Author Archives: "Archives"
New record deficit projected for next year
Next year’s budget deficit is projected to reach $490 billion. That’s nearly half a trillion dollars added to the national debt in just one year. It’s also a new record, eclipsing the previous one-year record of $413 billion set in 2004. Meanwhile . . .
::::::
Human Progress: 300 mpg car goes into production
::::::
Which solves more problems, coercive government, or the voluntary market? While Congress is debating windfall profit taxes on oil companies, and vast new cap-and-trade schemes for carbon emissions, small groups of innovators are responding to environmental problems and energy prices by providing real solutions.
::::::
Omnibus Bill Still Pending
Quote of the Day:
:::”We were not made to serve the state, but the state was made to serve us.”
:::– Jason Kuznicki
:::
:::Subject: Vote on omnibus bill still pending
:::
:::A vote is still pending on S. 3297, the “Advancing America’s Priorities Act” (America’s priorities? Where do they get these bill names?). This means we still have time to oppose it.
:::
:::This bill groups together 36 completely different legislative proposals. What if your Senator strongly opposes most of these proposals, but votes for the whole package because he feels one specific proposal simply must be passed? If many Senators feel this way then than we end up with a lot of laws and programs that could not have passed on their own merits.
:::
:::Please send Congress a message asking them to pass DownsizeDC.org’s “One Subject at a Time Act.” Use your personal comments to also ask your Senators to vote against S. 3297 because::::::
Non-impeachment
TRIVIA QUESTION:
:::On October 7, 2001, the United States government commenced bombing attacks against the Taliban forces in Afghanistan. By December 7, 2001, the Taliban had been driven out and defeated. On what date was the first battle casualty of an American soldier?
:::
:::The first CALLER to my show today who can tell me the correct date will win a special prize (probably a book), courtesy of the William J. Olson, PC law firm of McLean, Virginia.
:::
:::And what else will I be talking about?
:::
:::On Friday, the House Judiciary Committee held the Dennis Kucinich-inspired “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Impeachment, Non-impeachment Hearing.” The Republicans on the Committee counted and reported the number of times the word impeachment was used by those who testified, and decried the fact because this was NOT, after all, an impeachment hearing.
:::
:::It was both tragedy and comedy.
:::
:::On today’s (Sunday) Downsize DC Conference call, my TWO-HOUR radio show that starts at 3:06 PM Eastern (2:06 PM Central, 1:06 PM Mountain, and 12:06 PM Pacific), I’ll talk about the hearing, because I think it was a flop.
:::
:::Can my audience and I do a better job than Congress of covering this case? I believe you can, so invite you to phone or email me.
::::::
Important Developments
Quote of the Day:
:::”We won’t let the Venezuelas or the Nigerias or the Saudi Arabias or the Irans jerk us around by the gas nozzle.”
:::– Senator Larry Craig of airport bathroom stall fame, Source: Newsweek, July 28, 2008
:::
:::Subject: Important Developments
:::
:::There have been a number of important developments on a couple of issues, but first . . .
:::
:::We’re having technical difficulties with our new website. Many people get white screens (sometimes an Error in Internet Explorer) when they click on a link on the site. This stops them from taking action. We’re working on the problem, but here’s a short term fix you can use to get where you’re going. Just hit the refresh button one or more times. The page you need should then appear.
:::
:::Now, with that annoyance out of the way, here’s some good news. We’re making progress against House Concurrent Resolution 362 and Senate Resolution 580, both of which urge President Bush to blockade Iran. Such a blockade would remove Iran’s oil from the world market, send gasoline prices soaring, and potentially plunge the world into a deep recession. Thanks to your work, and pressure from other groups, some in Congress are beginning to see the light.
:::
:::It began when one of the key sponsors, Representative Robert Wexler, came out against his own resolution (although he hasn’t yet removed his name from it). Now, three other Representative’s have removed their names:::::::
21st State Rejects the Real ID Act
Quote of the Day:
:::”This Bill fundamentally adjusts the relationship between the citizen and the state. How could it be otherwise when it will put the state in possession of an unprecedented, consolidated file of information about every individual which it did not have before?”
