About Us

Our Mission

 

We advocate…

  • Limiting government to defensive purposes only (such as criminal justice)

  • Leaving people free to follow their own conscience, provided they respect the equal rights of others to do the same

  • Rejecting “good intentions” as an acceptable reason for politicians to initiate force

 

We derive these approaches from the Zero Aggression Principle:

Don’t aggress against others personally or politically.

We support legislation that reduces initiated or excessive force. We oppose that which retains or increases this violence. But you don’t have to agree with us on every issue to participate. You can support our proposals when you agree and oppose them when you disagree. To learn more…

  • Subscribe to our email newsletter

  • Follow us on Facebook

  • Review our legislative proposals

 

Exactly how do we plan to Downsize DC?

Read our innovative strategy — The Downsize DC Vision

Our Team

Board of Directors: Gary Nolan (Chair – Missouri), Jim Babka (Ohio), Rick Wiggins (North Carolina)

Corporate Officers: Jim Babka, President; Linda Slack, Treasurer

Full-time Management Team: Jim Babka, President; Perry Willis, Vice President

Full-time Staff: Kandy Cowling, Office Manager

Support Team: Mike Neuliep, Server Manager; Howard Salter & Landon Cahow, Webmasters; Lisa Talcott, Production Assistant; Susanne DiPuccio, Office Assistant

Additional Programming: Shortcreek Strategy

 

Your Questions

These important documents may answer your questions . . .

  • Technical & Site Usage FAQ (see below)

  • Downsize DC Strategies FAQ (see below)

——————–

We have two FAQs. Please review to see if we have already fashioned an answer to your question…

 

Technical & Site Usage FAQ

 

1) How do I unsubscribe from your email newsletter?

 

Downsize DC Strategies FAQ

 

1) I love your work. You should get on the (fill-in-the-blank) show.

2) Do members of Congress really pay attention to electronic messages?

3) Why do you require registration?

 

Technical & Site Usage FAQ

 

If you have a problem that isn’t dealt with below, please send us an email at comments@DownsizeDC.org

 

1) How do I unsubscribe from your email newsletter?

 

Does the email address in the footer of the newsletter belong to you? If yes, click on the unsubscribe link next to it. If that link doesn’t work, send your unsubscribe request to comments@DownsizeDC.org.


If the email address doesn’t belong to you, that means the newsletter was forwarded to you by a friend. You don’t want to unsubscribe your friend! Instead, simply let that friend know that you don’t value receiving our material.

Downsize DC Strategies FAQ

 

Below are some answers to common questions on the Downsize DC approach. If you’re having a technical issue, please consult our Technical and Site Usage FAQ.

 

1) I love your work. You should get on the (fill-in-the-blank) show.

 

Thanks for your support and interest. Tell your favored show that you want them to interview us. Most shows like to know about things that interest their audience. You have far more influence over them than we do. Call or write your favorite show and ask them to book us. Our proposals like the Read the Bills Act and the One Subject at a Time Act make great “fodder” for talk shows. They can reach our press department at Pressroom@DownsizeDC.org

 

2) Do members of Congress really pay attention to electronic messages?

 

Doesn’t Congress treat emails like spam? First, our Engagement Toolbox does NOT send “emails.” It fills out the web forms located at each Congressperson’s website. These days, Congressional websites require both address and reCAPTCHA verification.

 

Second, these days, Congress receives most of its “letters” electronically.

 

Third, politicians spend lots of money on polls to learn what their constituents are thinking. Given that, why would they ignore you when you take the time to give them your thoughts for free?

 

Now, it’s true that no member of Congress can read all the messages he or she receives. But their staff does read them, and, most important of all, they count the positions their constituents take on the issues. So think of your messages to Congress as another way of voting.

 

And if you really want to have an impact, use our system to phone in your instructions to Congress. Phone calls have even more influence.

 

3) Why do you require me to provide personal contact information?

 

  • First, we need the information to identify who your reps are

  • Second, we use the information to fill out the forms at the Congressional websites that let you tell your reps what you want

  • Third, your reps use this information to verify that you’re a constituent when you write to them

  • Fourth, we’ll use that information to make it easier to send future messages to your reps

  • Fifth, we’ll send you updates about pending legislation and votes

 

4) How is DownsizeDC.org funded?

 

Contributions to DownsizeDC.org are NOT tax-deductible, even though DownsizeDC.org is a 501(c)(4) non-profit, public education organization.

 

Downsize DC accepts no government funding. We are funded entirely through the generosity of private donors. In 2016…

 

  • 73% of our funding came from one-time donations

  • 27% of our funding came from monthly pledgers. Our smallest monthly pledges are $1, while our largest pledges were $148 and $250 per month. Our average monthly pledge was $14

 

DownsizeDC.org shares office facilities and staff with the Downsize DC Foundation (Kent White, Chair).

 

You can help fund our work by making a donation or starting a monthly pledge using our secure online form

 

As a general policy, we do not answer specific questions about our finances beyond what we’ve described here. For more information about our budget, we seriously recommend you become a subscriber to our email newsletter. Newsletter subscribers know that we’re quite open about our budget need and progress, and that we constantly demonstrate what we’re accomplishing.

