Ok, Marty, last one for the day, I promise....

I've been wondering... how on earth do the Liberals punch so far above their weight when this broken election system doesn't even grant them party status (and the funds required for crucial research staff).

Marty Marantz to the rescue. Again. He's great, eh?

I read his post about Manitoba Liberals taking the vote tax. Now I'm thinking... hmmm... do we want the Liberals to have a researcher or two on staff, paid for by the public?

Ya' think??

Then I think, don't the two 'official parties' (PC, NDP) already get a bunch of the same kind of money just because they have more than 5 seats??

Then my little brain thinks, whoa, hey Marty... you turned down the cash for votes because you _already get a bunch of cash from the public for research staff, etc._

Now Marty explains it a wee bit differently (maybe he forgot about his party's public cash, lets give the guy a little latitude, right?)

"Historically, political parties and individual politicians have raised money through private donations. Having to raise money by way of donations forces a politician to engage with the public and persuade them to support his or her ideas with their pocketbooks."

Umm... 'persuade them' Marty?

I wonder if Marty would write about how the NDP 'persuades' its 'private supporters' to financially support NDP ideas? I'll bet he could write us a tell-all book about it. Heck, a bunch of us could write that book.

The missing manual on how the PC's 'persuade' supporters with their ideas isn't holding anyone in suspense, either. Common folks seem to know who the hard-core supporters of the PC party are, and what it takes to pursuade them to part with the contents of their pocketbooks.

(Did I mention I just got a letter from David Asper....?)

Hey Marty, it isn't your ideas they fund, ok? The fiscal conservatives that outspend the NDP... right.

We'll support a party that punches above its weight, maybe more gladly than one that punches waaayyy below its weight, ok Marty?

Cool.

(Hey, Blue Rod. Get back in the game, please. This nonsense has to stop.)