Date: Monday, October 6, 2008 2:23 PM
From: Downsizer Dispatch <downsizer-dispatch@downsizedc.org> Add to Addresses Block Sender
To: galtgulch
Subject: What the bailout means for our future
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D o w n s i z e r - D i s p a t c h
Quote of the Day:
"There is no nonsense so errant that it cannot be made the creed of the vast majority by adequate governmental action."
-- Bertrand Russell
Subject: What the bailout means for our future
The first House vote, in which the Big Bailout failed, showed the power of overwhelming pressure. The second House vote, in which the Big Bailout passed, showed the weakness of waiting to apply such pressure at the last minute.
Human psychology is such that we always want to wait to the last moment, when a deadline looms, to take action. We must overcome this aspect of our psychology if we are to prevail. If we do not, then we will always lose.
It really is that simple.
Things would be vastly different if the same pressure applied to Congress on the Big Bailout had been exerted much earlier to end the government policies that caused the housing bubble.
Had the pressure citizens brought to bear on the Big Bailout been applied earlier, and for a long period of time, to . . .
* Close the Department of Housing and Urban Development
* Liquidate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
* Repeal the "Community Reinvestment Act"
* Curtail or end the Federal Reserve's power to inflate credit
* And repeal top-down federal accounting rules such as mark-to-market
* Then there never would have been a housing bubble, a housing bust, or a justification for the Big Bailout
There would have been no crisis that corporate America, the media, and the politicians, could exploit to raid the Treasury and expand government power.
It really is that simple.
And had the same pressure that Americans brought to bear on Congress at the time of crisis, been employed earlier to pass the "Read the Bills Act," the "One Subject at a Time Act," and the "Write the Laws Act," then it's very unlikely that the Big Bailout could have passed even after the crisis hit. Congress could not have . . .
* Larded the Big Bailout bill with favors to buy the votes needed to secure passage -- the "One Subject at a Time Act" would have prevented it
* Endured the public reading of the 400+ page bailout bill -- the requirement in our "Read the Bills Act" that all legislation be read out loud before a quorum of the House and Senate, would have made such a reading unendurable
* Conferred power on the Treasury Department to determine so many of the details of the Big Bailout -- our "Write the Laws Act" would have prevented that, forcing Congress to make the bailout bill more detailed, and even less conducive to passage
Had the same pressure that was brought to bear when the crisis struck, been brought to bear beforehand to . . .
* End the government policies that create bubbles, and . . .
* Pass the Downsize DC Agenda
* There never would have been a crisis, and no Big Bailout bill either
It really is that simple.
We must stop playing defense at the moment of crisis, and start playing offense, forcing Congress to change bad policies IN ADVANCE, in order to AVOID crisis. This means . . .
* We must recognize and control our own psychology, which leads us to put-off action until its too late. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Action in advance must become the psychology of the DC Downsizer.
* We need a huge army to apply the kind of pressure that was brought to bear against the Big Bailout bill, in advance, and relentlessly, for a longer period of time
* The financial resources to make our proposals seen and heard by everyone, everywhere, every day -- to counter the fear mongering of the "drama queen" media and the crisis-exploiting politicians
It really is that simple.
In addition, the example of the Big Bailout fight does NOT mean that we need to elect the "right people" to office.
* Many of the "right people" voted the wrong way on both the policies that created the crisis, and on the Big Bailout bill.
* The "right people" will almost always be corrupted by the "wrong ways" of Capitol Hill.
* Even if you can find that mythical beast known as the "right person," and elect a majority of such persons to office, you will still need relentless, overwhelming, resistance numbing pressure to make the "right people" do the right thing.
* Many of the "wrong people" in Congress voted the right way on the Big Bailout -- because of the pressure
So why not just cut to the chase and focus on the crucial requirements -- a huge army, universal visibility, and relentless, overwhelming, resistance numbing pressure?
It really is that simple.
