Bruce,
Thanks for your response. Actually, I did not say that the LNC should cut the size of the LPHQ staff. I said that the LPHQ staff could move into a cheaper office and do only the tasks that they are in a better position to do than the state and local affiliates.
If I were on the LNC and were convinced that $25 is not enough to cover the costs of recruiting and maintaining a member, even in a cheaper office with staff focused on core functions, I would consider a dues increase. However, the fact that the national LP has been spending hundreds of thousands of dollars per year on ballot access makes me wonder whether some of the dues have been subsidizing ballot access.
I have made donations to the LP for special projects in the past, and I will do so in the future if I hear of good ones, but I don't want the dues to subsidize any pet projects of national staff.
Kelly