Why does the Socialist Party USA require members to pay dues?
A political party – no less than any other institution – is answerable to those who pay their bills. Consider the experience of a typical delegate to the 2008 Democratic Convention in Denver. At one point, he walked in to a city hall and freely registered as a Democrat. It cost him nothing to do so. When he traveled to Denver for his party’s convention in the Pepsi Center, he received a bag filled with all kinds of goodies. Printed on every bag were the corporate “sponsors” for the convention – IBM, AT&T, and Coca-Cola. He paid nothing for that. Each evening he could attend any one of hundreds of convention parties hosted by big pharmaceutical companies, insurance corporations, banks, and military contractors. He paid nothing for that. It should be obvious that the Democrats (as well as the Republicans, of course) reward those who pay their bills. The Socialist Party USA does not enjoy that kind of corporate backing. Our costs are borne by our members. Dues are collected by the nationa