What does the Big Bailout mean for our future? It means we must execute "The Downsize DC Vision." That strategic vision is partially summarized in this message, but vital details are explained more fully in our 16-page booklet of the same name. You can receive a copy of "The Downsize DC Vision" by making a contribution or starting a monthly credit card pledge.
We can prevail, if we do the right things. And you can do another right thing right now by "thanking or spanking" your House Representative based on how they voted on the Big Bailout. You will find a list of the Roll Call vote below our signatures. You can send your "thank or spank" message using our free Educate the Powerful System.
Thank you for being a part of the growing Downsize DC army. Thank you for being a part of the solution.
Jim Babka & Perry Willis
President & Communications Director
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.
Here's how the House voted . . .
Alabama
Nay AL-1 Bonner, Jo
Nay AL-2 Everett, Terry
Nay AL-3 Rogers, Michael
Nay AL-4 Aderholt, Robert
Aye AL-5 Cramer, Robert
Nay AL-6 Bachus, Spencer
Aye AL-7 Davis, Artur
Alaska
Aye AK-0 Young, Donald
Arizona
No Vote AZ-1 Renzi, Rick
Nay AZ-2 Franks, Trent
Nay AZ-3 Shadegg, John
Aye AZ-4 Pastor, Edward
Aye AZ-5 Mitchell, Harry
Nay AZ-6 Flake, Jeff
Aye AZ-7 Grijalva, Raul
Aye AZ-8 Giffords, Gabrielle
Arkansas
Aye AR-1 Berry, Robert
Aye AR-2 Snyder, Victor
Nay AR-3 Boozman, John
Aye AR-4 Ross, Mike
California
Aye CA-1 Thompson, C.
Nay CA-2 Herger, Walter
Nay CA-3 Lungren, Daniel
Nay CA-4 Doolittle, John
Aye CA-5 Matsui, Doris
No Vote CA-6 Woolsey, Lynn
Aye CA-7 Miller, George
Aye CA-8 Pelosi, Nancy
Aye CA-9 Lee, Barbara
Aye CA-10 Tauscher, Ellen
Aye CA-11 McNerney, Jerry
Aye CA-13 Stark, Fortney
Aye CA-14 Eshoo, Anna
Aye CA-15 Honda, Michael
Aye CA-16 Lofgren, Zoe
Aye CA-17 Farr, Sam
Aye CA-18 Cardoza, Dennis
Nay CA-19 Radanovich, George
Aye CA-20 Costa, Jim
Nay CA-21 Nunes, Devin
Nay CA-22 McCarthy, Kevin
Aye CA-23 Capps, Lois
Aye CA-24 Gallegly, Elton
Nay CA-25 McKeon, Howard
Nay CA-26 Dreier, David
Aye CA-27 Sherman, Brad
Aye CA-28 Berman, Howard
Aye CA-29 Schiff, Adam
Aye CA-30 Waxman, Henry
Aye CA-31 Becerra, Xavier
Aye CA-32 Solis, Hilda
Aye CA-33 Watson, Diane
Aye CA-34 Roybal-Allard, Lucille
Aye CA-35 Waters, Maxine
Aye CA-36 Harman, Jane
Aye CA-37 Richardson, Laura
Aye CA-38 Napolitano, Grace
Aye CA-39 Sanchez, Linda
Nay CA-40 Royce, Edward
Nay CA-41 Lewis, Jerry
Nay CA-42 Miller, Gary
Aye CA-43 Baca, Joe
Nay CA-44 Calvert, Ken
Aye CA-45 Bono Mack, Mary
Nay CA-46 Rohrabacher, Dana
Aye CA-47 Sanchez, Loretta
Nay CA-48 Campbell, John
Nay CA-49 Issa, Darrell
Nay CA-50 Bilbray, Brian
Aye CA-51 Filner, Bob
Nay CA-52 Hunter, Duncan
Aye CA-53 Davis, Susan
Colorado
Aye CO-1 DeGette, Diana
Aye CO-2 Udall, Mark
Aye CO-3 Salazar, John
No Vote CO-4 Musgrave, Marilyn
Nay CO-5 Lamborn, Doug
Nay CO-6 Tancredo, Thomas
Aye CO-7 Perlmutter, Ed
Connecticut
Aye CT-1 Larson, John
Aye CT-2 Courtney, Joe
Aye CT-3 DeLauro, Rosa
Aye CT-4 Shays, Christopher
Aye CT-5 Murphy, Christopher
Delaware
Aye DE-0 Castle, Michael
Florida
Nay FL-1 Miller, Jeff
Aye FL-2 Boyd, F.
