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Today’s Downsizer Dispatch . . .::::::Change the political environment. Recruit more Downsizers. Share this message with others.::::::Quote of the Day:::::::“Is it any wonder why the approval ratings of the Congress go up every time we go into recess?”:::– Sen. Robert C. Byrd (Democrat West Virginia)::::::Subject: Victory at sunset::::::Downsizers sent 47,034 messages to Congress about the so-called “Protect America Act” (PAA). Most of these messages asked Congress to repeal PAA or allow it to sunset. ::::::Three days ago, on Wednesday, we wrote to tell you that the Senate had done the exact opposite of what you requested.

They did not repeal PAA.
• They did not allow it to sunset.
• They did not pass the amendments we requested that would have made the replacement for PAA less bad.
• Instead, they passed a bill permitting warrantless spying on Americans, and granting immunity to the telecommunications companies that had previously spied on Americans. But . . .

We asked you to hit Congress once again, specifically asking the House to not do as the Senate had done.

• We got what we wanted.
  

Today’s Downsizer-Dispatch . . .::::::Last week, the House passed the “College Opportunity and Affordibility Act of 2007.” It’s a very expensive bill; according to Washington Watch, it would cost the average American family $865. A title like that makes one think the bill is about financial aid to college students. But because federal student aid is popular, ideologues and social engineers in Congress and the Dept. of Education loaded the bill with unrelated programs. The act runs to a whopping 792 pages.
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:::The summary of the bill (H.R. 4137) at thomas.loc.gov lists 35 major provisions. About a dozen have nothing to do with student aid.

Today’s Downsizer Dispatch . . . ::::::Quote of the Day:::::::. . . there’s a super-special quote today, but it’s in the message, so you’ll have to read what follows . . .::::::Subject: How to get what you want::::::A marketing guru was teaching a room of full of eager entrepreneurs. He said . . .::::::”If you were opening a hamburger stand, what’s the most important thing you’d need to succeed?”::::::Of course, since it was a marketing class, a student replied, “Great marketing.” But the guru merely smiled and said nothing. So the other students chimed in with their answers: “A competitive price.” “A good location.” “A great hamburger.” ::::::The guru said, “Those things are good. But if I can have just one thing, my hamburger stand will beat yours.” ::::::The guru paused for effect. The students listened intently. You could have heard the proverbial pin drop. Finally, a student cried out, “What is it?”

Share this message with others. Digg it too!
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:::Quote of the Day:
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:::“…The Bill of Rights is a literal and absolute document. The First Amendment doesn’t say you have a right to speak out unless the government has a ‘compelling interest’ in censoring the Internet. The Second Amendment doesn’t say you have the right to keep and bear arms until some madman plants a bomb. The Fourth Amendment doesn’t say you have the right to be secure from search and seizure unless some FBI agent thinks you fit the profile of a terrorist. The government has no right to interfere with any of these freedoms under any circumstances.”
:::– Harry Browne (1933-2006) best-selling author, two-time presidential candidate, and co-founder of Downsize DC
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:::Subject: 68 Senators violated their oaths of office yesterday
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:::Do you know the date of the first law ever passed by the United States’ Senate? It was May 5, 1789.
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:::Do you know the subject of that law? It was the “Oath Act.” It’s purpose was to provide specific wording for the oath the Constitution requires Senators to swear upon taking office.
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:::Strangely, the Constitution actually provides the specific wording of the oath the President is supposed to take, but it does not do so for Congress. Instead, the Constitution simply stipulates the following in Article VI, clause 3:
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:::”The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the members of the several state legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the several states, shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.”
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:::The lack of specific wording meant that Congress had to create the wording. The oath they created as their first order of business, was very simple . . .

Will Ron Paul’s Revolution go the way of Ross Perot’s Reform movement?
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:::On today’s Downsize DC Conference Call, my two hour, Sunday radio show, we’ll tackle that question, at length. And I want to hear from you about it at 1(800)259-9231 or “CALL at DOWNSIZEDC dot ORG”
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:::We’ll also have an update from my show sponsor, Gun Owners of America, focusing on the DC Handgun ban case in the U.S. Supreme Court.
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:::BTW, I’m still looking for additional show sponsors and have opportunities available between $165 and $450. Email me at the radio show address if you’re interested in details.
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:::And, if we have time, we’ll go talk about the presumptive GOP nominee, John McCain, too. I have some things I want to get off my chest. Maybe you do too! If so, let me hear from you.
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:::The Downsize DC Conference Call starts at 3:06 PM Eastern (2:06 PM Central, 1:06 PM Mountain, and 12:06 PM Pacific). 
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:::It’s on a couple stations, but really, the best way to guarantee that you hear it is on the Net. Go to http://gcnlive.com/listenlive.htm.
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:::Happy Listening,
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:::Jim Babka
:::Host
:::Downsize DC Conference Call

SPECIAL NOTE:  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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:::Quote of the Day:
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:::”I think the world is run by ‘C’ students.”
:::– Al McGuire
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:::Subject: Reactive thinking vs. reflective thinking
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:::Thousands of TV hours are devoted to elections, but issues are rarely discussed. We hear a few buzzwords like change, experience, or liberal and conservative, but these words mean so many different things to so many different people that they don’t really communicate anything at all.
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:::Elections aren’t about issues. Elections are sporting events.
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:::We gravitate to elections for the same reason we watch sports or movies. We like the competition. We like the drama. We like to keep score. We liked to see “good guys” pitted against “bad guys.” It’s all about the drama. It isn’t about philosophy.
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:::So the question must be asked: can elections change minds? Can elections change America’s intellectual environment? We think the odds are so stacked against it as to make it almost metaphysically impossible.

The $150 Billion Fraud

DownsizeDC.org, along with thirty-three other public interest groups, signed a letter to the House Appropriations Act to preserve the Open the Government Act. That Act created a new Office of Government Information Services at the National Archives and Records Administration, to improve the way the government processes Freedom of Information Act requests. But Section 519 of President Bush’s new budget would move the office to the Dept. of Justice, which would undermine the new Office’s independence and create conflicts-of-interest within Justice. We request that Section 519 be rejected, and that the new Office of Government Information Services stays at the National Archives, as Congress intended. The letter is attached.

Special Bulletin – Senate Acting Right Now

Today’s Downsizer Dispatch . . .::::::Change the environment. Recruit more Downsizers. Share this with others.::::::Quote of the Day:::::::“Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little.” :::- Edmund Burke ::::::Subject: The Big Issue — $53 trillion in unfunded liabilities::::::The federal government has made a lot of promises in your name. It has committed you to pay most of the health care costs of the elderly (Medicare), and to provide them with a small stipend (Social Security). It has also borrowed trillions of dollars, to pay current expenses, that your children and grandchildren will have to repay. Unfortunately, future revenues will be insufficient to fulfill these promises.::::::The Government Accountability Office estimates the future shortfall in funding at $53.3 trillion. Other experts say the number is almost certainly higher. This means that every full-time worker owes a staggering $440,000, courtesy of government excess. ::::::Eventually, that debt must be paid, either in higher taxes, or in reduced benefits. These numbers represent a looming crisis of staggering proportions. ::::::What can be done?