These are two different issues. Donating money to any politician you want should be fine.
Bribary, where in this case Michael improperly helps Martha would still be ilegal. But just because donations could lead to illegal acts doesn't mean the donations themselves should be banned.
This is another point of libertarianism (again the philosophy not the party) which says that people should be convicted of actual crimes, not restricted or punished for things which might *lead* to criminal activity (which is, in theory, everything).
Welcome to the wacky world of the Libertarian Party...
As a small "l" libertarian, I have some affinity for the party, but it appears to constantly shoot itself in the foot. Doing things which will appear dumb on the outside, even if they are principled.
I know its good to stick to oyur principles and I admire them for that, but sometimes they need to do a better PR job.
I'm pretty sure libterians would have no problem with any *citizen* non-voters giving any amount of money they choose to any politician they wish.
Its a voluntary transaction between two individuals.
A long running libertarian theme (notice I am using the small "l" here) is that the government uses its own devices to perpetuate its own power.
If there's one thing the two major parties agree on, its that competition is bad. They are stuck with each other, but the last thing they want are other major parties forming to threaten their dominance.
What the Libertarian Party's actions seem to be consistant with that.
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These are two different issues. Donating money to any politician you want should be fine. Bribary, where in this case Michael improperly helps Martha would still be ilegal. But just because donations could lead to illegal acts doesn't mean the donations themselves should be banned. This is another point of libertarianism (again the philosophy not the party) which says that people should be convicted of actual crimes, not restricted or punished for things which might *lead* to criminal activity (which is, in theory, everything).
Welcome to the wacky world of the Libertarian Party... As a small "l" libertarian, I have some affinity for the party, but it appears to constantly shoot itself in the foot. Doing things which will appear dumb on the outside, even if they are principled. I know its good to stick to oyur principles and I admire them for that, but sometimes they need to do a better PR job.
hmmm....need to check that preview thingy more carefully. Although the Lib-terian party might still be better than what we have now.
I'm pretty sure libterians would have no problem with any *citizen* non-voters giving any amount of money they choose to any politician they wish. Its a voluntary transaction between two individuals.
A long running libertarian theme (notice I am using the small "l" here) is that the government uses its own devices to perpetuate its own power. If there's one thing the two major parties agree on, its that competition is bad. They are stuck with each other, but the last thing they want are other major parties forming to threaten their dominance. What the Libertarian Party's actions seem to be consistant with that.
mswietek at adelphia dot net (spam bots be damned : ) Thanks!
I'd like one too. I may be stupid, but at least I'm dumb...