Aye FL-3 Brown, Corrine
Nay FL-4 Crenshaw, Ander
No Vote FL-5 Brown-Waite, Virginia
Nay FL-6 Stearns, Clifford
Nay FL-7 Mica, John
No Vote FL-8 Keller, Ric
Nay FL-9 Bilirakis, Gus
Nay FL-10 Young, C. W.
Aye FL-11 Castor, Kathy
Nay FL-12 Putnam, Adam
Aye FL-13 Buchanan, Vern
Nay FL-14 Mack, Connie
Nay FL-15 Weldon, David
Aye FL-16 Mahoney, Tim
Aye FL-17 Meek, Kendrick
Aye FL-18 Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana
Aye FL-19 Wexler, Robert
Aye FL-20 Wasserman Schultz, Debbie
Aye FL-21 Diaz-Balart, Lincoln
Aye FL-22 Klein, Ron
Aye FL-23 Hastings, Alcee
Nay FL-24 Feeney, Tom
Aye FL-25 Diaz-Balart, Mario
Georgia
Nay GA-1 Kingston, Jack
Aye GA-2 Bishop, Sanford
Nay GA-3 Westmoreland, Lynn
Aye GA-4 Johnson, Henry
Aye GA-5 Lewis, John
Nay GA-6 Price, Tom
Nay GA-7 Linder, John
Nay GA-8 Marshall, James
Nay GA-9 Deal, Nathan
Nay GA-10 Broun, Paul
Nay GA-11 Gingrey, John
Aye GA-12 Barrow, John
Aye GA-13 Scott, David
Hawaii
Aye HI-1 Abercrombie, Neil
Aye HI-2 Hirono, Mazie
Idaho
Nay ID-1 Sali, Bill
Nay ID-2 Simpson, Michael
Illinois
No Vote IL-1 Rush, Bobby
Aye IL-2 Jackson, Jesse
Aye IL-3 Lipinski, Daniel
Aye IL-4 Gutierrez, Luis
Aye IL-5 Emanuel, Rahm
Nay IL-6 Roskam, Peter
Aye IL-7 Davis, Danny
Aye IL-8 Bean, Melissa
Aye IL-9 Schakowsky, Janice
Aye IL-10 Kirk, Mark
Aye IL-11 Weller, Gerald
Aye IL-12 Costello, Jerry
Aye IL-13 Biggert, Judy
Aye IL-15 Johnson, Timothy
Nay IL-16 Manzullo, Donald
Aye IL-17 Hare, Phil
Aye IL-18 LaHood, Ray
Nay IL-19 Shimkus, John
Indiana
Aye IN-1 Visclosky, Peter
Aye IN-2 Donnelly, Joe
Nay IN-3 Souder, Mark
Nay IN-4 Buyer, Stephen
Nay IN-5 Burton, Dan
Nay IN-6 Pence, Mike
Aye IN-8 Ellsworth, Brad
Aye IN-9 Hill, Baron
Iowa
Aye IA-1 Braley, Bruce
Aye IA-2 Loebsack, David
Aye IA-3 Boswell, Leonard
Nay IA-4 Latham, Thomas
Nay IA-5 King, Steve
Kansas
Nay KS-1 Moran, Jerry
Aye KS-2 Boyda, Nancy
Aye KS-3 Moore, Dennis
Aye KS-4 Tiahrt, Todd
Kentucky
Nay KY-1 Whitfield, Edward
Nay KY-2 Lewis, Ron
Aye KY-3 Yarmuth, John
Nay KY-4 Davis, Geoff
Nay KY-5 Rogers, Harold
Aye KY-6 Chandler, Ben
Louisiana
Aye LA-2 Jefferson, William
Aye LA-3 Melancon, Charles
Nay LA-4 McCrery, James
Nay LA-5 Alexander, Rodney
Aye LA-7 Boustany, Charles
Maine
Aye ME-1 Allen, Thomas
Aye ME-2 Michaud, Michael
Maryland
Aye MD-1 Gilchrest, Wayne
Aye MD-2 Ruppersberger, C.A.
