A Third Party?

[Denny Crane]

Just pointing out that the majority of independents and libertarians do not believe in mythical super-daddies. They believe in individual human beings who are personally responsible for their actions.

Not entirely true.

We libertarians believe in charity, just that it should be private.

 

[MARIS61]

Not entirely true.

We libertarians believe in charity, just that it should be private.

Must be a brand new yet untried idea because if Americans were truly charitable and compassionate there would be no need for social services, nor would there be any billionaires.

 

[Minstrel]

I'd be all for more parties that were actually viable in major elections. With two, entrenched parties, a lot of things are in stone and the arguments are at the margins.

Let's have a little competition to benefit us consumers!

 

[Denny Crane]

Must be a brand new yet untried idea because if Americans were truly charitable and compassionate there would be no need for social services, nor would there be any billionaires.

You are quite mistaken. People have historically donated 10% to charity (the church, whatever), if not more. With an economy the size of the USA's, that's roughly enough to pay for social security and medicare.

As for the billionaires, the rich and very rich don't pay so much in taxes since their wealth is typically in stock or ownership of some company or companies (equity, not cash or income). However, they've historically been quite generous when donating to charities and other philanthropic endeavors. Like David Hewlett (of Hewlett-Packard) donating $billions to Stanford over the years, the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, etc. Even Ken Lay (Enron's CEO) donated large sums to charity while times were good for him. And when they survey IRS tax returns, they find that those who make $1M donate 15% or more on average.

You have any other theories?

 

[jlprk]

We need many parties, so everyone can pick one which represents him as exactly as possible. But it works only in coalition politics. If 1-2 parties are much bigger than all the rest, it doesn't work.