Archives

Quote of the Day:
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:::”Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.”
:::– Aldous Huxley
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:::Subject: Promise or threat
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:::Promises, promises. Threats, threats. When it comes to the words politicians utter, who can tell the difference anymore? Are they making promises, or threats?
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:::Clinton and Obama both want more government involvement in health care. They present it as a promise, but when you consider that . . .
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• Government already inflates health care prices through the hundreds of billions it spends on Medicare

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• The government already has $53 trillion in earlier promises for Medicare and Social Security that it can’t keep

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:::. . . then the Clinton-Obama promises start to sound a lot more like threats.
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:::Clinton and Obama both claim their health care plans will “only” cost about $100 billion. But can you think of any government program that has ever met its cost projections? We can’t. They always cost more. A lot more.

Today’s Downsizer Dispatch . . .::::::Change the political environment. Recruit more Downsizers. Share this message with others.::::::Quote of the Day:::::::“Practically all governments of history have used their exclusive power to issue money to defraud and plunder the people.”:::– Friedrich von Hayek (Nobel Prize Winner in Economics)::::::Subject: Stagflation evidence::::::Here’s the latest economic report from the Commerce Department . . .

The economy grew only 6 tenths of one percent in Quarter-4 of 2007, compared to 4.9 percent the prior quarter
• Total 2007 growth was only 2.2%, the lowest in five years
• Home builders have cut operations 25.2%, the largest decrease in 26 years
• Consumer spending rose just 1.9% in Quarter-4, down from 2.8% in Quarter-3
• Business investment in equipment and software grew only 3.3% in Quarter-4, compared to 6.2% in Quarter-3

Meanwhile . . .

• The Labor Department says unemployment applications rose to 373,000 two weeks ago, an increase of 19,000
• The National Association for Business Economics predicts even slower growth for this quarter

Clearly, the economy is sputtering. Normally, if we had a stable money supply, you would expect such economic conditions to result in price cuts to attract consumers. In fact, we wouldn’t be in this mess to begin with if we had stable money. But instead of price cuts we find that, thanks to the Fed Inflation Machine . . .

• Core price inflation, which excludes food and energy, was 2.7% in Quarter-4, up from 2% in Quarter-3
• Food and energy prices are also rising (you don’t need a government report to know this)
• The dollar has reached a record low against the Euro
• Gold is still climbing toward $1,000 an ounce, needing only $15 to $20 more to reach that mark

The Fed thinks it can reverse the economic downturn by creating more money. It started cutting interest rates for this purpose in September, and has gone wild recently, slashing the rate by 1.25% in just eight days in January, the biggest one-month cut in nearly 25 years. Still more cuts are probable at the Fed’s next meeting.::::::Will it work?

Quote of the Day:
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:::It’s the action, not the fruit of the action, that’s important . . . You may never know what results come from your action.  But if you do nothing, there will be no result.”
:::– Gandhi
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:::Subject: Hero vs. Army
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:::The stories we love tell us how we think. We love the theme of the single hero triumphing over great evil: David vs. Goliath, Knight vs. Dragon, Superhero vs. Super-villain . . . and the Great Political Leader vs. the Great Social Problem.
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:::Our love of such tales makes it hard to ignore candidates who claim they will save us.
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:::Successful politicians tell us stories that resonate. They claim we are threatened by unique dangers that only they can solve. They depict their struggle in epic terms. The politician becomes a knight, the problem a dragon, and elections a sword.
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:::Will the knight prevail? Or will we live with the menace for four more years?

Quote of the day:
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:::”Brevity is the soul of lingerie.”
:::– Dorothy Parker
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:::Subject: Quick and Brief
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:::This is just a brief message to wrap up February and a quick action item.
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:::We actually exceeded our monthly budget goal for February. And more people donated to us last month than in any single month in 2007. It was exciting to see our vision (of a lot of people doing a little) at work.
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:::Thank you, DC Downsizers!
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:::Congress returns this week. The Administration continues to apply misleading pressure and scare tactics on the House to “do something” about terrorism and pass that anti-Fourth Amendment, warrantless spying bill, combined with Big Telecom immunity.
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:::We must

Quote of the Day:::::::“In the long run, men only hit what they aim at. Therefore, though you should fail immediately, you had better aim at something high.”:::– Henry David Thoreau::::::Subject: Wow, we hit some big targets this month::::::In a matter of hours we will probably eclipse our January numbers for recruiting new Downsizers.

Today’s Downsizer Dispatch . . .::::::Quote of the Day:::::::“Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.”:::- Ronald Reagan ::::::Subject: Growth rings::::::I called a Congressional office the other day. Even though I’d never spoken with this staffer, I didn’t need much of an introduction. He knew about DownsizeDC.org. He knew about us because we’re making a growing noise. ::::::YOUR VOICE is being heard. YOU are penetrating the Congressional echo chamber. ::::::If Downsize DC was a tree, the growth ring for 2008 would be looking pretty fat right now.

Downsize DC Conference Call – February 24, 2008

Today’s Downsizer Dispatch . . .::::::Change the political environment. Recruit more Downsizers. Share this message with others.::::::Quote of the Day:::::::“It will be necessary for us to be a nation of men, and not laws.”:::— Vice President Richard Cheney, reacting to the 9-11 attack (reported on “Frontline”)::::::Subject: The Fear Merchants::::::Since 9/11/2001 some of our politicians have been in the business of selling fear. The profit they have gained from this business has come in the form of vast new powers and massive new resources with which to reward friends and punish opponents. ::::::Other politicians, while not participating in the fear business directly, have nevertheless failed to do all that they could to oppose the fear merchants. They have been passive, out of a fear of their own, that they would be blamed for the next terrorist attack when it comes. ::::::But the next terrorist attack has not happened yet, and so the sales pitch for fear has grown tiring. Fortunately, some in Congress have started to resist. The biggest example of this so far was the decision of the House Democratic leadership to allow the “Protect America Act” to sunset out of existence. ::::::We have applauded and supported this decision, and must continue to do so, because . . .

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. :::