Live Free Radio Keep Living Free

Read the Bills Act and Food Safety: What Happens When Your Senators Don't Read the Bill
Posted by John Markley

A funny thing happened on the way to the "food safety" bill's passage. As the letter below says, Senators violated a provision of the Constitution when they passed their version (S.510), and House leaders will not accept this violation.

Meanwhile, all 42 Senate Republicans have vowed to filibuster ALL legislation unless bills to fund the government and to prevent the New Years Day tax increase are considered first.

We are pleased with this development, because it makes final passage of the dangerous "food safety" bill much more difficult.

But it should also be pointed out that if DownsizeDC.org's Read the Bills Act (RTBA) had been in force, the Senate would not have made this mistake. And so we're asking you to tell Congress to introduce and pass the Read the Bills Act.

You may borrow from or copy this letter . . .

The "food safety" bill that passed the Senate, S.510, is further proof that we need the Read the Bills Act (RTBA). S.510 includes new taxes, whereas the Constitution requires all tax bills to originate in the House.

This means the 73 Senators who voted for it either . . .

* Knowingly violated their oath of office to support the Constitution, or . . .
* They didn't read the bill!

The Read the Bills Act (RTBA) would have prevented this . . .

* It requires all bills that come to a vote to be read before a quorum in each chamber
* It also requires that they be posted online, in their final form, seven days before a final vote

If the RTBA was in force, surely many people would have caught this mistake BEFORE the bill's passage.

If you take your oath of office seriously, you wouldn't knowingly pass a bill that clearly violates the Constitution. The RTBA would prevent that from happening. I therefore expect you to introduce this bill soon.

END LETTER

You may send your letter using DownsizeDC.org's Educate the Powerful System.

We also invite you to add your blog or website to the Read the Bills Act Coalition. By joining, you help spread the word about the RTBA, and in return we will list your site on our blog and announce it in a Downsizer-Dispatch reaching over 30,800 readers. You may learn more and join here.

This month we welcome Live Free Radio to the coalition.

Finally, in November the House passed 22 bills totaling 426 pages, and the Senate passed 13 bills totaling 598 pages. You can see summaries of these bills on our blog.

James Wilson
Assistant Communications Director
DownsizeDC.org

GOD'S WORD FOR THE DAY
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. (Joshua 1:9 KJV)

IN THE NEWS

CHRISTMAS SCROOGE

Chase orders Southlake bank to remove Christmas tree - Don't Use Your Chase Credit Card This Christmas
http://bit.ly/hLq7Dx

CHRISTIANITY NEWS

Repeal could cost military chaplains
http://bit.ly/gX6zXM

New Yorkers see 'light at the end of the tunnel'
http://bit.ly/eJdB6T

Pastor: Church should have fought civil unions
http://bit.ly/eTwwiV

Park Service: Dissing Christians just dandy
http://bit.ly/ikhfPF

Pastor, ministry aim to set Skid Row free
http://bit.ly/gA3eUp

MORAL DECLINE

NC bar gives up license after patrons seen having sex, police say
http://bit.ly/hUmnmq

ABORTION NEWS

Restricting pro-life clinics out of business
http://bit.ly/gu2IeS

State's attorneys support parental notice
http://bit.ly/g5BHkT

OBAMA NATION

Obama's 'vendetta' against domestic energy productio
http://bit.ly/hcmQKz

OBAMA CARE

ObamaCare on its way to Supreme Court?
http://bit.ly/hcua7f

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

EC launches antitrust probe against Google
http://bit.ly/ikAUlX

Google offering $5.3 billion for Groupon?
http://bit.ly/hOs7A2

HEALTH NEWS

Mobile Phones and Cancer
http://bit.ly/eVs3Wq

POLITICS & GOVERNMENT

Clock ticking on food safety act
http://bit.ly/gP8CcM

Home schoolers don't want CEDAW
http://bit.ly/gIspGe

Death tax - bad for customers, 'cash cow' for insurers
http://bit.ly/eeAWph

Deficit-cutting commission gets it wrong
http://bit.ly/i3YqLD

Judicial activism - a major constitutional threat
http://bit.ly/hnbcoo

Mosque developers 'adding insult to injury'
http://bit.ly/eF2vSB

State turns up heat in power clash with feds
http://bit.ly/eE9Yue

Texan calls for jail time for enforcing Obamacare
http://bit.ly/eMwpIU

Senate vote kills off two separate bids to extend tax cuts for 'average' Americans
http://bit.ly/g4756a

ALERT: Public Comments Sought on Federal "Fusion Centers"
http://bit.ly/eg8fq6

The humiliation of Charles Rangel: U.S. House censures veteran Democrat over ethics violations
http://bit.ly/gTTSLy

Trillions In Secret Fed Bailouts For Global Corporations And Foreign Banks
http://bit.ly/fgi3f8

Anti-'insulting' act imposing on free speech
http://bit.ly/gsSw0T

Peace & Justice League Protests SOA in G.A
http://bit.ly/elkeM2

Our rights and freedoms make us a democracy
http://bit.ly/hvS6a9

New Brazilian government ratifies Lula da Silva regional foreign policy - FTAA
http://bit.ly/fARZwA