Downsize DC was originally launched July 14, 2004, as the work product of these four co-founders

Jim Babka
Harry Browne (1933–2006)
Steve Dasbach
Perry Willis

Re-Founders, 2016
The people who made this current website possible…

Brian Thomson,  Dougin Walker,  Larry Ryan,  Jann Werner,  Ken Whedbee,  Bill Staton,  Bruce Sawicki,  Virginia Schilling,  Jean McCrady,  Ferdinand Reinke,  David Mason,  Robert Stern,  Beau Branson,  Rob Chrisman,  Bruce Morton,  Peter Cappello,  Bill Haynes,  Leo Hamel,  Robert Lehman,  Dwight Baker,  William Hees,  Allan Higgins,  Bruce Liddel,  Nicholas Hasulak,  Robert Hart Jr,  Martin Anding,  William Buzzell,  Albert Pigeon,  David Rempel,  Carl Case,  Wilma Sinclair,  Daniel Laux,  Scott Mosher,  David Kaup,  John Fehsenfeld,  Rob Miller,  Stephanie Adams,  Joe Cobb,  Elijah Henry,  David King,  Eric Olivas,  Jonathan Sauer,  Mary Swim,  Andy Williams,  Travis Walston,  Steven Castrechino,  James E Mayer Jr.,  Michael Burks,  John Sparduto,  Richard Loomis,  Andrew Borom,  R Hilliard,  Gerry Benton,  Marc Bessent,  John Bitner,  Richard Browning,  Alan Eames,  Joshua Horstman,  Victoria Kelley,  Erik Lindborg,  Benjamin Moyes,  David Rowntree,  James Smith,  Larry Stuppy,  Edward Wright,  Deborah Bishop,  Michael Gibbs,  David Jeffries,  Tim Kaelin,  Michael Newsome,  Christopher Norbury,  Mel Pinney,  John Hathaway,  Marjorie Peters,  Jaret Osborne,  Charles Lankford,  Kendra Robb,  Jim Compton,  Michael Stoll,  Howard Beatty,  Jeff Cannon,  Paul Davis,  Craig Finch,  Ralph Horton,  Michel Kaiser,  Dave Larson,  Jack Madren Jr,  Kay Samalin,  Kirk Singh,  Curry Taylor,  Susan Varey,  Mark LeBar,  Dan’l Leviton,  Mark Crowley,  Robert Lidral,  Jim Ferris,  Randolph Szabla,  Mark Gogan,  Chuck Patel,  Dennis Poole,  Michael Phillips,  Doug Szarkowski,  Peter Skaates,  Steven Schram,  Barbara Haskins,  John DiLiberto,  Franklin Davis,  Tom Demers,  Christopher Gough,  Shawn M. Murray, J.D.,  Ross Primrose,  Jerry Titus,  Kathleen Arnheim,  Pranav Badhwar,  David Brown,  Steven Busby,  Ronald Cadby,  Norman Coppola,  William Cross,  Kerry Daniel,  Terri Dewell,  Jill Friedman,  Roger Garcia,  Ralph Hollister,  John Konrath,  David Kornbluh,  Michael Kraus,  Pamela Krauskopf,  Thomas Kurzej,  Cherry Lewis,  Jerry Mabry,  Anne Marshall,  Michael Maskalans,  Diane McFarland,  Frank Pater,  Harold Peckham,  Joseph Plummer,  Kurt Schurenberg,  Judith Ann Shellabarger,  Robert Terhune,  Susan Tindall,  Mark Wilczek,  Travis Williams,  Randy Young,  Len Hofferber,  Andrew Jason,  Terry Robinson,  William Stoner,  William White,  Timothy Doubledee,  Dan Kelly,  Michael Hughes,  Dana Gudenau,  Roger Leahy,  Pamela Browne,  Dana Davis,  Anneliese Gimpel,  James LaCombe,  James Marquart,  Dann McCreary,  Joel Norgaard,  Robert Schlotman,  Shohn Trojacek,  James Troy,  Jim Wilson,  Craig Thompson,  Peggy Christensen,  Dan Edgar,  Marta Howard,  Derek Moyes,  Eric Parks,  Sandra Pierre,  Virgil Ragsdale,  Jim Delton,  Jack Bruns,  Dale & Leslie Bates,  Adam Rezner,  Mike Spalding,  Andrew Walling,  George Hanson,  Ronald Pond,  Jacquelyn St Aubyn,  Dwight Bakker,  Randy Etter,  Steve Stewart,  Patricia Wedel,  David Gorrell,  Michael O’Brien,  James Balson,  Pattie Bagwell,  Charles Brady,  Keith Brilhart,  Landon Cahow,  Todd Clark,  Brice Dobry,  Teryn Driver,  Richard Fall,  Marcelyn Floyd,  Roy Fuller,  Eric Geislinger,  Justin Gillen,  Kristi Granger,  Richard Hale,  Jackson Harvey,  David Herzfeld,  Phil Hoff,  Thibeaux Lincecum,  Christopher R. Maden,  Chuck Metalitz,  Matthew Pfluger,  Odetta Pierce,  Salvatore Pizzo,  Jason Rowberg,  Annalee Scharbor,  Sonja Smith,  Roman Sovkoplas,  Jeff Stewart,  Carl Swinney,  James Wahler,  David Weakland,  Gregory Williamson,  Bob Ford,  Martin Johnson,  Tom Morris,  Valerie Nixon,  Wendell Drye,  Luke Elms,  Dan Goebel,  Steven Hahn,  Loretta Hurite,  Paul Rogers,  Yvonne Schick,  Paul Smith,  Timothy Streit,  Thomas Thacker,  Larry Upshaw,  Jeffrey Hatwig,  Tracy Almeida,  Kirk Beck,  Robert Bussey,  R.S. Elam,  Tim Haffner,  Jeff Held,  Jerry Hickman,  Wes Johnson,  Mary Kennedy,  Joyce Manett,  Raylene Short,  Gregg Young,  Gary Wood,  Hana Bernard,  Bruce Boyd,  Bobby Chapuis,  Kathleen Chippi,  Terry Hulsey,  Sue Lewis,  Derrick Nybakken,  Richard Rountree,  Richard Siebold,  Robert Taylor,  John Tierney,  Jo Vaccarino,  Raymond Veneklase,  David Bradshaw,  John Davis,  Ed Grether,  James Howe,  Edward Krieger,  Scott Lieberman,  Nicholas McNamara,  Paul Meyer,  Linda Rowberg,  Steven Bachman,  Mike Clancy,  Christian Conti-Vock,  Carrie Eiler,  Jon Foster,  Matthew Haas,  Charlotte Juett,  Russell Stanton,  James C. Stevens,  David Yett,  Robert Havay,  Mike Rosing,  James Sewell,  Joe Shearey,  Jim Babka,  Frances Gettys,  William IV,  Anna Janek,  Adora Jones,  STATEOFTHEHEART LLC,  Martha Montelongo,  Brad Morefield,  Dan Moyes,  Tom Mulcahy,  Evan Nagel,  Thomas Solt,  John Walker,  Rachel Weber,  Liz Winterhawk,  Brittany Wolf,  Bernard Zamostny,  Darryl W. Perry,  Kit Arbuckle,  Drew Campbell,  David Gaj,  Scott Grunsted,  Brian Happaney,  Joseph Keeney,  Thomas Mayhew,  Nick Morana,  Greg Moser,  Paul Price,  Joseph Theriault,  Billy Burger,  Larry Calvert,  Roy Hannah,  Michael Kitchen,  Thomas Knapp,  Paul Spray