Aye MD-3 Sarbanes, John
No Vote MD-4 Wynn, Albert
Aye MD-5 Hoyer, Steny
Nay MD-6 Bartlett, Roscoe
Aye MD-7 Cummings, Elijah
Aye MD-8 Van Hollen, Christopher
Massachusetts
Aye MA-1 Olver, John
Aye MA-2 Neal, Richard
Aye MA-3 McGovern, James
Aye MA-4 Frank, Barney
Aye MA-5 Tsongas, Niki
Aye MA-6 Tierney, John
Aye MA-7 Markey, Edward
Aye MA-8 Capuano, Michael
Aye MA-9 Lynch, Stephen
Aye MA-10 Delahunt, William
Michigan
Aye MI-1 Stupak, Bart
Nay MI-2 Hoekstra, Peter
Nay MI-3 Ehlers, Vernon
Nay MI-4 Camp, David
Aye MI-5 Kildee, Dale
Aye MI-6 Upton, Frederick
No Vote MI-7 Walberg, Timothy
Nay MI-8 Rogers, Michael
Aye MI-9 Knollenberg, Joseph
Aye MI-10 Miller, Candice
Nay MI-11 McCotter, Thaddeus
Aye MI-12 Levin, Sander
Aye MI-13 Kilpatrick, Carolyn
Aye MI-14 Conyers, John
Aye MI-15 Dingell, John
Minnesota
Aye MN-1 Walz, Timothy
Nay MN-2 Kline, John
Aye MN-3 Ramstad, James
Aye MN-4 McCollum, Betty
Aye MN-5 Ellison, Keith
Nay MN-6 Bachmann, Michele
Aye MN-7 Peterson, Collin
Aye MN-8 Oberstar, James
Mississippi
Aye MS-2 Thompson, Bennie
Aye MS-3 Pickering, Charles
Aye MS-4 Taylor, Gene
Missouri
Aye MO-1 Clay, William
Nay MO-2 Akin, W.
Aye MO-3 Carnahan, Russ
Aye MO-4 Skelton, Ike
Aye MO-5 Cleaver, Emanuel
Nay MO-6 Graves, Samuel
Nay MO-7 Blunt, Roy
Aye MO-8 Emerson, Jo Ann
Nay MO-9 Hulshof, Kenny
Montana
Nay MT-0 Rehberg, Dennis
Nebraska
Nay NE-1 Fortenberry, Jeffrey
Nay NE-2 Terry, Lee
Nay NE-3 Smith, Adrian
Nevada
Aye NV-1 Berkley, Shelley
Nay NV-2 Heller, Dean
Nay NV-3 Porter, Jon
New Hampshire
Aye NH-1 Shea-Porter, Carol
Aye NH-2 Hodes, Paul
New Jersey
Aye NJ-1 Andrews, Robert
Aye NJ-2 LoBiondo, Frank
Aye NJ-3 Saxton, H.
Nay NJ-4 Smith, Christopher
Nay NJ-5 Garrett, E.
