Yearly Archives: 2007

Today’s Downsizer-Dispatch . . .:::From around the Web:
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:::”This year a Democratic majority took power on Capitol Hill. But new leadership has done nothing to address an old problem: Lawmakers racing to pass bills they haven’t actually read.” – Ed Feulner, Washington Times
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:::We most certainly agree. Last week, the Senate passed 314 pages of legislation. Not to be outdone, the House passed a whopping 646 pages. If the parties won’t change, we must change the process. And that is why we are pressuring Congress to pass the Read the Bills Act.
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:::”[Rep. Bill ]Johnson said the new [SCHIP] bill was a political ploy. It was about 300 pages long and introduced around midnight the night before with ‘zero input’ from moderate Republicans who didn’t even know it was coming, he said.’We had, literally, an hour to look at it, read 300 pages,’ he added. – Debra Pressey, News-Gazette
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:::Rep. Johnson, we applaud your conscientious concern about not having time to read the bill before voting on it. Does this mean we can expect you to vote against any bill you haven’t read? Does this mean we can expect you to introduce the Read the Bills Act?

Subject: Good numbers::::::We’ve had good growth this month . . .

Small footprint, big impact

Subject: FISA strategy::::::Okay, we’re coming to the decision point of our fight to repeal the bad aspects of the so-called “Protect America Act” (PAA) Remember, the PAA violates the 4th Amendment by permitting government spying on American citizens without a warrant. ::::::Here’s what we need to do . . .

What’s happening on Sunday’s Downsize DC Conference Call (radio show)?
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:::Potluck. Or, as my friends Ian and Mark would say, “free talk.” How are some suggestions . . .
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:::* Why is Downsize DC so great?
:::* Why did cough syrup go up by a $1 this week?
:::* How will Downsize DC save the world?
:::* Which political cliché do you hate the most?
:::* Who is the most overrated politician and why?
:::* Whose the worst TV commentator and why?
:::* In a just world would Jim Babka be President? Why or why not?
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:::But those are just suggestions.
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:::I don’t have much idea what I’m going to talk about, except . . .

Today’s Downsizer Dispatch . . .::::::Subject: Urgent Saturday Action Item::::::We don’t normally send you Saturday action items, but some of our allies have just alerted us that we need to do so today.

Today’s Downsizer Dispatch . . .::::::Recruit more Downsizers. Share this message with others.::::::Quote of the Day:::::::“You can’t negotiate when you tell the other side, ‘Give us what a negotiation would produce before the negotiations start.'”::: – Colin Powell (in reference to negotiations with Iran)::::::Subject: The Spending Bomb::::::When we first began campaigning against our government’s violent foreign policy many wrote to ask us what this had to do with Downsizing DC. We responded by pointing out that war is usually the number one cause of government growth. Here is a very big FACT to support our case . . .

This is important. Please, please, please, forward this message far and wide.::::::Quote of the Day:::::::“Should we wander [from the essential principles of our government] in moments of error or alarm, let us hasten to retrace our steps and regain the road which alone leads to peace, liberty, and safety.”::: – Thomas Jefferson, upon repealing the “Alien and Sedition Acts”::::::Subject: Support Ron Paul’s “American Freedom Agenda Act of 2007”::::::This is what we’ve been waiting for. Please forward this message far and wide. Make sure everyone knows about it. The “American Freedom Agenda Act” is a bill . . .

State, county, and municipal governments were not intended to be administrative districts of a powerful national government. They are supposed to be self-governing and accountable to the people.
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:::We don’t see that today. Where the federal government does not have direct control, it provides grants to state and local governments. And the grants come with strings attached. To receive the money, governments must comply with federal requirements.
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:::Two recent episodes of the crime drama “The Closer” illustrate this. In the first, a Los Angeles Police Department homicide unit must undergo WMD training, spending the entire day in HazMat suits while they’re trying to investigate a murder. They had to do this in order for the Department to receive federal funds. In the second, a Homeland Security auditor was murdered. One LADP accountant did not mourn her death, saying that he spent most of his time complying with federal requirements even though federal dollars funded just a tiny portion of their budget. Federal funding = more bureaucracy.
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:::Unfortunately, state and local governments are addicted to federal funds, even if it must be spent on things they don’t need. So they jump through the hoops to receive it. Without federal funding, local politicians must make the difficult decision of cutting spending or raising taxes. Federal funding discourages fiscal discipline, mis-allocates resources, creates waste, and makes government bigger at all levels. Federal funding also makes state and local government accountable to the federal government, not to the people.
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:::Downsize DC’s Read the Bills Act will help put an end to this undemocratic way of governing.

In case you missed it, or if you want to hear it again, the latest episode of Jim Babka’s weekly radio show is now available. Jim’s topic, as we mentioned in Saturday’s post, is Blowback: Is Rudy or Ron Paul Right?::::::To listen to the show, just click the attachment below.::::::