Original Founders Committee, 2003

Patrons & Sponsors

Winona Christeson, Steve Fox,  Leo Hamel,   Vince Hanke,   Ken A. Heinemann,   David J. Kubacki,   David W. Landram,   Bill W. Long,   David R. Mason,   Joseph Plummer,   Sheldon Rose,   Ted A. Semon,   Jeffrey S. Skinner,   Steve Stewart,   J. Billy Verplanck 

Associates

Stephanie Adams,   Henry Ahler,   Paul J. Arends,   Kathleen Austin,   Dwight E. Baker,   Charlie Beaird,   Howard W. Beatty,   Robert G. Beebe,   Michael Benoit,   Ian Bernard,   Frank Bowman,   David Bywaters,   Gregory F. Camia,   Robert Candioglos,   Laura Carno,   W.E. Chilton,   Craig B. Coogan,   David Corbin,   Sean R. Coughlin,   Earl Cowherd,   Susan M. Cox,   Martin Dale,   Elaine M. DiMasi,   Daniel J. Dunn,   Travis Ebert,   Paul D. Eccles,   Robert E. Fritts,   Clarence Gardner,   George F. Gardner,   David K. Garretson,   A. Faye Gilmore,   Michael Guin,   Adam Haman,   Derald Hawkes,   Ed & Wendy Heaphy,   Mark L. Hepfinger,   Dick Holic,   Steven R. Hooley,   Sherry L. Hunter,   John Inks,   Sandra Kallander,   Greg J. Kerkow,   Thomas O. Kershaw,   Andrew Le Cureaux,   Myron Ledworowski,   Dan Leviton,   Alice J. Lillie,   Joy Linsley,   Billy D. Lowe,   Bryan J. Luff,   David Macko,   Robert Moore,   Wanda Myers,   Dane Owen,   Rudolf D. & Jere E. Pabst,   David Page,   Leif Pedersen,   Tor Perkins,   Benjamin J. Quatrano,   Allen Salveson,   Robert D. Schaffer,   James Schwartz,   James Sherman,   Scott Shock,   Robban A. Sica,   Alan Starner,   Craig Stephens,   Harold Stevens,   John C. Tate,   Eric R. Theiner,   Brian Thomson,   Randy Ullom,   Fred Van Dyk,   John Watson,   Patricia L. Wedel,   George R. Whitfield,   Richard A. Wiggins,   Edwin & Edith Wisian

 
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