Won't work, ironically (because I associate Glenn Beck and the tea party movement with libertarianism) because I believe for the most part and in aggregate, people are rational and self interested.
The problem we have with charity and other public sharing of wealth is the free rider problem. You could make a difference by donating a dollar, but it's not like it's going to hurt that much if I don't donate since other people will.
Sure, in the short term, if you have some kind of spark (a disaster, media coverage, the holidays) donations will boost, and there will be some individuals who donate. But will it be to the extent we need to have a proper social safety net? No.
And to be honest, if voluntary charity grows enough to be enough, what's the change? Our government is fucking democratically elected, taxation is voluntary. And if people are going to stop forgetting that we are a nation bound by a common identity and sense of decency, and that stability is needed in order to have democracy and the free market, to start voting radicals into our government, I am not confident that those same people are going to fucking donate to charity.
