In our “democracy,” most of us are disenfranchised.
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If you voted against one of your current “representatives,” then that rep probably works against what you want. Or…
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If you voted for one or more of your current “representatives,” then you are probably still disenfranchised. And that's because your so-called reps routinely fail to read the bills they vote to pass. They also constantly vote for bills that are packed with unrelated measures that they would have otherwise opposed.
A case in point is the recently passed CRomnibus. It was a huge bill presented at the last minute. No one had time to read it. Even worse, it contained a host of unrelated measures that could not have passed on their own merits.
But the CRomnibus was not unique. It’s standard operating procedure.
Yet most of us continue believing the illusion that democracy somehow gives us power over The State. Nothing could be further from the truth, as the above points demonstrate.
Voting is powerless, but protest may not be.
Peoples around the world have been able to change The States under which they live merely by peaceful protest. Egypt is one example. But in many cases, again like Egypt, change has only meant a new, evil regime. Why does this happen?
Here's what we think…
Massive peaceful protest may have the power to cause change, but the change will be meaningless if you ask for the wrong things. Changing rulers changes nothing. But changing the rules themselves can be very powerful. America itself provides dramatic evidence of this…
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It isn't democracy that made America great. Athens had that, but it quickly descended into dictatorship.
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Neither was it representative government that made America special. The Roman Republic had that, but it too descended into dictatorship.
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Likewise with checks-and-balances. Our Founders borrowed those from the Romans, but they failed for the Romans just as they are currently failing for us.
We must look elsewhere to identify what made America different.
What did America's Founders do that no one had done before?
There's one thing — the Founders established legal limits on State power. They did this in the Bill of Rights. This is the one thing that made America different. Now…
These legal limits haven't always worked. They've very frequently been ignored or violated. But they've worked well enough, often enough, to maintain a healthy dose of freedom. And this example tells us the one way that we can achieve real change…
We must use our power of peaceful protest to change the RULES, not the rulers.
Indeed, we must attempt to change the rules to such an extent that we can replace our rulers with servants. Indeed…
We must work to create systems of governance that ONLY serve and NEVER rule.
That is what we’re trying to do at Downsize DC. Notice how are legislative proposals work…
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The Read the Bills Act (RTBA) places a rule on The State, requiring that members of Congress read every word of every bill they vote to pass.
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The One Subject at a Time Act (OSTA) places a rule on The State, requiring that every statute passed must be about one subject only.
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The Write the Laws Act (WTLA) places a rule on The State, requiring that every rule imposed on you must be passed by Congress, NOT merely proclaimed by the Executive Branch bureaucracy.
And these examples are only a beginning. We could create other rules for the rulers, to such an extent that our rulers would become servants. We intend to do this in the years ahead, but…
None of this will matter if the peaceful protest needed to enact these rules is insufficient to the task. So….
We must RE-focus our attention on one particular need in 2015…
We must work every day to build a massive army of peaceful protest, sufficient to impose new rules on the rulers.
QUESTION: Who do you know who might support RTBA, or OSTA, or WTLA, if only you took the trouble to ask them?
Think of a few prospects, and then send them this message you are currently reading.
If you've received this message forwarded from a friend, please consider taking one or more of the following actions…
Use our quick and easy Educate the Powerful System to send your elected reps a message…
To our current supporters…
We'll report back soon to tell you about the new people who took these actions.
Or…
If you really can’t think of any friends who should be supporters of one of our bills, please consider making a contribution so we can buy outreach advertising to find new supporters for these bills. You can contribute here.
A monthly pledge would be even better, as that would help us to do sustained outreach. You can start your monthly pledge here.
With best wishes,
Perry Willis
Co-Founder
Downsize DC