Author Archives: "Archives"

The Earmark That Backfired

On May 11, 2005, the Real ID Act was signed into law.
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:::Today, Sunday, May 11, 2008, was the day, by which, the Real ID Act was to be implemented in every state.
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:::And today, Sunday, May 11, 2008, the Real ID Act will be the subject of my TWO-HOUR radio show, the Downsize DC Conference Call.
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:::Our show sponsor, DownsizeDC.org, began fighting the Real ID Act back in October, 2004. DownsizeDC.org was only a few months old at the time.
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:::Twice the House passed it. But public pressure worked. The Senate defeated it once. The second time the Senate refused to bring it to a vote. Real ID was dead . . .
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:::. . . or so we thought. As we reported to you Thursday, we lost ONLY because the House and Senate leadership inserted it into an unrelated bill that was sure to pass.
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:::One month after Real ID was passed, DownsizeDC.org began a “grudge campaign.” Scores of groups did the same, working in the various states. Soon, a full-fledged “Real ID Rebellion” was underway. That surge of activism has delayed implementation in EVERY state until December, 2009, and we’ve got a real chance to kill this bill for good.
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:::On today’s show, you’ll hear from a diverse cross-section of this movement: 
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:::* Noam Biale, American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU.org
:::* Craig Treadwell, Endtime Magazine, Endtime.com
:::* Aaron Bolinger, National Veteran’s Committee on Constitutional Affairs, NVCCA.net
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:::You’ll also hear an update from show sponsor, Gun Owners of America. And it too will be about the Real ID Act.
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:::The program starts at

Media notice: Tune-in to hear me on the Jerry Hughes show today. Details below my signature.
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:::Quote of the Day:
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:::”Government doesn’t work.”
:::– Harry Browne
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:::Subject: Government vs. You
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:::In 1871 the city of Chicago burned to the ground. There was no FEMA or large federal funding to rebuild it. Instead, the people of Chicago rebuilt their own city and in short order it soared to new heights.
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:::In 1906, after a major earthquake, the city of San Francisco also burned down. There was no FEMA or large federal funding to rebuild it. Instead, the people of San Francisco did it themselves and the city was soon restored.
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:::In 2005 a large part of the city of New Orleans was destroyed when a levy, designed, built, and maintained by government, proved inadequate to protect against a hurricane that was far from the worst that could have struck the city. Private citizens and businesses such as Wal-Mart rushed to the city’s aid, but were largely blocked by federal officials. FEMA and large federal funding were there to rebuild the city, but today much of New Orleans still lies in ruins.
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:::We see the evidence all around us, where government seeks to help, harm often follows.

Today’s Downsizer-Dispatch . . .::::::Quote of the Day:
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:::”I freed thousands of slaves. I could have freed thousands more if they had known they were slaves.”
:::– Harriet Tubman
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:::Subject: A Day of Infamy & Inspiration
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:::Saturday is an anniversary. May 10, 2005 was a day that will live in infamy. On that date the Senate passed the REAL ID Act.
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:::No Senate majority ever intended this outcome. We had defeated REAL ID in the Senate twice before. After the second vote the Senate declined to vote again.
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:::The White House and the House Republican leadership got around this by inserting the bill into the “Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief, 2005.” This bill provided funding for the troops, the war on terror, and Tsunami reflief — a trifecta of things no politician would oppose.
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:::They might as well have called it the Motherhood, Flag-waving, and Apple Pie Act.

Change the political environment. Recruit more DC Downsizers. Share this message with others.
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:::Quote of the Day:
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:::”That which is falling must also be pushed.”
:::– Friederich Nietzsche
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:::Subject: Is ethanol running out of gas?
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:::Opposition to mandates and subsidies for mass-produced ethanol isn’t just nationwide — it’s worldwide. That creates a good environment for legislative victory. But just because the climate is ripe for repeal, doesn’t mean it will happen.
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:::It’s the central problem we face . . .
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:::* Government favors are concentrated on those who receive them, but . . .
:::* The cost of those favors are dispersed among all taxpayers, so . . .
:::* Those who receive the favors have a huge incentive to defend them, while . . .
:::* Those who pay for the handouts have almost no incentive to fight them.
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:::We aim to solve this problem by . . .
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• Using reforms such as the “Read the Bills Act” and the “One Subject at a Time Act” to raise the price legislators pay to create new favors    
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• Lowering the cost taxpayers pay to fight government handouts

