From yesterday's Downsizer Dispatch:
So many bills in so little time. Last week, the Senate passed 14 bills amounting to 1482 pages. The House passed 15 bills totaling 50 pages. How does this happen?
Each member of Congress sits on a few committees, (where they are often susceptible to lobbyist influence.) Even if they develop some expertise in a few areas, they haven't read, and know very little about, most of the bills their party leaders ask them to pass. Many of these bills delegate more money and authority to the President and administrative agencies. The process has its own inertia, and government grows and grows. It doesn't matter what the people want, and the long-term consequences for the nation are rarely considered. This is why we need the Read the Bills Act.
But can we pass the Read the Bills Act?
We believe so, because it is clear the tide is turning in our country. The political culture is changing. Signs of popular discontent are rising all around us. Polls show record-low approval ratings for Congress, and near-record lows for the President. A supposedly "fringe" Presidential candidate, Ron Paul, dominates the Internet and shocked the Establishment by raising $5.1 million over the past three months. His message of downsizing the federal government is resonating with more and more people. Agree or disagree with Paul, his success is a stinging rebuke to the status quo.
It is clear that people want change, and we can achieve it.
Although we were taught in school that we have a Constitutional system of checks and balances between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, the only check that matters is the people. History shows that direct action from the people does work. Direct action does lead to change. Popular resistance can undo any government program. For instance, popular resistance brought Prohibition to an end. The draft was ended during the Nixon Administration because of popular backlash, and hasn't returned for fear of the same.
But we are not even asking for popular resistance. Instead, we are asking for popular persistence. Contact Congress. Tell Congress what must be done. Ask your friends to do the same, and to tell their friends. And then, do it all over again. And again. As the pressure mounts, Congress can not afford to ignore us. Indeed, they will begin to fear us. And so we ask you to tell your Representative and Senators to introduce and pass the Read the Bills Act.
We also ask you to spread the word. Click the "Tell a Friend" button on the campaign page.
And add your blog or website to the Read the Bills Act Coalition. Details are found here.
This week, we welcome four new members to the Coalition:
mccoolportraits
Dooglio.net
The Pro'se Plaintiffs & Litigants Association
NextRevolution
Finally, a list of the bills Congress passed last week is found at the bottom of the blog version of this Dispatch.
We invite you to visit our blog regularly and post your comments. Check it out here.
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