The Remedy for BIG Corrupt Government - Part 1

[BOBT12]

Isn’t it odd that the government cannot do much to help the victims of New Orleans? Remember the 11000 trailer homes that never made it to New Orleans, yet were rotting in a storage lot in Texas? Or when government (and Mexican) military forces went to disarm the civilian population at a time, we were told, of widespread looting? It should be clear that “Government doesn't work." -- Harry Browne

A tyrant’s whole reliance must be upon his soldiers he must increase them in proportion to his distrust of his people; which is a confession of mutual enmity: Neither is it enough that his soldiers oppress and famish his people, for his sake and their own (for both he and they are supported by the spoils of the people), but he must keep them as constantly employed as he can; because if they be not employed in plundering, invading, and shedding of blood, they will grow unfit for such beneficent and necessary work, and may probably degenerate into humanity and mercy; than which a more terrible change could not befall their royal master; so that in mere duty they must be constantly practicing mischief and rapine at home or abroad. [L] Cato’s Letters, #73, p. 539.

Can we say Iraq, or perhaps, Iran might come to mind?

Media notice: Tune-in to hear me on the Jerry Hughes show today. Details below my signature.

Quote of the Day:

"Government doesn't work."
-- Harry Browne

Subject: Government vs. You

In 1871 the city of Chicago burned to the ground. There was no FEMA or large federal funding to rebuild it. Instead, the people of Chicago rebuilt their own city and in short order it soared to new heights.

In 1906, after a major earthquake, the city of San Francisco also burned down. There was no FEMA or large federal funding to rebuild it. Instead, the people of San Francisco did it themselves and the city was soon restored.

In 2005 a large part of the city of New Orleans was destroyed when a levy, designed, built, and maintained by government, proved inadequate to protect against a hurricane that was far from the worst that could have struck the city. Private citizens and businesses such as Wal-Mart rushed to the city's aid, but were largely blocked by federal officials. FEMA and large federal funding were there to rebuild the city, but today much of New Orleans still lies in ruins.

We see the evidence all around us, where government seeks to help, harm often follows. Education, food, energy, and medical care are all areas where the government alleges it helps you, but all are areas where prices are rising faster than in other sectors.

Government doesn't work, because government has no incentive to succeed. Instead, government prospers by failing -- constantly gaining new power and resources because of the crises it creates.

Meanwhile, we see companies like Wal-Mart working effectively to lower the cost of prescription drugs, and Walgreens is opening discount medical clinics in thousands of their stores to lower the cost of routine health care. We see home schoolers providing vastly better academic results. And we see private innovation that will lower the cost of energy and protect the environment . . .
· A company called Sunrgi has just announced a design for photovoltaic cells that promises to make solar power competitive with other sources of electricity.
· A research team at Stanford has created a battery technology that is ten times more efficient than existing batteries.
· And an oil company, Exxon, has also produced an improved battery technology that will LOWER THE DEMAND FOR THEIR OIL by making hybrid cars more cost effective.
The evidence is abundant, if only we will look and heed what we see. The solutions we seek will not come from the top down, designed by politicians and provided by the government. More problems than solutions come from that source. Instead, the solutions to our problems will come from "the bottom up," provided by innovative firms responding to human needs.

The same is true of the problem of government itself. The solution to "the government problem" will not come from politicians. It will come from innovative private entities such as Downsize DC.

Stated another way, you will not solve the problem of government by somehow electing the right politicians to do the job for you, from the top down. Instead . . .

You will only solve the problem of government by compelling politicians, from "the bottom up," to lessen the harm caused by Big Government. And just as innovative firms solve problems by lowering costs -- constantly doing more with less -- Downsize DC is also trying to lower the cost you pay to solve "the government problem."

For just a few cents per day, from a few hundred more DC Downsizers making monthly pledges, we could reach the take-off point, beyond which every additional dollar we raise could be devoted to outreach that would . . .
· Recruit more DC Downsizers faster
· Spread the word about things like the "Read the Bills Act" and the "One Subject at a Time Act"
· And exert more bottom-up pressure to COMPEL politicians to solve "the government problem."
This could be done for a tiny fraction of what has been spent trying to elect even one candidate to office.

So . . .

As you relax from your labors this weekend, ask yourself, has the age-old attempt to elect the right people to office worked? Has it enabled you to accomplish more with less, or has it constantly required you to pay more and more and more with little measurable return?

We recognize that we are selling a new paradigm that clashes with habitual modes of thought. We know that only constant repetition can carve a new groove in the public mind to make a place for this new paradigm. But we believe in this new paradigm and in the power of repetition, and so we push . . . and push . . . and push.