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:::One way to lower the cost you pay to fight government handouts is through our online system. Our system enables you to pressure your Representative and your two Senators with just a few mouse-clicks and strokes of your computer keyboard. What could be easier?
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:::But even that which is easy still requires a decision to act. The whole world may agree that ethanol subsidies are bad, but that means nothing unless people take action to tell Congress to repeal them.
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:::Subsidized, mandated, mass-produced ethanol seems to be running out of gas, but

Is another war brewing? …this time with Iran?

Today’s Downsizer-Dispatch . . .::::::Quote of the Day:
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:::”Why not take advantage of the clever Downsize DC system like I just did? Invest five minutes today to sign up, and then from time to time you, too, can help bombard congress and pressure them into doing the right thing with your money.”
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:::- “creator,” a blogger at Truth Realm
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:::Subject: Big Business Loves Big Government
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:::Politicians tell us that government protects the people from the cut-throat practices of Big Business. But in truth, Big Government is in bed with Big Business. If I were CEO of a major corporation – let’s call it the Big Widget Corporation – I would love Big Government. That’s because I could:
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• lobby Congress to subsidize the widget industry, explaining how vital widgets are to the economy.

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• lobby for tariff protection against imported widgets. This will allow my company to gouge American consumers with higher prices.

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• lobby for regulations that would drive my smaller competitors out of business.

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:::But what is good for the Big Widget Corporation’s shareholders isn’t necessarily good for the American taxpayers, who must pay for this special treatment. That’s why we want the Big Government-Big Business marriage to end in divorce. We can break up the marriage by changing the way Congress does things.

Political Realism: Politicians are always going to be self-interested, rather than true “public servants.”
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:::Some might even call that, “the appearance of corruption.” In response, the Good Government crowd suggests government oversight boards, ever-more complex ethics rules, and taxpayer financing of campaigns.
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:::Others will say we must elect better people. But that won’t ever happen . . .  at least not in significant numbers.
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:::We must deal with this fact. We need a strategy that takes Political Realism into account and takes us to our goal of Downsizing DC.
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:::And on today’s Downsize DC Conference Call, you’ll learn how we can make Political Realism our friend.
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:::My TWO HOUR radio show

Today’s Downsizer Dispatch . . .::::::Quote of the Day:::::::“I’m normally not a praying man, but if you’re up there, please save me, Superman.”:::– Homer Simpson::::::Subject: We interrupt this broadcast for our regular scheduled month-end commercial::::::Today’s the last day for us to make budget for April. We made good progress yesterday, but we still need to raise $1,587. We’re asking you, because we have only you to ask. Contributions in the following amounts would do the trick . . .

• 1 of $1,000 and 1 of $500
• 3 of $500
• 6 of $250
• 15 of $100
• 30 of 50
• 60 of $25
• 150 of $10

You can contribute here, and then . . . ::::::We’ll get back to work. Thank you for being a part of the growing Downsize DC army. ::::::Jim Babka:::President:::DownsizeDC.org, Inc.

Today’s Downsizer Dispatch . . .::::::Quote of the Day:::::::“With $10,000 we’d be millionaires! We could buy all kinds of useful things. Like love!”:::– Homer Simpson::::::Subject: What the calendar says::::::The calendar says April has only two days remaining, so here we are with our usual month-end frundraising drive. We need just $2,312 more to make budget for this month. DC Downsizers are our only source of funds, so if we don’t ask you . . . we have nowhere to go.::::::Here are the contributions that would do the job . . .

• 2 of $1,000 and 1 of $300
• 5 of $500
• 10 of $250
• 23 of $100
• 46 of $50
• 92 of $25

::::::If you can help, here’s the place to do it. ::::::Thank you for being a DC Downsizer.::::::Jim Babka:::President:::DownsizeDC.org, Inc.