Mark (Hinkle),
Your "lessons" of keeping delegate convention pricing reasonable and optional are good ones. I believe these lessons can also be applied to how we handle dues -- have a minimum suggested annual dues level, encourage people to contribute, and offer extras to those who do (e.g. LP News, laminated membership cards, etc.), just don't require anyone to pay dues in order to participate as a voting member of our party. As our national bylaws state (Article 5, Section 1), "Members of the Party shall be those persons who have certified in writing that they oppose the initiation of force to achieve political or social goals."
It has been suggested that our allowing people to vote on setting party policy, selecting party leaders, etc., without having paid dues money could leave us open to a hostile takeover by Republicans or others. But a more effective way of minimizing this danger -- Republicans are, after all, often known for having deep pockets -- would be to restrict voting membership to persons with strongly libertarian views (e.g. perhaps scoring no lower than 85/85 on the Nolan Chart).
We can't fully claim to be the "Party of Principle" as long as we sell voting rights within our organization rather than awarding them strictly on the basis of commitment to freedom.
Love & Liberty,
((( starchild )))