Pre-Proposal: Lobby for Dash (Phase One)

gerundo

gerundo

New member
Note:
A huge thank you, everybody's input has helped me to prepare this proposal.
I've been part of the Dash community since December 2017, as someone who is new, this rough pre-proposal could use lots of input and will likely undergo many changes before it is prepared for a vote. I will be at SXSW for the Feedbands Dashfest on March 15-17, would welcome meeting any of you and talking some in person. My thoughts and plans are flexible and I welcome any changes, ideas, criticisms, etc. Thank you for any feedback and knowledge you can share with me, I welcome assistance or guidelines re financial calculations, using correct values of Dash etc.

- S. M. Byers

Phase One​

The law has always struggled to ‘keep up’ with technology. Throughout the long and storied history of the United States, key governmental players have shown proclivities towards supporting the wishes of big companies, banks, and various other entities which command large quantities of capital. Those two issues combined are the fulcrum of the problem which I propose a solution to. As cryptocurrencies such as Dash have grown, some regulations and laws have proved particularly troublesome. In addition to regulations and laws which prove prohibitory to the success of Dash, the task of drafting and passing new legislation will also be a necessary step in order to update outdated statutes and ensure the continued success of Dash. My objective is to provide protection for an embryonic innovation whose capabilities are not yet broadly understood by the general public, let alone often out-of-touch and (typically) older members of Congress.

Dash should 1) inform legislators and key governmental players of regulations and laws which serve as barriers and the need for to modernize said regulations and laws, and 2) have a seat at the table in the drafting, promotion, and eventual passing of innovative, favorable legislation. The word lobby can have a reputation that is dirtied, while the business of advertising - paying someone to talk to the general public for you - is commonplace, its necessity accepted by most. My simple definition of lobbying is the act of paying someone to speak to those in power on your (or an organization’s) behalf. With experience on both sides of our bicameral legislature in Washington, D.C. as well as experience working directly in a state legislature, I’ve had a first hand look at the political landscape underpinning the process of lobbying at all levels of government. When working the front desk in the United States House of Representatives, it was my role to book meetings with and greet those who came to lobby the Member I worked for. When listening in on a meeting with Monsanto Company, it struck me that nothing could have been a better primer course for understanding the ropes of lobbying and how the system of our government is operating behind the scenes. Both in the United States Senate and a state senate, I took meetings with traditional lobbyists as well as volunteer advocates and concerned constituents. This gives me the advantage of knowing what congressional staff members expect from a meeting, and an understanding of how to effectively meet with them. I am familiar with the often tedious traditional ropes of setting up meetings with congressional staff and know how to submit information to staff in an expeditious manner which will actually help my cause. As a true independent, I bring no bi-partisan biases into my plan and work affably with all.

Many members of the Dash community have a background in computer science, technology, and related fields. I hope to begin a team to advocate politically for Dash, so others can continue to focus on the essential technological aspects of Dash. I propose the assembly of a team of ambassadors to lobby for conditions favorable to the aims of Dash, serving as an ambassador myself. I will research, solicit, and contact the relevant talent to meet these ends. We will crowdsource and immerse in ongoing, democratic conversations with the Dash community to determine stances on the relevant issues, regulations, and legislation, as well as the appropriate action to be taken. This is only the beginning of tackling a large and complicated regulatory issue rife with complex legal, tax, and security considerations. It is incumbent that Dash play an outsize role in informing the public conversation on cryptocurrencies. To this end, ABCD efforts in public affairs will help give Dash a voice that is favorable and heard by government actors, members of the media, and the general public. To be successful, Dash must present their case to a demographic oft beholden to banks, hedge funds, and the like. It is vital that the United States Congress implements rules favorable to the acquisition and commerce of cryptocurrencies, so that the USA remains a key player in a rapidly evolving global economy.

ABCD Objectives include:


  1. Inform policy priorities via communication with community, masternodes, Dash Core.

  2. Keep an updated ledger of proposed legislation in which Dash has a vested interest, or in which Dash could be in some way affected. Communicate these to the above parties for feedback.