Aye NJ-6 Pallone, Frank
Aye NJ-7 Ferguson, Michael
Aye NJ-8 Pascrell, William
Aye NJ-9 Rothman, Steven
Aye NJ-10 Payne, Donald
Aye NJ-11 Frelinghuysen, Rodney
Aye NJ-12 Holt, Rush
Aye NJ-13 Sires, Albio
New Mexico
Nay NM-1 Wilson, Heather
Nay NM-2 Pearce, Steven
Aye NM-3 Udall, Tom
New York
Aye NY-1 Bishop, Timothy
Aye NY-2 Israel, Steve
Aye NY-3 King, Peter
Aye NY-4 McCarthy, Carolyn
Aye NY-5 Ackerman, Gary
Aye NY-6 Meeks, Gregory
Aye NY-7 Crowley, Joseph
Aye NY-8 Nadler, Jerrold
Aye NY-9 Weiner, Anthony
Aye NY-10 Towns, Edolphus
Aye NY-11 Clarke, Yvette
Aye NY-12 Velazquez, Nydia
Aye NY-13 Fossella, Vito
Aye NY-14 Maloney, Carolyn
No Vote NY-15 Rangel, Charles
Aye NY-16 Serrano, José
Aye NY-17 Engel, Eliot
Aye NY-18 Lowey, Nita
Aye NY-19 Hall, John
Aye NY-20 Gillibrand, Kirsten
Aye NY-21 McNulty, Michael
Aye NY-22 Hinchey, Maurice
Aye NY-23 McHugh, John
Aye NY-24 Arcuri, Michael
Aye NY-25 Walsh, James
Nay NY-26 Reynolds, Thomas
Aye NY-27 Higgins, Brian
Aye NY-28 Slaughter, Louise
Nay NY-29 Kuhl, John
North Carolina
Aye NC-1 Butterfield, George
Aye NC-2 Etheridge, Bob
Nay NC-3 Jones, Walter
Aye NC-4 Price, David
Nay NC-5 Foxx, Virginia
Nay NC-6 Coble, Howard
Aye NC-7 McIntyre, Mike
Aye NC-8 Hayes, Robin
Nay NC-9 Myrick, Sue
Nay NC-10 Mchenry, Patrick
Aye NC-11 Shuler, Heath
Aye NC-12 Watt, Melvin
Aye NC-13 Miller, R.
North Dakota
Aye ND-0 Pomeroy, Earl
Ohio
Nay OH-1 Chabot, Steven
Nay OH-2 Schmidt, Jean
Nay OH-3 Turner, Michael
Nay OH-4 Jordan, Jim
Nay OH-5 Latta, Robert
Aye OH-6 Wilson, Charles
Aye OH-7 Hobson, David
Nay OH-8 Boehner, John
Aye OH-9 Kaptur, Marcy
Aye OH-10 Kucinich, Dennis
Aye OH-11 Jones, Stephanie
Nay OH-12 Tiberi, Patrick
Aye OH-13 Sutton, Betty
Aye OH-14 LaTourette, Steven
Aye OH-15 Pryce, Deborah
Aye OH-16 Regula, Ralph
Aye OH-17 Ryan, Timothy
Aye OH-18 Space, Zachary
Oklahoma
Aye OK-1 Sullivan, John
Aye OK-2 Boren, Dan
Nay OK-3 Lucas, Frank
Nay OK-4 Cole, Tom
Nay OK-5 Fallin, Mary
Oregon
Aye OR-1 Wu, David
Nay OR-2 Walden, Greg
Aye OR-3 Blumenauer, Earl
Aye OR-4 DeFazio, Peter
Aye OR-5 Hooley, Darlene
Pennsylvania
Aye PA-1 Brady, Robert
Aye PA-2 Fattah, Chaka
Aye PA-3 English, Philip
Aye PA-4 Altmire, Jason
Nay PA-5 Peterson, John
Aye PA-6 Gerlach, Jim
Aye PA-7 Sestak, Joe
Aye PA-8 Murphy, Patrick
Nay PA-9 Shuster, William
Aye PA-10 Carney, Christopher
Aye PA-11 Kanjorski, Paul
Aye PA-12 Murtha, John
Aye PA-13 Schwartz, Allyson
