Today’s Downsizer-Dispatch . . .
The Hinchey-Rohrbacher vote was yesterday. We lost, 163 to 259. But this was 2 votes better than last year, and 18 Republicans bucked the White House to vote yes. Republicans are the key to this issue. Just as it took Nixon to go to China, it will take the Republicans to end the war on the sick. The fact that 18 Republicans voted for Hinchey-Rohrbacher in an election year is a good sign of progress.
One point made during the debate is worth noting. A Republican Congressman claimed marijuana is not needed because there are plenty of other drugs to treat the problems marijuana addresses. This reflects the one-size-fits-all mentality that plagues the federal government. Not all drugs work on all people equally well. We are all different, and we need a multitude of substances to address those differences. This year’s vote provides cause to hope that Congress can learn, if only we keep repeating the message. We must always remember . . .
The world tends to change a step at a time. In increments, not leaps. Revolutions do occur, but evolution is more reliable. Constant pressure, constant progress, can get you where you’re going when “magic bullets” are nowhere to be found, or when those “magic bullets” turn out to be duds.
This is our mantra at Downsize DC. Always forward, one tiny step at a time.
We also took steps forward yesterday in our drive to pay for June and secure our annual funding so we can begin Operation Everywhere — our campaign of relentless advertising to recruit a large army of DC Downsizers. We moved past $1,000 a month in new monthly pledgers, and raised $1,300 total toward our June needs. $7,700 is still needed for June. You can make a contribution for this purpose here.
Thank you for being a DC Downsizer.
Jim Babka
President
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.