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

Quote of the Day: "Under democracy, one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule - and both commonly succeed, and are right." Source: "Minority Report" (The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997 [1956]), p. 222

Subject: A state of permanent preparedness for impeachment

It's Election Day. What should we say about it? We're tempted to declare it a day of mourning, but instead, we're going to argue that today is the day to adopt a state of permanent preparedness for impeachment.

The War on Copyright Infringment

While you were blogging, emailing, and calling your "unrepresentatives" in Congress, a new big media backed bill sailed through the Congress faster than a Pork-laden Paulson Plan. On September 26th, the Senate unanimously passed the "Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights Act".

The act creates an "Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator", aka: Copyright Czar. Congratulations, America, Congress just declared war on copyright infringement. It seems actual war is the only thing we go into without declaring war, these days.

Remember, Remember the fourth of November

Bill Huff has an amazing article on LRC encouraging voters to take a stand this November, "Remember... Remember... Vote them out in November"

You the People will send a message in November one way or another.

Either you want to be abused and taken for granted or you have finally had enough. It is not sufficient to light up switchboards and clog emails. You must start firing your incompetent and unresponsive government servants. It is time to shake up the Congress and get rid of almost every Representative and the Third of the Senate that we can retire at this time.

Surprise, Surprise, Paulson Plan Fails to Rescue

Another tough day on Wall Street today, the first full day of trading after the Bailout passed on Friday. As reported Friday, the Dow fell nearly 500 points in the afternoon after the plan passed. Again, I'm not one to quote one day market shifts, but one would have at least expected a small rally on Friday, if not today.

By 2PM today, the Dow was down nearly 800 points, then rallied a bit to close at only a 370 point loss. The market closed below 10,000 points for the first time in four years.

The BBC may have put it best in its midday report, while the market was still falling:

Henry Paulson Crowned King of American Finance

By now you are no doubt aware that the largest theft in American history was signed into law yesterday by President Bush. The Senate originated "Amendment" tied to an unrelated bill was strong armed through Congress and quickly signed by Fuhrer Bush.

The final vote was 263 traitors for, 171 heroes against. You can find the list of heroes and traitors here.

Senate Passes Bailout overwhelmingly

The Senate voted 74 Ayes over 25 Nays in favor of the Amendment to attach the Bailout Travesty to a tax bill.

As if the Paulson Plan was not bad enough, plenty of pork fat has been poured on to make it easier for some members to swallow.

In a further attempt to build support in the Senate, leaders agreed Tuesday to attach to the bailout package a Senate-passed tax measure that would provide incentives for developing renewable energy, shield an estimated 20 million Americans from paying the alternative minimum tax and extend a number of expiring tax cuts for businesses and families.

Regulation is No Alternative to Bailouts

As prognosticated, the calls for regulation in the wake of the House of Representatives refusal of the Paulson Plan have begun. Michael Moore is celebrating the houses rejection of the bill on Monday. We here at the liberty node of no place have a few objections to his interpretation of events.

Offer an Alternative to a Bailout

Everyone knows by now that the House rejected the Bailout Bill on Monday, but that doesn't mean the fight is over. Many in Congress have vowed to renegotiate to try to pass a compromise bill, and the Senate still has to vote on the legislation. If the Senate passes the current bill, it will be a starting point for negotiations on compromise legislation in the House.

Many in Congress feel they have to do something to help the alternative. We have an answer for them.

House Rejects the Paulson Plan

The House of Representatives rejection of the Paulson Plan surprised many, including myself. Today the House of Representatives showed that they can still be representatives of the people who elected them.

This fight is not over. A new bill has already been promised, and we need to ensure that our representatives repel any additional attempts. If your representative voted against the plan, make sure you tell them thank you. If they voted Aye, you already know what to do on November 4th.

You can find the bailout vote record here.

Bureaucrats, Politicians, Voters don't understand the Bailout

The tiny three page, $700+ Billion bailout plan proposed by Treasury Secretary Paulson Is being rammed down the throats of Congress on the basis that to do nothing could spell disaster. Largely ignored are the greater consequences the Paulson Power Grab will have on the economy, ie: the destruction of the US dollar. As Frederic Bastiat would say, they are ignoring what is unseen. Americans are coming out overwhelmingly opposed to this massive bailout, but most in opposition, too, are ignoring the important issues underlying this calamity.