  3. Manage ABCD team as lead Ambassador for Dash, recruiting talent to fill needed positions and then assigning responsibilities to correct people

  4. Report and track progress for Dash community

  5. Reach out to other stakeholders to form a broader lobby including Coinbase, etc.

  6. Schedule meetings with every US politician (or staff) working on every legislation that potentially impacts Dash.

For this proposal, I suggest funding for one month, to complete phase one. I will keep a detailed report to show my progress. If a task is not able to be completed for whatever reason, funds should be returned that were meant for the usage of said task. I have divided the United States into 5 Sections, each could potentially take one month.


One Month Timeline​


Section One: Wyoming, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington


FYI The way I’ve thought to split up the rest of the states, to be covered by later proposals is as follows (entities at a Federal level should be considered at every Section):

Section Two: California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas

Section Three: Pennsylvania, New York, Maine, Vermont, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maryland, Delaware

Section Four: West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas

Section Five: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Kentucky, Ohio)



April 2-6:


1) Conduct search in order to select Dashers to join Team for the Advancement and Betterment of Cryptocurrency Dash (ABCD), an internal organization for purposes of supporting Dash and serving as public affairs liaisons. roles needed includes researchers, lobbyists, PR and journalism skills to write articles etc about regulatory issues. Team size is approximately 5-10 people.


2) Facilitate digital forum which allows easy communication and collaborative tracking with the Dash community so that everyone can be informed and have a voice in the work our lobbying effort intends to accomplish. (Dash.org/forum) Compile data in public forum for Dash community of proposed legislative or regulatory items of interest.

(5 hours/day @ .1/hour =.5 Dash)

April 9-13: Training of the team

Watch videos, distribute talking points, research packets, hold team meetings

Begin research about atmosphere surrounding crypto issues in Section 1 states and conversations with DashCore and community about Dash stance on issues.

April 9-13:

Deadline for first contact with offices of members of the Congressional Blockchain Caucus in attempt to set up meeting:

  • Rep Jared Polis
  • Rep David Schweikert
  • Rep John Delaney
  • Rep Stephen Lynch
  • Rep Michael McCaul
  • Rep Tom Emmer
  • Rep Bill Foster
  • Rep Denny Heck
  • Rep Bob Goodlatte
  • Rep Keith Rothfus
  • Rep Tony Cardenas
  • [email protected]
  • [email protected]
(5 hours/day @ .1/hour x 6 people = 3 Dash)


April 11: As far as face-to-face meetings, lobbying is most effective when done in pairs of oratory twos. Me and another member of the Dash community (to be selected) will fly to Cheyenne, Wyoming (good starting point, crypto friendly state, all members of legislature already familiar with crypto related issues and hold stances) and meet with Rep Olson, Rep David Miller, Rep Dennis Biteman, Rep Landon Brown. (flights 342 +hotel 109 = .94 Dash)


April 12: Fly from Cheyenne to Lincoln Nebraska, state only has a senate, no house, and is currently considering four crypto related bills, one of which is not crypto friendly. Meet with Senator Carol Blood and Senator Schumacher. (flights 580 + hotel 120 = 1.47 Dash)


April 14: Fly from Lincoln to Pierre, South Dakota (flights 453 + 116 hotels = 1.19 Dash)


April 16: Meet with CoinLion CEO Joshua Dewitt in Pierre and Rep Drew Dennert in South Dakota legislature. Fly from Pierre to Bismarck, North Dakota (889 flights + 160 hotel = 2.20 Dash)


April 17: Meet with Securities Commissioner Karen Tyler and Rep Alex Looysen in North Dakota legislature. Fly from Bismarck to Helena, Montana (flights 544 + 140 hotel = 1.43 Dash)


April 18: Meet with Power Block Coin LLC, Rep Daniel Zolnikov, Rep Dale Mortensen, Rep Jacob Bachmeier, and Rep Austin Knudsen in Helena. Fly from Helena to Boise Idaho. (Flights 296 + 125 hotel = .88 Dash)


