Monthly Archives: July 2007

Today’s Downsizer Dispatch . . .::::::Quote of the Day:::::::“There has not been one verified case of civil liberties abuse.” :::– Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, April 27, 2005.::::::Subject: Taking new steps to Downsize DC::::::Downsize DC’s three year anniversary is near at hand. With it will come many new things. ::::::* We will launch a refurbished website with a powerful new Congressional Contact System. :::* We will launch the “One Subject at a Time Act.” :::* We will begin doing new types of campaigns::::::We are learning from our successes.::::::* More votes have gone our way in Congress:::* Our Army is growing:::* Our ideas are starting to penetrate the Congressional Echo Chamber::::::June was perhaps our best month all year. We recruited 930 new Downsizers, which was only 8 shy of January’s high-water mark. ::::::On top of that, we slammed Congress with 47,109 messages — THE MOST EVER. ::::::We also made budget. ::::::We’re ahead of last year’s pace for recruitment by 1,117, and for messages by 56,523. ::::::Our monthly pledges are also at an all-time high (you can add to the success by contributing here).::::::And as if that’s not enough, Congress is starting to hear and heed our message about reading their bills. We’re still a long way from forcing them to introduce the “Read the Bills Act,” let alone pass it. But every day my Inbox sees Google-news items in which commentators, members of Congress, and even the President invoke the “Read the Bills” concept.

Today’s Downsizer Dispatch . . .::::::Quote of the Day:::::::”Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is, never try.” — Homer Simpson::::::Subject: Beta testers needed for new DownsizeDC.org website and Congressional Contact System::::::Well, we’ve been trying for a long time now, and we think we’ve finally succeeded. So take that Homer Simpson!::::::Of course, we could be wrong, in ways both large and small, which is why we need people to help us test what we’ve done.::::::We are about to unveil a totally revamped website for DownsizeDC.org. And a totally beefed-up Congressional Contact System too. We need dedicated Downsizers to help us test it before we show it to everyone else.

Today’s Downsizer-Dispatch . . .::::::Quote of the Day:
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:::”If it’s just not practical to expect them to know exactly what they’re voting on… ummm… shouldn’t we change the system so it is practical?” – Ben Smith, Fighting Words Blog
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:::How They Voted
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:::Many people are wondering which Senators voted for and against the cloture vote that defeated the Immigration Bill. The roll call vote is available for all to see here.
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:::That same week (June 25-30), the House passed 15 bills totaling 338 pages, and the Senate passed 5 bills totaling 22 pages. We provide bill descriptions, the length of the bills, and links to roll call votes at the end of this post, below my signature.
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:::If you don’t believe members of Congress actually read the bills they voted for, tell them to pass the Read the Bills Act here.
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:::You can learn more about the Read the Bills Act here.
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:::RTBA Coalition
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:::The Read the Bills Act Coalition is an effortless way for blogs, talk shows, and other websites to spread the word about the Read the Bills Act. By joining the Coalition, you will be added to the roll at DownsizeDC blog.
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:::If you would like to add your site to the Read the Bills Act Coalition, find out more here.
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:::We have two new members this week:
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:::Liberty and Accessibility
:::Days of Infamy
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:::Tune In
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:::Also, Downsize DC President Jim Babka is on the radio again for his regular Friday appearance with Jerry Hughes. They’re going to discuss voter disgust and how we can win on Real ID.

Hey, this show might bore you a little. After all, it’s full of technical detail about an excruciatingly mundane issue — campaign finance deform (yes, I meant to spell it that way). ::::::Frankly, I think the enemies of democracy want us so bored that they can do whatever they want to us and we won’t lift a finger to stop them. ::::::But this issue is important! …and it needed to be discussed. ::::::First, because we (the Downsize DC Team) were successful in yet another fight to Downsize DC (it’s starting to be a trend). ::::::And second, because this issue, campaign finance regulation, is the single largest explanatory factor behind our inability to change DC via the ballot box: It’s the Pareto Principle applied to the question, “Why are incumbents so easily re-elected?”::::::Please listen. Please learn. The mp3 of this episode is “attached,” at the end of this blog post. ::::::Oh, and I promised, during the show, I’d link to these two items. Even if you don’t have time to listen, please read this stuff. ::::::Source article for today’s Gun Owners of America Update. ::::::Perry Willis’ “What you should know about our election system”

Lies, Damned Lies, and The New York Times