We will be back to work on Monday, meanwhile . . .
· Start a monthly credit card pledge. It could be as low as a few cents per day -- $3, $5, $10, $15, $20, or $25 per month. Or, . . .
· Help us earn a $1,000 matching contribution from DC Downsizer James Marquart. You can do so by making a one-time donation of $100 or more -- your contribution will be worth $200 to us. Or, . . .
· Help us with whatever size contribution you can afford.

Your contribution is our budget. Your investment is our expansion. You can contribute here.

Thank you for being a part of the growing Downsize DC Army. Remember to look below my signature for listening details on the my Jerry Hughes show appearance today. We welcome comments to this Dispatch at our blog.

Jim Babka
President
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.

P.S. Friday afternoon appearance on Straight Talk with Jerry Hughes . . .

My hour-long appearance begins at 3:05 PM Eastern time (2:05 PM Central, 1:05 PM Mountain, 12:05 PM Pacific). To listen online go to "http://www.accentradionetwork.com/chooseplayer.htm"

We'll be talking about the Real ID Act and who knows what else. But it'll be even better if you call and participate.

The toll-free call-in number: 1-866-222-2368
Or use email: Jerry at AccentRadio dot com

* As always, regarding media appearances, schedule changes or cancellations can happen without warning.
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At its root, oppression is really quite simple. It's about looting. The rest is made up of the rules and institutions, rituals and agreements, mythologies, rationales and overt bullying by means of which small groups of people keep a firm grasp on way more than their share of the world’s resources. –Aurora Levins Morales, historian, Medicine Stories, 1998

[BOBT12]

D o w n s i z e r - D i s p a t c h ...


Quote of the Day:

"The illegal we do immediately. The unconstitutional takes a little longer."
-- Henry Kissinger, former US Secretary of State (Source: New York Times, Oct. 28, 1973)

Subject: Dangerous Democracy

President Bush probably meant to do good by bringing democracy to Iraq, but it's hard to succeed when you're aiming at the wrong thing.

The President has always assumed that democracy is what made America good and great. He thinks it could do the same for Iraq, and many others agree. But is it true?

Iraq now has a representative democracy, but strangely, it seems to be a source of violence, not peace.


-The Sunni minority fears majority democratic rule by the Shia
Iraqi women fear that they'll be subjected to fundamentalist Islamic law, imposed by democratic means

-And the Shia are afraid to share power with the Sunni lest it result in the return of full Sunni control

-All these fears are justified, because representative democracy can be just as tyrannical as any other form of government.

What made American democracy different was that our Founders limited the power of government, and of majority rule. These limits, and not representative democracy itself, are what made America good and great.

This point is difficult for politicians like President Bush to understand. Politicians get their power and significance from representative democracy, and therefore consider it of supreme importance. Likewise, the people gain an illusion of power and influence from their right to vote, without fully realizing the dangers of majority rule, or of the mandate for mischief that voting confers on power-hungry politicians.

But imagine where we would be without . . .


-The separation of powers between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government

-The existence of specific constitutional provisions that allow these three branches to thwart each other

-Explicit limits on government power, as expressed in the Bills of Rights

Without these things our government would have long ago become a democratic, representative tyranny.

America's great gift to the world was LIMITED GOVERNMENT, NOT representative democracy. Sadly, most Americans do not understand this crucial point.

No country in the history of the world has ever had such a large ethnic and religious diversity as the United States. But we all live in peace. Compare this with Iraq, which can't even manage to reconcile two major religious sects. Majority-rule democracy, unconstrained by strong limits on government power, is one of the reasons Iraq flounders.

America is peaceful, and good, and great, because it has LIMITED government, and NOT because it has majority-rule and representative democracy.

We must fight, with all our might, to preserve the principles of limited government against those people -- politicians and citizens alike -- who want to replace this precious heritage with majority preferences, majority fears, and majority hysteria.

Even if a majority of Americans should want to grant the politicians the power to spy on us without a warrant, IT SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED!

The power of the executive branch must continue to be watched and checked by the power of the judicial branch. Our government must remain limited, so that America remains good and great.

Congress is set to adjourn on May 22nd. The danger remains that they may act to permit warrantless spying before they adjourn. We must maintain the pressure to prevent this from happening. Please send Congress a message....

If you can, please also help us reach the point where we can start to recruit more DC Downsizers at a rapid rate . . .

Emphasis added.

"Every government that does not act on the principle of a Republic, in other words, that does not make the “res-publica” its whole and sole object, is not a good government." –Paine, RoM, 174

”Almost every despot, by whatever title, has the ethics of a pirate and assassin – and the ordinary man simply adores him.” –Paine

”He who bids to be ruled by the arbitrary will of another, instead of consent of law, will be ruled by wild beasts.” [L] –Aristotle, Politics, III, 16, 1287a, 30