April 19: Meet with Idaho's Securities Bureau chief Jim Burns in Boise, Rep Brad Little, and Rep Scott Syme. Fly from Boise to Salem, Oregon. (Flights 315 + 170 hotel = 1.02 Dash)

(April 16-20 8 hours/day @ .1/hour x 2 people, + 5 hours/day @ .1/hour x 4 people = 3.6 Dash)

April 26: Meet with Rep Kotek, Rep Holvey, Rep Williamson, and Rep Boquist in Salem. Fly from Salem to Olympia, Washington. (Flights 564 + 116 hotel = 1.42 Dash)


April 27: Meet with Sen Kaiser, Sen Baumgartner, Sen Habib and Rep Chopp in Olympia. Travel home (Estimated 500 flight = 1.05 Dash)

(April 23-27 8 hours/day @ .1/hour x 2 people, 5 hours/day @ .1/hour x 4 people = 3.6 Dash)


(22.6 Dash total)
 
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I've begun tracking the crypto atmosphere in various states, my notes are below. My hope is to have a tracker that other Dashers can add information to, etc.

Alabama (Montgomery): August 2017 marked passage of Alabama Monetary Transmission Act, which was largely drafted by Alabama’s Securities Commission. Replaces the outdated Sale of Checks Act which had been in effect since 1961, not a crypto friendly law.


Alaska (Juneau):


Arizona (Phoenix): Rep Weninger’s bill proposes to allow taxpayers to pay income taxes with crypto. Arizona's existing money transmission licensing law might cover digital currency businesses, potentially it could even require non-custodial businesses to be licensed- Arizona regulator has not offered guidance unfortunately. It is difficult to determine if Arizona law mandates licensing for digital currency custodians who don't also deal in fiat currencies because Arizona's laws do not clearly define 'money' or other relevant terms.


Arkansas (Little Rock):


California (Sacramento): California's existing money transmission licensing law regulates any business transmitting 'monetary value.' Guidance is needed from state regulator defining clearly whether digital currency qualifies as 'monetary value,' until then coverage of digital currency activities is unclear.


Colorado (Denver): In Colorado, a bill was introduced in the Senate proposing the use of blockchain for governmental data security. S.B. 86 seeks to use the blockchain ledger feature for its ability to securely record transactions, and aims to “control functionality, track transactions, verify identities, support uniformity, resist tampering, enable logistical control for large numbers of participants, protect privacy, and support accountability and auditing.”


Connecticut (Hartford): crypto transaction fee bill


Delaware (Dover):


Florida (Tallahassee):


Georgia (Atlanta):


Hawaii (Honolulu): In Hawaii cryptocurrency trading platforms are required to hold an equal value of fiat funds to the aggregate value of funds held by customers. State Senator Mike Gabbard (Tulsi’s dad!) seems like a possibly ally.


Idaho (Boise): Idaho has offered helpful guidance or passed helpful legislation eliminating ambiguities surrounding digital currency and licensing law. Idaho’s digital currency guidance/legislation specifies that only activities involving fiat currency trigger a licensing requirement.


Illinois (Springfield): Considering measures which would implement blockchain technology for IDs and public asset management. Illinois has offered helpful guidance or passed helpful legislation eliminating ambiguities surrounding digital currency and licensing law. Illinois digital currency guidance/legislation specifies that only activities involving fiat currency trigger a licensing requirement.


Indiana (Indianapolis):


Iowa (De Moines):


Kansas (Topeka): Kansas has offered helpful guidance or passed helpful legislation eliminating ambiguities surrounding digital currency and licensing law. Kansas' digital currency guidance/legislation specifies that only activities involving fiat currency trigger a licensing requirement.


Kentucky (Frankfort):


Louisiana (Baton Rouge):


Maine (Augusta):


Maryland (Annapolis):


Massachusetts (Boston):


Michigan (Lansing):


Minnesota (St. Paul):


Mississippi (Jackson):


Missouri (Jefferson City):


Montana (Helena): Montana is the only state that does not regulate money transmission through licensing, nor do they regulate digital currency activities.