:::– Lord Holme of Cheltenham
:::
:::Subject: 21st state rejects the REAL ID Act
:::
:::The number of states that have rejected the REAL ID Act now stands at 21. The latest to do so is::::::
The Myth of the Lender of Last Resort
Many who oppose the inflationary actions of the Federal Reserve nevertheless favor it as a “lender of last resort.” Of course, by definition, there would always be a lender of last resort even if there were no Federal Reserve. Just as any item you’ve misplaced is always found in the last place you look, the lender of last resort is simply the last entity willing to provide a loan, so clearly something else is meant by the term “lender of last resort.” What it means is this . . .
::::::
End Asset Forfeiture
Quote of the Day:
:::
:::”No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury . . . nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.” – Fifth Amendment to the Constitution
:::
:::Subject: End Asset Forfeiture!
:::
:::Civil asset forfeiture is government seizure of property or cash owned by individuals not charged with any crime. Law enforcement agents can seize a piece of property if they merely suspect it was used in a crime, whereas its owner must prove innocence to get it back. This is an inversion of justice and a gross violation of the Bill of Rights. But if you think the federal courts will protect innocent property owners, think again . . .
:::
:::* A police dog’s sniff of bundles of cash totaling $124,700 was used as sufficient evidence for the government to confiscate the money, even though a large percentage of currency in circulation contains traces of narcotics, and the government couldn’t establish how or when the money was used in criminal activity.
:::
:::* An Ohio man who kept a small amount of medical marijuana and who also kept his life savings in his own home saw the money taken by the FBI – even though he was never charged with marijuana possession.
:::
:::* Individuals who consent to police searches can lose money kept in their vehicles – even where there is no trace of illegal drugs or suspicion of illegal activity.
:::
:::* A woman charged with illegally selling medical equipment saw her assets frozen by the government, on the grounds that her wealth was from ill-gotten gains – preventing her from hiring adequate council to defend herself, as is her right under the 6th Amendment.
:::
:::Civil asset forfeiture laws breed conflict-of-interest . . .
::::::
Picking on the Pickens Plan
T. Boone Pickens (isn’t that one of the greatest names ever) seems to be trying to give us a private, voluntary solution to three interrelated problems: the need for energy, the cost of energy, and the air pollution created by the dominant sources of energy we use today. Tacked onto this is the issue of energy independence, but do we really need energy independence? At the very least it would be nice to send less money to the despotic regimes that control much of the world’s oil supply.
::::::
Mr. Murphy Comes to Visit
Quotes of the Day:
:::* A failure will not appear till a unit has passed final inspection.
:::* New systems generate new problems.
:::* To err is human, but to really foul things up requires a computer.
:::– Three corollaries to Murphy’s Law (“If anything can go wrong, it will”)
:::
:::Subject: Mr. Murphy Visits DownsizeDC.org
:::
:::We need your help! Let me explain . . .
:::
:::In my first full-time management job I learned an important lesson: The first time you do anything there WILL be problems — it’s not optional. All bits of progress contain within them unseen difficulties. Progress is usually two-steps forward, one step back.
:::
:::That’s not particularly insightful on my part — not new. In 1949, Capt. Edward A. Murphy, an engineer working on an Air Force project, in that fit of frustration we’ve all experienced when our best laid plans go awry, cursed the technician responsible and said, “If there is any way to do it wrong, he’ll find it.”
:::
:::Murphy’s Law was born. Murphy’s Law stipulates that, “If anything can go wrong, it will.”
:::
:::I’ve also learned that perfection is the enemy of good enough, that the paralysis of analysis is deadly, and that there’s genius in getting started. So last week, we launched our new and improved website. I expected some bumps, and bumpers there are.
:::
:::One problem in particular is a big one. It will::::::