Monthly Archives: September 2007

Today’s Downsizer Dispatch . . .::::::Amplify your voice. Forward this to others.::::::Quote of the Day:::::::We’ve featured this quote a lot. We need to do so again . . .::::::“The nationalist not only does not disapprove of atrocities committed by his own side, he has a remarkable capacity for not even hearing about them.”:::~ George Orwell::::::Subject: Your questions answered::::::Our readers have been asking questions. Here are some answers . . .

Today’s Downsizer-Dispatch . . .::::::Congress passed relatively few bills last week, as each chamber took a couple of days off.  [The bills are listed at the bottom of this message, below my signature] Most of the bills named a piece of federal property after a particular individual. For instance, one bill designated a portion of Interstate Route 395 “Cal Ripken Way.” Congress passes hundreds of bills like that every year. In their final, printed form, these bills are usually one page each.
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:::We like one-page bills. They are the next best thing to no bills at all. They are short and to the point. But there’s something odd about this process.   
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:::You see, the Senate also passed H.R. 3074, a 164-page bill funding Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and “related” agencies, costing taxpayers many tens of billions of dollars. If it takes a separate bill every time Congress wants to name a stretch of road or a post office after somebody, shouldn’t Congress also have a separate bill to fund each federal department and agency?
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:::When Congress passes a large, multi-subject funding bill, we know that most members probably didn’t like many parts of the bill, yet felt obliged to vote for it in order to keep “essential” services running. We also know that the larger the bill, the less likely it was actually read before Congress passed it. This means the taxpayers were not represented. This means they were cheated. That is why we need the Read the Bills Act.
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:::Under the Read the Bills Act, each bill must be read in its entirety before a quorum in both the House and the Senate. This will force Congress to write shorter bills, which means they will stop combining unrelated subjects into the same bill. Unpopular provisions couldn’t be secretly inserted into otherwise popular and necessary legislation. Moreover, each bill will be posted on the Internet for seven days before being voted on, so there will be time for Congress to receive feedback from the people.

Amplify your voice. Forward this to others.::::::Quote of the Day:::::::“If tyranny and oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. Of all the enemies to public liberty, war is perhaps the most to be dreaded because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes; and armies, and debts, and taxes are the known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few. The loss of liberty at home is to be charged to the provisions against danger, real or imagined, from abroad.” ::: — James Madison::::::Subject: Congress to vote on important bill::::::Congress may take action this week to change the so-called “Protect America Act” which permits warrantless Federal spying on American citizens. ::::::We are joining a number of organizations to write and call Congress this week requesting that they repeal this law, and/or change it in specific ways, as follows . . .

Today’s Downsizer Dispatch . . .::::::Amplify your voice. Forward this message to others.::::::Quote of the Day:::::::“It is incumbent on a great nation to remain confident, if it wishes to remain free. We need not be ignorant to real threats to our safety, against which we must remain vigilant. We need only to banish to the ash heap of history the notion that we ought to be ruled by our fears and those who use them to enhance their own power.”::: – Congressman Ron Paul::::::Subject: Bill to restore habeas corpus, plus, more on Iran::::::Senators Leahy and Specter are pushing a bill to restore habeas corpus for prisoners of the so-called war on terror. They are the ranking Democrat and Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. They have the institutional standing to bring their measure to a vote.

In this broadcast, Jim Babka returns to the microphone after a three-week absence. His topic: Is constitutional ignorance really the problem? The show contains great insights from Jim, plus a number of good callers. You can listen to the show by clicking the attachment below.

URGENT ACTION REQUIRED!::::::Subject: The immediate mortal danger of attacking Iran::::::There is increasing evidence that President Bush intends to bomb Iran. This would . . .::::::* Reverse the progress we have made with Iranian public opinion:::* Further entrench the Iranian Muslim regime:::* Further radicalize the Muslim population across the Middle East:::* Recruit countless numbers of new terrorists:::* Place us in a state of irreversible war with Iran and its people:::* Threaten oil shipments from the Persian gulf::::::The combined impact would be to destabilize the entire region, fostering bin Laden’s goal of creating radical Islamist regimes throughout the area. Most chilling is the potential impact on Pakistan.

Is Constitutional Ignorance Really the Problem?

Today’s Downsizer Dispatch . . .::::::Amplify your voice. Share this message with friends . . .::::::Quote of the Day:::::::‘The past isn’t dead. It isn’t even past.’::: — William Faulkner::::::Media Notice: Jim Babka will appear on the Jerry Hughes show today. Details are at the end of this message::::::Subject: The Future::::::President Bush revealed our future last night. He has no intention of leaving Iraq, and the Democrats lack the votes to make him withdraw. U.S. forces will be in Iraq past January 20, 2009, when a new President is inaugurated. That’s another 16 months.::::::We will be in Iraq even longer than that. Even if the new President wants to leave, it will take several more months to do so. The U.S. may be there for as long as another two years. ::::::But it could get worse. President Bush wants us to stay in Iraq forever, like we have in Korea. He may get his way, no matter who wins the election in 2008. The same dynamics will still be at work on January 20, 2009. The new President will be afraid to be the one who lost Iraq. We have been here before.

Today’s Downsizer-Dispatch…:::Last week, the Senate passed 2 bills, amounting to 519 pages of legislation. The House passed 14 bills totaling 261 pages. In addition, the Senate passed 10 non-binding resolutions and the House passed 14. [The bills are listed below, after my signature] These resolutions express Congress’s opinion about something it can’t do anything about. Each House of Congress passes hundreds of these resolutions every year. These resolutions are usually useless and wasteful, because time spent drafting and considering them takes away time that could be spent reading and considering bills that become law.
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:::Indeed, five House bills went to a roll call vote last week, while nine passed by voice vote – meaning you can’t find out how your own Representative voted.

Jerry Hughes did me a real favor by agreeing to guest host my Sunday radio show, the Downsize DC Conference Call, brought to you by Gun Owners of America and DownsizeDC.org. ::::::Jerry is so good at being a radio host — he’s such a natural — that there’s sheer joy just in listening to him. I could pay attention to him reading the ingredients of various generic condiments. ::::::But this show was “gooder” than that. ::::::At the end of most of my personal emails,