Fox News Guest Threatened For Opposing Dream Act Amnesty
http://bit.ly/e2GGjb

Euro soars on possible US support for more IMF aid
http://bit.ly/fWcDIs

Courts: Using another's SSN not a crime
http://bit.ly/gY3uVt

List of Senators Who Passed the S-510 Food 'Safety' Nightmare Bill
http://bit.ly/egy3da

Feds won't end drilling ban off Fla.
http://bit.ly/gxYe8f

Lawmakers stand firm on taxes as talks start
http://bit.ly/hGomLd

Hot mic catches senator saying lame duck agenda is "all rigged"
http://bit.ly/hpxklX

WIKILEAKS NEWS

Latest Updates on Leak of U.S. Cables, Day 9
http://nyti.ms/ieNuyo

Columbia students told job prospects harmed if they access WikiLeaks cables
http://bit.ly/gxg5uo

These leaks spell doom for web freedom
http://bit.ly/ePTXgi

WikiLeaks will release encrypted ‘doomsday file’ if site blocked
http://bit.ly/i5h2Rc

Wikileaks Cables Fallout: There is No International Consensus on an Attack Against Iran
http://bit.ly/bIMFML

PayPal cuts WikiLeaks from money flow
http://bit.ly/eRflWi

Julian Assange's lawyers say they are being watched
http://bit.ly/i803Xq

WikiLeaks sold classified intel, claims website's co-founder
http://bit.ly/fuKvCR

Clinton uses WikiLeaks disclosures to draw a laugh
http://bit.ly/h5U0QM

POLICE STATE NEWS

Senior citizen arrested at DMV by Capitol Police
http://bit.ly/hNzZqC

Ventura Show FEMA Episode Censored: Watch It Here While You Can!
http://bit.ly/eCWU4A

KC police's raid, use of stun grenade draw probe
http://bit.ly/hx4cIy

Pattern emerging on police violence
http://bit.ly/eX213O

You can't hide from prying eyes
http://bit.ly/dXGOxO

Schumer introducing legislation to make distribution of body-scanner images illegal
http://nydn.us/h7TGlU

NFL commercial makes joke of TSA selective screening
http://bit.ly/fODau2

TSA-Style Pat Downs Hit The Streets
http://bit.ly/gHduBL

Intelligence Contractor Floats Body Cavity Bomb Propaganda
http://bit.ly/eGG016

FEMA Camps: 3 Million Americans Live in Nuclear Plant Danger Zones
http://bit.ly/hsNUoN

Angry boss walks through police cordon and grabs ‘bomb’ to prove it’s just bag of old clothes
(and is arrested under the Terrorism Act)
http://bit.ly/ibKeLW

Hold the brownies! Bill could limit bake sales
http://yhoo.it/fJpIK3

Students Say Schools' Use of Mace Creates a 'Police State' in Birmingham
http://bit.ly/hfK6gL

Clearwater, FL approves red light cameras
http://bit.ly/f7HbOK

Radiation scientists agree TSA naked body scanners could cause breast cancer and sperm mutations
http://bit.ly/ifAZLR

TSA checkpoints coming to bus stops
http://bit.ly/hbANnb

Body scans unsafe, obtrusive
http://bit.ly/eAzfNt

The Web becoming a police state courtesy of US Government and Entertainment business
http://bit.ly/f9jaad

Forum: America has become a police state
http://bit.ly/fBIQvt

The TSA, Interposition and the Spirit of 1809 Tenth Amendment Center
http://bit.ly/gJ5LG0

The TSA and the State House(s)
http://bit.ly/h1T752

Feds tracking credit cards, store purchases without warrant: report
http://bit.ly/hTo37o

CNN Reporter Put On Watch List After Criticizing TSA
http://bit.ly/eeMmrx

Google Admits Doing Evil - Pays $1
http://bit.ly/g1WcVB

TSA Makes Woman In Wheelchair & Lingerie Miss Flt
http://bit.ly/h9D5Of

Huckabee calls for leaker to be executed - What a Christian
http://bit.ly/eWuSVN

Bob Barr Investigates TSA Stand Down On National Opt Out Day
http://bit.ly/dFJzft

Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie gets the TSA treatment at LAX
http://bit.ly/efE6bf

In bra, panties and wheelchair, woman goes through Oklahoma City airport screening
http://bit.ly/gJ0bwB

REAL ID & PRIVACY NEWS

DMV looks at ears, eyes, mouths as well as faces
http://bit.ly/fQVK7V

Nationwide Alert Issued to Find Fraud Suspect's Real Identity
http://bit.ly/gkxQ47

'Don't Tread on Me' License Plates Become a Growing Trend in the U.S.
http://fxn.ws/ejcWOz

Homeland Security wants your driver's license name and your Social Security name to match
http://bit.ly/g0L5r1

CHP officer punched at Stockton DMV office
http://bit.ly/fN2gZS

ECONOMIC NEWS

Silvergoldsilver.com Runs Out Of All Precious Metals In Hours
http://bit.ly/eNdMhX