Nebraska (Lincoln): Currently considering 4 blockchain/crypto bills. Senator Blood introduced three of the bills: LB 691, or Nebraska Virtual Currency Money Laundering Act, would penalize those who knowingly commit illegal acts using cryptocurrency. (Support was withdrawn by Blood?) LB 694 would prohibit cities and counties from taxing or regulating distributed ledger technology. LB 695 would make smart contracts enforceable. LB 987, introduced by Senator Schumacher, would require a license for some blockchain-related business transactions, and is largely opposed by crypto community. NOTE: Nebraska has only a Senate


Nevada (Carson City):


New Hampshire (Concord): passed law in June exempting Bitcoin from the state’s money transmitter regulations. New Hampshire's digital currency guidance/legislation specifies that only activities involving fiat currency trigger a licensing requirement.


New Jersey (Trenton):


New Mexico (Santa Fe):


New York (Albany):


North Carolina (Raleigh): North Carolina has offered helpful guidance or passed helpful legislation eliminating ambiguities surrounding digital currency and licensing law. North Carolina law mandates licensing for digital currency custodians who don't also deal in fiat currencies.


North Dakota (Bismarck):


Ohio (Columbus):


Oklahoma (Oklahoma City):


Oregon (Salem):


Pennsylvania (Harrisburg):


Rhode Island (Providence):


South Carolina (Columbia):


South Dakota (Pierre):


Tennessee (Nashville): bills by Rep Powell looking to make crypto purchases legal on paper, not only to legitimize cryptocurrencies and smart contracts for electronic transactions but also “protect ownership rights of information secured by the same methods.” Tennessee has offered helpful guidance or passed helpful legislation eliminating ambiguities surrounding digital currency and licensing law. Tennessee’s digital currency guidance/legislation specifies that only activities involving fiat currency trigger a licensing requirement.


Texas (Austin): Texas offers helpful guidance or passed helpful legislation eliminating ambiguities surrounding digital currency and licensing law. Texas' digital currency guidance/legislation specifies that only activities involving fiat currency trigger a licensing requirement.


Utah (Salt Lake City):


Vermont (Montpelier): Vermont has offered helpful guidance or passed helpful legislation eliminating ambiguities surrounding digital currency and licensing law. Vermont law mandates licensing for digital currency custodians who don't also deal in fiat currencies.


Virginia (Richmond):


Washington (Olympia): Washington has offered helpful guidance or passed helpful legislation eliminating ambiguities surrounding digital currency and licensing law. Washington law mandates licensing for digital currency custodians who don't also deal in fiat currencies.


West Virginia (Charleston):


Wisconsin (Madison):


Wyoming (Cheyenne): 4 pro crypto bills being considered currently, offering tax exemptions. House Bills 19 and 70 would limit regulatory control over cryptocurrency trading. H.B. 19 would “clarify the provision that state regulators are currently relying on to bar the trading” while H.B. 70 “would clarify that traders are not subject to certain other state finance regulations.” H.B. 70 exempts cryptocurrency exchanges from legally being considered brokers or dealers. H.B. 70 exempts initial coin offering tokens issued on an open blockchain from Wyoming’s money transmitter and securities laws, as long as the token has not been marketed as an investment and is exchangeable for goods or services. Coinbase suspended services in Wyoming a couple of years ago and other platforms followed their decision because the states regulatory burdens have been too costly. The Wyoming Division of Banking requires cryptocurrency trading platforms to hold an equal value of fiat funds to the aggregate value of funds held by customers. Although has the same regulation, this response has not been typical in other states. The regulator in Wyoming has refused to make permissible investment accommodations for custodial digital currency companies. That makes running a compliant custodial business in Wyoming effectively impossible. There is a necessity in this state to define clearly whether digital currency qualifies as 'monetary value.’ H.B. 101 by Rep Olsen aims to make filing LLCs significantly easier for crypto companies. “Filing an LLC can be a burdensome process,” Lindholm explained, eager to streamline the process. Wyoming is first legislature in world to define that there’s a difference between a utility ICO and a security ICO, effectively recognizing crypto as new asset class.



