculation going on here, I just don't want to talk about it. Individuals are making attendance decisions based on tons of factors. The Wash should probably also always explicitly consider how raising dues or user feels will effect membership roles and party attendance. That's why we have an administration. To administrate. Things. (ooooohhhhh!)
So, with that all said. Here is my deal. Perhaps all this could all be addressed by a more explicit budget. I mean, when I was treasurer, there was sort of a gentleman's agreement that the Wash would throw three parties a semester, one garden party, and one picnic but nothing explicitly available to the general membership. What we planned to spend is what your dues bought you, in a sense. If you wanted MORE parties to happen, you would need to pay more or find a way for the Wash to earn an extra 200 bucks. It may be that this could all be addressed by making the process more transparent. If nothing gets said outloud to the membership at large, many people may assume that all parties are in the budget and that the need to charge for some parties is due to financial mismanagement.
Perhaps people would like the summer parties to be included in what they purchase with their taxes. Well, that can either be done by cutting other services, obtaining outside funding, or increasing the dues, I imagine. Unless anyone is willing to start smuggling 1500 dollars a year from StudCo, I think the users fees will speak to most people's sense of fairness. The final option (if users fees are here to stay), would be to have one dollar user fees for ALL the parties. That way, you wouldn't have to pay 5 dollars at the summer meetings. Anything that floats your boat. Again, it is all the same to your pocketbook.
Outside of raising taxes or user fees, another option would be to try and trick lots of rich, altruistic people into the Wash. A) They would throw parties themselves and just invite the wash for free. B) As alums, they would come back and offer to buy a handle of vodka or something.
Some people are clearly willing to pay more than 3 or 5 dollars. Some people want to pay exactly what everyone else is paying out of fairness. Some people get mad at me when I continue to pay more than I am asked but then end up upping their pay for spite or something (I'm looking at Matt Green here) - also I will never forget the time that Fielding gave me 20 bucks because he wanted me to get a keg from the middle range of 80-90 instead of the 60-70 range. Why not offer to name the party after anyone would gives more than 15 bucks.
Or give them the power to name it. I am willing to bet people who would pay for a "Person X engages in [insert disturbing act] and we hate him" Party. And such an act would drive person X to want to pay even more to name the next party.
I say it is time to make formerly empty things into commodities and let the open market of Wash members set the price.
In fact, if anyone wants, I am willing to pay 20 bucks for the August 1st party if all official emails regarding the party refer to it as the "Don engages in [insert disturbing act here] and we hate him!" Party. If someone else gives 20, I am willing to let them insert the disturbing act. (I enjoy it being vague, since it leaves more to the imagination) I assume that this mystery person will be Don, and he will want to make it reference my mother. But in a single minute, I have just raised 40 bucks.
- Adam Moore
On 7/2/03 9:12 AM, "Judson Frye" <jmf4a@virginia.edu> wrote:
> I am forwarding this to the list for Richard.
>
> sorry it took me a few seconds to remember who you were,
> Judson
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Richard Hutchins" <rph8z@cms.mail.virginia.edu>
> To: "Judson Frye" <jmf4a@virginia.edu>
> Sent: Wednesday, July 02, 2003 8:33 AM
> Subject: Re: humanitarian efforts and other communist ploys
>
>
>> yes, i still get wash emails. yes, Judson is badass. yes, i am a
>> financial analyst and have nothing to do at work now.
>>
>> -Richard
>>
>>
>>
>>> There is a disturbing trend in the Wash these days,
>>> a beast with has befouled other far less dignified
>>> institutions. A trend that threatens to turn our once
>>> glorious, drunken, stupidity-ridden exhibitions (see
>>> Bill Hunt and David Birch) into regular temperance
>>> society meetings. What is this trend? CHARGING
>>> ADMISSION TO PARTIES.
>>>
>>> I knew a society once that could afford to buy a
>>> keg of natty for its already dues-laden members
>>> without charging a cover. Not only a keg of natty,
>>> but any liquor that your heart could desire. Sure,
>>> I don't pay dues, or even go to parties any more,
>>> but being a life member of the society I feel
>>> it is my sacred duty to speak against
>>> these miscarriages of "leadership."
>>>
>>> In my first duel with this lusus naturae, a cover
>>> charge imposed earlier this summer, I brought
>>> my own bottles of vodka, kahlua, and a case of
>>> sixteens (my loving pet name for the Coors Light
>>> sixteen ounce cans) for all of those who wish not
>>> to pay an unjust tax to enjoy. But after two
>>> consecutive parties I can stay silent no more.
>>>
>>> Of course, in a great diversionary tactic the new
>>> leadership has coined the term "humanitarian
>>> effort," to make you believe you are paying for
>>> something besides the alcohol you are drinking.
>>> To me, this is reminiscent of the US military
>>> coining the term, Operation Iraqi Freedom,
>>> sure it sounds much sweeter than Operation
>>> Fuck you in the ass until you can't Stand Up
>>> or Sit Down, but you still know what's coming
>>> in the end. That's right, a completely un-solicited
>>> ass fucking.
>>>
>>> I say stop the anal invasions before it's too late,
>>> lets end this shameful practice of charging for
>>> parties before it taints the whole society.
>>>
>>> In the name of that cause I invite you all
>>> to a true Independence Day celebration, by an
>>> organization which has been tainted by many
>>> things and multiple diseases,
>>> but never by the plague of charging for booze,
>>> your very own University Transit Service.
>>>
>>> Come one come all to 1506 Virginia Ave. on the
>>> fourth of July for a regular American holiday
>>> bash, where the women are cheap, the people are
>>> generally unclean, and the liquor is still free.
>>>
>>> Don't show up before 11pm.
>>>
>>> see you there if i'm still conscious,
>>> Judson
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Anna McHugh" <celticdwarf2003@yahoo.com>
>>> To: <wash-soc@virginia.edu>
>>> Sent: Tuesday, July 01, 2003 1:41 AM
>>> Subject: DEPENDENCE DAY PARTAY (or 5ths of July party)
>>>
>>>
>>>> Hey Everyone!
>>>>
>>>> I hope you are all having kickass summers and whatnot. I just
>> wanted to
>>> drop a line to let you know about the flyest thing happening in
>>> Charlottesville this coming weekend-- the Dependence Day Party.
>> This party
>>> will take place on Saturday, the 5th of July at SPT (10:24 pm) at
>> 1206 B
>>> Wertland, the pad where the last Wash party was. Not only will this
>> party
>>> celebrate the various dependencies we all have grown to love, but
>> it will
>>> also serve as my 22nd birthday party. So, bring your butt on down
>> here and
>>> rock out. Just so you know, there is also a humanitarian effort
>> going on as
>>> well-- as some of you may know, we once had a phat ass hammock on
>> our porch
>>> that has since been wrested from us by its "rightful owners". In
>> order to
>>> fund the purchase of a brand new hammock, we're gonna ask for a
>> contribution
>>> of $3.
>>>>
>>>> So yeah, everyone please come! RSVP ASAP so we know how much
>> booze to buy.
>>>>
>>>> Peace,
>>>> Anna