Irony: Printing Presses Break Leaving $110 Billion In Worthless $100 Bills
http://bit.ly/ih3QZN

No end in sight to U.S. economic crisis as ‘scariest jobs chart ever’
http://bit.ly/fu6Kz2

Market Celebrates Just Announced Record Foodstamp Usage By Closing At 2010 Highs
http://bit.ly/hZJnPQ

Jobless Recovery?: 25 Unemployment Statistics That Are Almost Too Depressing To Read
http://bit.ly/gRcWnn

Stress & Worry: American Dream is ‘to pay my rent’
http://bit.ly/eKs3Kb

Is the College Debt Bubble Ready to Explode
http://yhoo.it/fbyXFX

Unemployed, and Likely to Stay That Way
http://yhoo.it/h7EUWv

City Lays Off Quarter Of Its Entire Work Force
http://bit.ly/fUmMvV

The Gold Confiscation Con
http://bit.ly/g4bqj1

Chinese Gold Imports Surge By 500% Through October
http://bit.ly/hq9rfh

12 Simple Things You Can Start Doing Right Now To Prepare For The Coming Financial Apocalypse
http://bit.ly/9BsY2v

Delaying Tax Vote Could Crash Stock Market
http://bit.ly/he7LhG

AP Video More bad economic news
http://bit.ly/etj9Rf

“Like The Great Depression”: Hundreds Line Up In Freezing Cold For Federal Aid To Pay Heating Bills
http://bit.ly/fYIElm

Manufacturing expands for 16th straight month
http://bit.ly/i7oH2p

BUSINESS NEWS

Want JP Morgan to crash? Buy silver
http://bit.ly/hZQ0ZW

HOMOSEXUAL AGENDA

Ex-'gay' speaks of 'purification' journey
http://bit.ly/gg9wcz

Prop. 8 - all eyes on Ninth Circuit panel
http://bit.ly/ebiin7

Evangelicals counter-culture on homosexuality
http://bit.ly/fglKsj

Who will get last word on Prop. 8?
http://bit.ly/hcgEwB

CRIME NEWS

AP Video Toddler rescued from rapist
http://bit.ly/dVYeJh

HACKER NEWS

Indo-Pak cyber war intensifies
http://bit.ly/hJ1XB8

Chinese hackers 'slurped 50 MB of US gov email
http://bit.ly/guqNjA

China's `Patriotic Hackers' Attack U.S. Sites Including Google, NYT Says
http://bit.ly/fB1nXo

Hackers Steal Music From Lady Gaga & Other Top Artists
http://bit.ly/g7yW88

Computer voting ripe for hackers
http://bit.ly/fsb39R

Leaked US embassy cables: Diplomats fear that China used Microsoft source code for cyber warfare
http://zd.net/hPBA8E

Beijing used hackers to find US secrets
http://bit.ly/e0XUi5

US works to secure networks as hackers advance
http://bit.ly/hxHvSA

23-Year-Old Russian Hacker Responsible Was for One-Third of Global Spam
http://gaw.kr/fIrpg2

What security wrought in 2010
http://bit.ly/hr925Y

GAO Finds Hackers Could Exploit Wireless Vulnerabilities
http://bit.ly/guHQIK

HISD: Hacker gained access to personal data of all students, employees
http://bit.ly/dWkI02

Hackers issue bogus Amber Alert
http://bit.ly/ghe72A

Cops probe star hacker ring
http://bit.ly/hZsf5A

China, and hackers, react to WikiLeaks release
http://bit.ly/fFjAZq

Hackers attack government Web sites
http://bit.ly/g3VeIN

Don't let crooks, hackers trash your good name
http://bit.ly/fqC8ul

Chad Ochocinco Blames Hackers for Tweet Insulting NFL for Recent Rule Changes
http://bit.ly/hAhP7y

Experts suspect 'patriotic' hacker behind attacks on WikiLeaks site
http://wapo.st/hTRsBL

China arrests hundreds of hackers, says situation grim
http://bit.ly/fICX6Z

Businesses must educate staff and upgrade security, expert warns
http://bit.ly/i8LwJh

Indian cyber group hacks 36 Govt websites
http://bit.ly/fQ9UQO

Hacker Fail: Two College Kids Discover Police Are Not as Dumb As They Thought
http://bit.ly/gnykXB

Hackers blackmailed major pop stars
http://bit.ly/e6kNJn

Hack of alert system shows vulnerabilities
http://bit.ly/hYhcTl

Canada vulnerable to hacker threat, experts warn
http://bit.ly/egDm3L

Most New Malware Disappears Within A Day: Study
http://bit.ly/e9x9bX

Google, Microsoft, Yahoo!, Nasa And The World Bank Team Up With Hackers From Around The World
http://bit.ly/fpGY0u

OIL SPILL NEWS

Updates on the continuing problems from the BP oil rig disaster
http://bit.ly/9n9ENN

Peak Denial About Peak Oil
http://bit.ly/aNIvxq

The Truth About ANWR Drilling
http://bit.ly/d31x73

Toxicologist now dealing with at least three autopsies in Gulf
http://bit.ly/czSsUo