Federal

US Treasury classified bitcoin as a convertible decentralized virtual currency in 2013. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission, classified bitcoin as a commodity in September 2015. Per IRS, bitcoin is taxed as a property. In September 2016, a federal judge ruled that "Bitcoins are funds within the plain meaning of that term".
 
Generally, I would be for something like this. But since this is outside my expertise I can't really comment on the proposal as such but it would be good to know a bit more about you and what makes you qualified to do this.
 
I have long thought that the Dash community should take a more pro-active approach to legislation that could drastically affect (one way or the other) Dash adoption. Up until now, we have been largely passive and reactive, and crossed our fingers a lot.

I am no fan of big government, but at the individual level, many of our legislators really do want to help. They just have no idea how to do it. It is not an uncommon event that the first couple of states that figure out a legislative solution to new event/problem xyz (in this case crypto) often become the model for the rest of the states. So, how the first few states take action can have a profound effect on the long term outcome.

And eventually, this can affect how the SEC acts toward crypto and Dash. So far, my impression of the SEC intention is not bad. They may actually be striving for a "light touch" much like they did with the internet initially. If that "light touch" approach continues, the traditional investment community (e.g. Wall Street) will come to see crypto and Dash as a legitimate new product, and a legitimate new investment vehicle. This would all be good for Dash.

If you can work with/convince the 4-6 states that are early adopters of crypto, this could legitimately and significantly shape the policy of the United States into something positive, or at least tolerable.

Keep talking....keep asking questions. And if you could describe your specific background, that would be lovely.
 
solarguy said:
It is not an uncommon event that the first couple of states that figure out a legislative solution to new event/problem xyz (in this case crypto) often become the model for the rest of the states. So, how the first few states take action can have a profound effect on the long term outcome. If you can work with/convince the 4-6 states that are early adopters of crypto, this could legitimately and significantly shape the policy of the United States into something positive, or at least tolerable.
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I completely agree with the above statement as well as your comment about the SEC, thank you Sir. You know how Things work
 
I want to look into which cryptocurrencies and crypto-industry companies may be a logical fit to team up with Dash's crypto lobby.. Coinbase is obvious.. but who else?
 
This is interesting, and way outside of my areas of experience. You've clearly been paying careful attention during your career, and you've clearly done your homework in preparing this pre-proposal. I have little doubt you would be successful in this sort of endeavor.

Of course the blockchain/cryptocurrency industry should be doing what they can to educate legislators and defend their right to do business, and I would be surprised if there wasn't already a crypto lobby. The Winklevoss twins with their Gemini exchange, Coinbase, and the other US based exchanges (Kraken?) must already have lobbyists, likely well funded as well. Not as well funded or connected as the banks of course.

I wonder whether or not Dash should get involved, or let those big exchanges and such fight that fight. Would it be a benefit to Dash that we are funding lobbyists, or would that damage the brand? Would we be seen as a leader in the crypto space because of this, or would it be that we are cozying up to the enemy? I wonder about the ripple effects.

At the very least, they (Coinbase, et al) would be smart to offer you a position lobbying for them. Maybe this is the start of a grand crypto coalition, led by Dash. Or maybe we're better off keeping our distance. One way or another you have a very bright future ahead of you.

On a technical note, would you really be able to sustain that compressed itinerary between all those states? If one thing goes wrong it would derail such a tight itinerary. I would like to see you double or even triple the time taken to reach the same audience, to give yourself some buffer. We also wouldn't want you to exhaust yourself is such a way, reducing your enthusiasm and effectiveness. Travel, even by air, is exhausting, at least to me. Just my two cents...

Looking forward to more input.
 