Aye PA-14 Doyle, Michael
Aye PA-15 Dent, Charles
Nay PA-16 Pitts, Joseph
Aye PA-17 Holden, Tim
Aye PA-18 Murphy, Tim
Aye PA-19 Platts, Todd
Rhode Island
Aye RI-1 Kennedy, Patrick
Aye RI-2 Langevin, James
South Carolina
Nay SC-1 Brown, Henry
Nay SC-2 Wilson, Addison
Nay SC-3 Barrett, James
Nay SC-4 Inglis, Bob
Aye SC-5 Spratt, John
Aye SC-6 Clyburn, James
South Dakota
Aye SD-0 Herseth Sandlin, Stephanie
Tennessee
Nay TN-1 Davis, David
Nay TN-2 Duncan, John
Aye TN-3 Wamp, Zach
Aye TN-4 Davis, Lincoln
Aye TN-5 Cooper, Jim
Aye TN-6 Gordon, Barton
Nay TN-7 Blackburn, Marsha
Aye TN-8 Tanner, John
Aye TN-9 Cohen, Steve
Texas
Nay TX-1 Gohmert, Louis
No Vote TX-2 Poe, Ted
Nay TX-3 Johnson, Samuel
Nay TX-4 Hall, Ralph
Nay TX-5 Hensarling, Jeb
Nay TX-6 Barton, Joe
Nay TX-7 Culberson, John
Nay TX-8 Brady, Kevin
Aye TX-9 Green, Al
Nay TX-10 McCaul, Michael
Nay TX-11 Conaway, K.
Nay TX-12 Granger, Kay
Nay TX-13 Thornberry, William
Nay TX-14 Paul, Ronald
Nay TX-15 Hinojosa, Rubén
Aye TX-16 Reyes, Silvestre
Aye TX-17 Edwards, Thomas
Aye TX-18 Jackson-Lee, Sheila
Nay TX-19 Neugebauer, Randy
No Vote TX-20 Gonzalez, Charles
Aye TX-21 Smith, Lamar
Nay TX-22 Lampson, Nicholas
Aye TX-23 Rodriguez, Ciro
Nay TX-24 Marchant, Kenny
Aye TX-25 Doggett, Lloyd
Nay TX-26 Burgess, Michael
Aye TX-27 Ortiz, Solomon
Aye TX-28 Cuellar, Henry
Aye TX-29 Green, Raymond
No Vote TX-30 Johnson, Eddie
Nay TX-31 Carter, John
Nay TX-32 Sessions, Peter
Utah
Nay UT-1 Bishop, Rob
Aye UT-2 Matheson, Jim
Nay UT-3 Cannon, Christopher
Vermont
No Vote VT-0 Welch, Peter
Virginia
Nay VA-1 Wittman, Rob
Nay VA-2 Drake, Thelma
Aye VA-3 Scott, Robert
Nay VA-4 Forbes, James
Nay VA-5 Goode, Virgil
Nay VA-6 Goodlatte, Robert
Nay VA-7 Cantor, Eric
Aye VA-8 Moran, James
Aye VA-9 Boucher, Frederick
Nay VA-10 Wolf, Frank
Aye VA-11 Davis, Thomas
Washington
Aye WA-1 Inslee, Jay
Aye WA-2 Larsen, Rick
Aye WA-3 Baird, Brian
Nay WA-4 Hastings, Doc
Nay WA-5 McMorris Rodgers, Cathy
Aye WA-6 Dicks, Norman
Aye WA-7 McDermott, James
Nay WA-8 Reichert, Dave
Aye WA-9 Smith, Adam
West Virginia
Aye WV-1 Mollohan, Alan
Aye WV-2 Capito, Shelley
Aye WV-3 Rahall, Nick
Wisconsin
Nay WI-1 Ryan, Paul
Aye WI-2 Baldwin, Tammy
Aye WI-3 Kind, Ronald
Aye WI-4 Moore, Gwen
Aye WI-5 Sensenbrenner, F.
Nay WI-6 Petri, Thomas
Aye WI-7 Obey, David
Aye WI-8 Kagen, Steve
Wyoming
Nay WY-0 Cubin, Barbara
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