Before this message is through, we’ll be announcing DownsizeDC.org’s NEW Agenda campaign. It’s a campaign that is so important that it will join, in priority, the Read the Bills Act and the One Subject at a Time Act.
But first, let me tell you about the greatest opportunity we’ve ever had, in our lifetimes, to balance the budget and actually Downsize DC. Imagine…
It’s the fourth quarter, with two minutes to go. Your favorite team has the lead, the ball, and four downs. The other team has no timeouts. You know the quarterback must “snap and kneel” a couple of times, and you win the game.
But then, the quarterback calls the count, takes the snap, turns around and heaves the ball backwards into his own end zone. The entire offense just stands there, watching as the defensive players race down to recover the ball — and they do. They get a touchdown! You lose the game.
That scenario is absurd. Who would throw obvious victory away? The Washington Elephants would.
For decades, they’ve made an art out of tearing defeat from the clenched jaws of victory.
This time, the story is that the Washington Elephants, better known as the Republican members of Congress, are EAGER to…
* Continue massive deficit spending for years,
* Increase the debt ceiling by trillions, and
* Constitutionally guarantee we have a Leviathan State, forever.
And the worst part of it is, YOU might be encouraging them to throw away the game!
Right now, all “good Republicans” on Capitol Hill, and so many of our normal, organizational allies in the budget battles, have signed on to a plan called Cut, Cap, and Balance.
* Cut in Washington-speak, doesn’t mean actual cuts. It means that the Democrats must agree to reduce the increases planned for their favored social programs.
* Cap, to these Republicans, means a spending limit law for future budgets. That sounds good, until you realize that in exchange for spending CAPS in the FUTURE, they’ll increase the debt ceiling CAP in the PRESENT.
* Balance means an amendment to the Constitution, which permanently enshrines 18% of GDP as the size of our federal government.
Ratifying a Balanced Budget Amendment is hard. It’s a diversion. And it isn’t necessary. The Washington Elephants, who claim they understand their election mandate to tackle the debt problem, are throwing away the game.
All they have to do is take a knee. Quite literally, they have to “do nothing.” That is, “Don’t Vote”… for a debt ceiling increase.
That’s it!
Heck, given that they control an overwhelming majority in the House, it shouldn’t even come up for a vote. And they have the numbers to stop it in the Senate with a filibuster.
Isn’t that easier than a Balanced Budget Amendment? After all, capping the debt for good would mean a balanced budget.
Cap the Debt = An Instant End to Deficit Spending
Just like that, cuts would need to be made. Lots of cuts. But it’s not going to happen.
Not because it shouldn’t. Not because it couldn’t. There’s a Downsize DC consensus right now. The public is in favor of a cap.
That still leaves an exorbitant amount collected in taxes. Could we attain sufficient support for a more-Constitutional budget? I think that an organization with the right plan and the necessary resources could build that support.
Interestingly, there’s only one national, activist organization left holding the line (joined by just a couple media figures). DownsizeDC.org has been sending messages for several weeks now, saying “No deal. Cap the Debt.” Here are a few examples from five recent Dispatches…
* Why A Debt Ceiling Is Better Than A Balanced Budget Amendment
* Cap the Debt: How Congress Can Learn From Truman
* Do You Want a Theoretical Balanced Budget Many Years from Now, or a Real One Today?
* How Deficits Are Making You Poorer
* “Cut, Cap, and Balance” Means Leviathan State, Forever
We’ve sent so many messages on this subject that we’ve fatigued our subscriber list. This month, we have…
* Fewer new people joining us than we’ve had in years
* Fewer messages being sent to Congress, as well
Politicians respond to pressure. Politicians respond to pressure. POLITICIANS RESPOND TO PRESSURE. Yet…
The pressure they’re getting is to let the ball go — to give up their victory. All our normal allies are in favor of Cut, Cap, and Balance.
They need “encouragement” to persuade them to do the right thing. And now, that’s YOUR job!
We merely need to get enough Americans, who already agree with us, to work with DownsizeDC.org — now the ONLY national, activist organization left saying,
“Don’t Raise the Debt Ceiling”
We provide the Educate the Powerful System so you can give your “representatives” on Capitol Hill their “orders.”
* But have you been using it, regularly?
* Have you been sharing these messages with others, and encouraging them to join DownsizeDC.org?
* Have you given money to Downsize DC yet this year?
Most days, we provide a sample letter. But there are sample letters in each of the recent Dispatches referenced above. You can write your own letter, or borrow one of those.
Then, you could forward this message to others. But it would be FAR more powerful if you would make a PERSONAL APPEAL, to your friends, for a balanced budget NOW, by “taking a knee.” Tell them how they can make that happen using the proprietary tools we provide at DownsizeDC.org. Let’s overwhelm Congress.
And, if you’re not currently a monthly pledger, please recognize that the stand we’re taking right now is already being seen as confrontational — we’ve already been accused of undermining folks we normally consider allies. This isn’t personal. We still like most of those people, but we respectfully disagree. And that hits us financially, and that is personal.
But oh, how I wish we could do more. I’d love to spread this message far and wide. That’s why we have…
* secured the domain name, www.CapTheDebt.com
* created a web button/banner that you can place on your website or blog – go here to see it and obtain the code
* launched a CapTheDebt Facebook page, to which we encourage you becoming a Fan
And now…
What could we do if we had money to fight this battle? Could we take it to the press? Right now, I’m obsessed with just paying the rent! But if we had a donor, reading this message right now, ready to supply $10,000 or more, we’d launch advertising and media alerts. We’d jump even deeper into the fray. The more this person gave, the more we’d do. This issue is that important. Are you that person?
If you’ve…
* sent a message. Thank you.
* appealed to friends and recruited them to send letters with you. Thank you.
* pledged or contributed recently. Thank you.
* done all of these things then, thank you, thank you, and thank you!
But if you’re not doing these things, here is a moment to act — perhaps the best opportunity we’ve ever had to Downsize DC.
Jim Babka
President
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.
P.S. Apparently, not all of the Washington Elephants liked the game plan! Nine Republicans voted against Cut, Cap, and Balance on Tuesday evening.
Two of them were Presidential candidates, Ron Paul and Michele Bachmann. Paul said he was tired of the “status quo” and the pretense of calling some programs “discretionary” and others “non-discretionary.” Paul suggested that everything needed to be on the table. Bachmann said that default is completely unnecessary and a scare tactic. She also said that any proposal that doesn’t repeal Obamacare isn’t serious.
Paul and Bachmmann were joined by Mack of Florida, Broun of Georgia, Rohrabacher of California, Jones of N.C., DesJarlais of Tennessee, Canseco of Texas, and Griffith of Virginia. We thank and congratulate these members. If you live in their district, you should let them know you appreciate their stand.