I never thought I'd be voting in favor of a lobbyist, but pragmatically it's a fantastic move for Dash. Though young, you've clearly got a lot of experience moving through those circles and have a lot of the right networking and connections already and you've clearly done your homework. I've no doubt you're capable of doing so, and you may have done this already--and to be clear, I'm not trying to sound patronizing--but one thing moving forward that will be essential is that you'll need to really learn the technological and philosophical underpinnings of Dash specifically and Cryptocurrency generally inside and out if you're going to make a persuasive case. It's great that you'll be assembling a team to support you in this process, but everyone involved who will actually be interacting with government officials needs to have a solid grasp. I can already think of several community members that would be valuable assets on a number of topics, but you shouldn't have any trouble finding willing and enthusiastic volunteers here if your proposal passes.

The other reason this is hugely important for Dash in particular is that Dash is literally the first in the cryptocurrency space and indeed in some respects the first organization in history to occupy its very peculiar space as a Decentralized Autonomous Organization with the capabilities and resources it has, and its legal standing as a Delaware Corporation, New Zealand Trust, etc. The unique socio-economic, political, and legal status of Dash make it uniquely resilient but also uniquely vulnerable to harmful regulation. If one of those pieces gets interrupted by regulatory obstacles, it could really mess up our whole operation, so getting out in front of these hurdles is *essential* for our continued existence.

Generally speaking, as with the other pre-proposal topic, you may find some resistance from the Anarchists and Libertarians among us, but I think even those of us of those persuasions can see the clear pragmatic benefits of having someone like you fighting those battles for us. That aside, your budget is quite reasonable with a much greater benefit to the network than a host of other projects we've funded, so that shouldn't be an issue. The one other suggestion I'd recommend is when you get to the actual proposal, try to be as concise as possible. I appreciate the rhetorical flourish as I am terminally verbose myself, but when it comes to voting time, MNOs have dozens of proposals to get through and some of us don't have the greatest attention spans. Videos/graphics are always a plus as well.

Other than that, I think this is a great opportunity and you have my full support.
 
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As a libertarian/voluntarist, I would especially be for this proposal. It is an attempt to restrain/guide the government from imposing more laws and limitations on our financial freedoms.

Yes, some may resist the idea of even talking to the beast. Meh, I'm a pragmatist. Less rules is less rules.
 
solarguy said:
As a libertarian/voluntarist, I would especially be for this proposal. It is an attempt to restrain/guide the government from imposing more laws and limitations on our financial freedoms.

Yes, some may resist the idea of even talking to the beast. Meh, I'm a pragmatist. Less rules is less rules.
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That's how I see it as well
 
Please do connect me with those you believe are a match for my team, I continuously increase my knowledge of the issues I'd like to confront but adding those to the team with years of daily interaction with the underpinnings of Dash specifically and Cryptocurrency is just what my plan needs to be successful

And yeah, about resistance from the Anarchists and Libertarians, I could see that happening and understand where that is coming from, I myself detest the machine, I have no political affiliation, but I've concluded that the best I can do in this life is make the machine work for me instead of against me

Oh, and thank you for the good feedback about what to include with proposal submission. I believe it's important for me to be very visible about who I am, I'm thinking that I'll include my professional headshots, cut down the garrulous intro (which parts do you think are unnecessary that I could cut out?), and be more concise with a budget calculations adding in some costs that I originally didn't think of and making that all visible with a spreadsheet
 
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Unstoppable said:
I wonder whether or not Dash should get involved, or let those big exchanges and such fight that fight. Would it be a benefit to Dash that we are funding lobbyists, or would that damage the brand? Would we be seen as a leader in the crypto space because of this, or would it be that we are cozying up to the enemy? I wonder about the ripple effects.

  • My hope would be that those in the crypto space are smart enough to see we aren't cozying up to the enemy. The situation is more so analogous to when Uber and Lyft were banned from certain cities, and they had to send in lobbyists, etc. to fight back against taxi lobby. The situations are similar in that the general public reads in the press about the issue at hand and most (educated and progressive) people see that the new innovative service being offered is simply defending their right to offer those services. That (should) be how crypto space perceives these efforts. As an aside, the meetings i would be scheduling would private in nature, it is likely that my behind the scenes work won't become a talking point in crypto space

At the very least, they (Coinbase, et al) would be smart to offer you a position lobbying for them. Maybe this is the start of a grand crypto coalition, led by Dash. Or maybe we're better off keeping our distance. One way or another you have a very bright future ahead of you.

