Author Archives: "Archives"

When you read words like “Maverick,” “straight talk,” and “reformer,” what or who comes to mind?
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:::Well, we’re going to talk about him on today’s (Sunday) Downsize DC Conference Call, my two-hour RADIO show. Appearances can be deceiving.
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:::I have different words in mind — “appearance of corruption.” These words are seminal to our modern campaign finance laws.
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:::The Maverick thinks the rules apply only to you.
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:::The media plays along.
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:::How is this possible?
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:::Will the media continue their farce indefinitely? …or is the Maverick doomed? 
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:::ONLY on my entertaining and educational radio show will you discover the answers. If you listen today, starting at 3:06 PM Eastern (2:06 PM Central, 1:06 PM Mountain, and 12:06 PM Pacific), you’ll have that delightful Eureka experience — that Ah-Ha! moment of new insight.
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:::Also, I’m going to be joined, for but a half-hour, probably right in the middle of the program, by Lisa Graves of the Center for National Security Studies.
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:::CNSS has been one of more than 20 coalition partners, with DownsizeDC.org, as we’ve fought, since the summer of 2006, to stave off things like warrantless surveillance and telecom immunity. For the most part,

Campus shootings again? Jack Mullen is my go-to guest here. He’s a gun enthusiast who understands the need for these tools. He’s also a father of a late son with a severe mental illness. We previewed this episode here.::::::The Gun Owners of America Update was about the Heller vs DC case. :::

This episode was about the future after Ron Paul’s campaign. When we polled our members last Summer, 80% of them indicated they were supporting Paul. And our declining levels of financial support proved it. ::::::I WILL (probably) AIR THIS EPISODE AGAIN IN THE FUTURE. I believe it’s that important. ::::::The key concept discussed was “friction.” DownsizeDC.org, as compared to political campaigns, has lower friction. We also discussed the trap of zero sum games — particularly in the final segment of the show. All political campaigns are zero sum. ::::::To discover why friction and zero sum matter, please click on the “attachments” — mp3 versions of hours one and two of the show. ::::::My thanks as always to Gun Owners of America for their sponsorship.

Today’s Downsizer-Dispatch . . .::::::Media Alert: Jim Babka will be on Straight Talk with Jerry Hughes at 3 PM Eastern today. See below the signature for details on how you can listen.
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:::Subject: Don’t even know what they’re voting for
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:::Last week the Senate passed the Conference Report of the 137-page Intelligence Authorization Act (H.R. 2082). The big media story about the bill is its ban on waterboarding, which will apparently prompt a Presidential veto.
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:::If so, President Bush would veto the bill for the worst possible reason, but it may give Congress a fresh start. The problem with H.R. 2082 is that it could just as well be called the Don’t Read the Bill Act. Or maybe, the Not Really a Bill Act.
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:::You see, the bill authorizes funding for the federal government’s various intelligence agencies, but it doesn’t tell us the amount that will be spent.

Better late than never. “Attached” to this post are the mp3s — one for hour 1 and one for hour 2.::::::Jack Mullen, Chairman of the Downsize DC Foundation, radio station owner, and entrepreneur (currently building a free service for file storage www.FileMojo.com), is also an investor who follows the markets closely. ::::::This episode was an attempt to prepare DC Downsizers for the coming economic earthquake. ::::::As always, the show was sponsored by DownsizeDC.org and Gun Owners of America.

OK, I’m behind on getting these archived episodes published. I’m sorry. “Attached” to this post are the mp3s — one for hour 1 and one for hour 2. ::::::This episode was the debut of the two hour version of my show. It was different, for sure. But it was more relaxing. I always used to feel we couldn’t delve as deeply as I wanted to with the shorter show, and the constant interruptions. ::::::My main topic was the things that matter most” if we want to Downsize DC.::::::As always, the show was sponsored by DownsizeDC.org and Gun Owners of America.:::

Today’s Downsizer-Dispatch . . .::::::Change the political environment. Recruit more Downsizers. Share this message with others.
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:::Quotes of the Day:
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:::Government cripples you, then hands you a crutch and says, ‘See, if it wasn’t for us, you couldn’t walk.’
:::– Harry Browne
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:::”If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when its free.”
:::– P. J. ORourke
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:::Subject: Ron Paul’s health care bill
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:::Yesterday we encouraged you to ask Congress to begin cutting spending. The reason: the federal government owes $53.3 trillion in unfunded liabilities for Social Security and Medicare. We also warned of big spending threats that may contribute to making this crisis even worse . . .
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:::* Continued war as far as the eye can see
:::* New federal “social” spending
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:::With regard to the latter, proposed new federal health care programs threaten to sink America’s financial ship while making health care both greater in expense and lower in quality.

Today’s Downsizer Dispatch . . .::::::Change the political environment. Recruit more Downsizers. Share this message with others.::::::Quote of the Day:::::::“I don’t think government can improve the economy. If government intervention can improve economic performance and get us out of recession, is it not stupid to wait for recession in order to capture the benefits of government economic policies? But then, if government intervention can improve economic performance and increase the rate of growth, how come socialist/welfare states consistently perform worse than free-market economies?”:::— Steve Pejovich:::::::::Subject: The Dangers Ahead::::::If John McCain becomes the next president then we face the prospect of 100 years of war in the Middle East. He has said that he wants this. And there is no evidence that the Democrats would do much to stop him, even if they continue to control Congress. Maybe that will change, but again, there is no evidence that it will. The dangers of this are as follows . . .

Today’s Downsizer-Dispatch . . .::::::Quote of the day: “It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people’s minds.” – Samuel Adams
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:::Subject: The Brushfire Approach
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:::Today, we want to encourage you to start a brushfire.
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:::Hardly a day goes by when someone doesn’t send me a message that includes two points — both of which feel emotionally contradictory to me:
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:::1) Congratulate us for the fine work we do at DownsizeDC.org, and then
:::2) Say it all seems so hopeless.
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:::I don’t agree that things are hopeless.
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:::Perhaps that’s because I can clearly see the need for and potential of DownsizeDC.org. My optimism is grounded in the recognition that political campaigns are not the best path to success.
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:::When you elect someone, you need a majority of voters (or, in some cases, the largest plurality).
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:::And electing one person won’t do, you need a majority of both houses of Congress.

Today’s Downsizer Dispatch . . .::::::Change the political environment. Recruit more Downsizers. Share this message with others.::::::Quote of the Day:::::::“Inflation has now been institutionalized at a fairly constant 5% per year. This has been determined to be the optimum level for generating the most revenue without causing public alarm. A 5% devaluation applies, not only to the money earned this year, but to all that is left over from previous years. At the end of the first year, a dollar is worth 95 cents. At the end of the second year, the 95 cents is reduced again by 5%, leaving its worth at 90 cents, and so on. By the time a person has worked 20 years, the government will have confiscated 64% of every dollar he saved over those years. By the time he has worked 45 years, the hidden tax will be 90%. The government will take virtually everything a person saves over a lifetime.”:::– G. Edward Griffin::::::Subject: New Ron Paul money bill::::::The above quote may need some explanation. Most people don’t know that the Federal Reserve has the power to create new dollars out of thin air. ::::::It does. ::::::Most people also don’t know that this is one of the ways the government pays its bills. The process is simple . . .