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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 . . .
The recent collapse in the housing market, the overall economic downturn, and rising inflation cause people to wonder . . . who is to blame? Heather Johnson identifies a good place to start in her piece 10 Reasons to Be Critical of the Federal Reserve. Some choice quotes:
“[R]ate cuts in the late 90’s made startup capital too easy to come by and helped cause the dot-com bubble. Similarly, failing to raise rates in the past few years encouraged the wave of short-sighted, frenzied borrowing that ended so abruptly in 2007.”
This week there was yet another campus shooting. Why did it happen?
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:::On today’s edition of the Downsize DC Conference Call, my Sunday radio show, I’ll be joined by gun enthusiast Jack Mullen, Board Chairman of the Downsize DC Foundation, who will share the agonizing, personal story of his son, Jackie, who suffered from mental illness. Together, we’ll explain why “WHY?” is not the right question when it comes to school shootings.
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:::And I’m sure you’ll want to get into this conversation. You can call 1-800-259-9231 or you can email me at “CALL at DOWNSIZEDC dot ORG”
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:::In addition, we’ll talk about the Protect America Act sunset. The fight isn’t over. We need to keep the pressure up — keep the Protect America Act “sunsetted” or at least be sure that the Senate version of the bill doesn’t pass the House of Representatives.
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:::And friends, I hate to be so bold and personal about it, but there was a lot of lying going on towards the end of the week. However, there are people who deserve credit for doing the right thing here. Oddly enough, they were politicians! Yes, that is amazing.
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:::Of course, you won’t be amazed to discover that you’ll learn all about it on my TWO HOUR radio show, which starts at 3:06 PM Eastern (2:06 PM Central, 1:06 PM Mountain, 12:06 PM Pacific).
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:::The Downsize DC Conference Call radio show is sponsored by DownsizeDC.org and Gun Owners of America. As usual, we’ll have a Gun Owners Update.
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:::The show is on a couple of stations, but the best way for nearly everyone in America to catch the show is at gcnlive.com/listenlive.htm
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:::Happy Listening,
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:::Jim Babka
:::Host
:::Downsize DC Conference Call