  • Yes I also see the crypto coalition possibilities and love that Dash would have clout if they founded said coalition

On a technical note, would you really be able to sustain that compressed itinerary between all those states? If one thing goes wrong it would derail such a tight itinerary. I would like to see you double or even triple the time taken to reach the same audience, to give yourself some buffer. We also wouldn't want you to exhaust yourself is such a way, reducing your enthusiasm and effectiveness. Travel, even by air, is exhausting, at least to me. Just my two cents...

  • I completely agree. I'm making some edits as we speak to itinerary, it is not a realistic one or if it is, it would be awful

Looking forward to more input.
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Just want to jump in here and offer my 2 uD

I first met gerundo, in person, a few months ago in Austin through my network and we talked extensively about the political lobbying process. I left those those conversations so thoroughly impressed by both her knowledge and first hand experience that I urged her to come work for the DAO. She has literally sat at the front desk during countless lobbyist meetings with high powered politicians where she overheard entire conversations and gained a first hand grasp on how this system really, actually works behind closed doors. Not to mention she's a straight-A poli sci grad.

Perhaps Dash cannot afford a multi million dollar high powered lobby firm yet. But in my opinion we also cannot afford not to have a seat at the table as laws and legislations are being written by lawmakers across the US. We have not yet missed our opportunity.

Perhaps the perfect starting point is a brilliant, scrappy political science grad with a few years of lobbying experience to get hyper informed on absolutely every law and legislation passed or being written, chart out all the lawmakers involved in crypto right now and start getting some meetings where we educate these lawmakers. She'll find the ones that are sympathetic to our cause. She'll work with Core and MNOs to figure out what kind of agenda they want pursued. DAO/Core will have the option of sending one or more representatives to said meetings.

Further, the idea of forming a broader political lobbying, bringing in Coinbase and others, could have astounding overwhelming benefit to the Network and Dash can be at the center of it all.

I don't think anyone can deny the ability for this to snowball into something massive.

Thanks for the pre-proposal gerundo, I know you've been working hard on it.
 
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solarguy said:
You should get to know the people over at Coin Center and see how much overlap there is, and potential for cooperative action:
v
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I've learned lots from following the stuff Coin Center's Peter Valkenburgh writes online.. I think I should add to my proposal my explicit intention to reach out to Coin Center and Digital Chamber of Commerce to see if there is that cooperative potential
 
gerundo said:
Please do connect me with those you believe are a match for my team, I continuously increase my knowledge of the issues I'd like to confront but adding those to the team with years of daily interaction with the underpinnings of Dash specifically and Cryptocurrency is just what my plan needs to be successful
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I'll send you some names, but by all means, ask around, others may know of people more qualified/knowledgeable.

gerundo said:
And yeah, about resistance from the Anarchists and Libertarians, I could see that happening and understand where that is coming from, I myself detest the machine, I have no political affiliation, but I've concluded that the best I can do in this life is make the machine work for me instead of against me
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Fair enough, I think that perspective will go over pretty well, especially since you're not coming from any particular partisan affiliation, shouldn't be an issue.

gerundo said:
Oh, and thank you for the good feedback about what to include with proposal submission. I believe it's important for me to be very visible about who I am, I'm thinking that I'll include my professional headshots, cut down the garrulous intro (which parts do you think are unnecessary that I could cut out?), and be more concise with a budget calculations adding in some costs that I originally didn't think of and making that all visible with a spreadsheet
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I don't think the intro was unnecessarily long-winded or over-the-top, I just meant a lot of MNOs may not read a wall of text, unfortunately, so the more you can condense and add visual emphasis and formatting to ensure skimmers hit the main points, the greater likelihood you'll be understood well enough for people to cast appropriate votes. Really, though, just a suggestion toward optimizing your message for your target audience, your proposal has a lot going for it and very few downsides.
 
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