Today’s Downsizer-Dispatch . . .
I’ve got a confession. I’ve been struggling with something. Maybe you can help.
It seems God gave me a talent for politics. I was once quite good at it. I started off with a major party, but quit in disgust because they had no principles. It wasn’t a great career move, but my values matter to me. I then joined a minor party and did good work there too. I was successful, relatively speaking.
But I dropped out three years ago. I let my membership lapse. It was right about then that we started building the new DownsizeDC.org. Which brings me to the topic for today’s radio show: PARTISANSHIP. And the failure of political parties.
So what exactly is my struggle? Well, I have friends who are still partisans. Some of them believe they are doing good things. I can understand why. Common sense wisdom seems to suggest that we need good people in office.
But I’ve spent many hours thinking this through – far more than a human being should dwell on such things. And I don’t buy it. I don’t buy partisanship, or the partisan path as the place to start in improving things.
Now, I don’t want to hurt my friends who still believe in the partisan path. But then again, if you think someone is doing something that isn’t productive, and that they’ll regret in the long run, shouldn’t you share your concerns, and the thoughts and experiences that led to them? What if you’ve come up with a mathmatically provable statement that shows why third parties can’t work: Do you hide it to protect feelings and avoid controversy, or do you share it, in the hope of avoiding even greater pain?
I don’t know. But I’m venturing out in public on this issue for the first time, and I’d like to hear what you think. I’m inviting YOU to call me on the Downsize DC Conference Call (a radio show), Sunday afternoon, at 5 PM Eastern. You can give me advice – help me resolve my dilemma. The number is 1-800-259-9231, or, if you’re shy, you can email the show at “call at downsizedc dot org.”
In addition to the topic of partisanship, I’ll have interesting updates to share from the other show sponsors, Gun Owners of America and the Marijuana Policy Project.
Here are the broadcast details…
You can hear the show at GCNLive.com. Click on Listen Live and choose one of the first two channels to get the free feed.
The show is broadcast live at …
Eastern: 5pm – 6pm
Central: 4pm – 5pm
Mountain: 3pm – 4pm
Pacific: 2pm – 3pm
Alaska: 1pm – 2pm
Hawaii: Noon – 1pm
I hope to hear from you. Thank you for being a DC Downsizer.
Jim Babka
President
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.