Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies.  
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The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it always to be kept alive.
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I have the consolation of having added nothing to my private fortune during my public service, and of retiring with hands clean as they are empty. Thomas Jefferson, 1743 – 1826,
third President of the United States, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, and one of the most influential Founding Fathers for his promotion of the ideals of Republicanism in the United States. 

In part 1, we learned that our elected representatives represented many more people than they did in the past.  This had harmful consequences, as explained in parts 3 and 4.  In this part, we look at a different harmful consequence occurring at all levels—local, state, and federal—because there is an “overpopulation” of constituents at all levels. 

Have you heard about the “U.S. Public-Service Academy”?  Two former “Teach for America” teachers came up with the idea and they have received much support.  The purpose is to provide a four-year college which emphasizes public service. 

The teachers behind the academy want the federal government to underwrite much of the budget, which means that there is a bill in Congress.  For the bill to make progress, the teachers need as many co-sponsors as they can get. 

From the July, 2007, academy newsletter:  

Hello Academy friends,

June was a big month for the Public Service Academy Capitol Hill.  As you will read, we doubled the number of representatives who are co-sponsors of our bill!  We need to keep that momentum going by continuing to put pressure on those representatives and senators who have not made a decision on the bill yet.  That's where you can help - read on to find out how.   

June 1: 26 Co-Sponsors

July 1: 54 Co-Sponsors  

In June, almost thirty more representatives signed on to the House version of the U.S. Public Service Academy Act (H.R. 1671 in the House, S. 960 in the Senate). Our new co-sponsors come from all across the country, from California (Anna  Eshoo, right) to Colorado (Ed Perlmutter) to Ohio (Marcy Kaptur) to Georgia (Sanford Bishop).  For a list of our co-sponsors, click here http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=zjwtzbcab.0.nrwdtacab.
n4l5f5bab.3705&ts=S0256&p=http%3A%2F%2
Fuspublicserviceacademy.org%2Fin-congress%2F  

Let us now jump to another matter, the Armenian Genocide Resolution, against which President Bush argued last month in a news conference.  Advocates for the resolution from the Armenian-American community had amassed, in favor of the resolution, at least two hundred eighteen co-sponsors, a majority, in the House of Representatives. 

The point?  Collecting co-sponsors for a bill is important, as it is a way to gauge, albeit imprecisely, support before a vote on a bill.  Also, co-sponsorship by a House member makes her aware of the issue addressed by a bill and, thereby, makes it less difficult to bring the bill out of committee and to the House floor for a vote.  

Two things are happening here. 

First, a member of Congress is making a decision based on lobbyists’ presentations.  This is not to say that the lobbyists are misrepresenting anything, but, rather, this is to say that the role of committees and floor debates is reduced. 

Second, having many co-sponsors for a bill gives it priority.  The bill enters the “radar screen” of a large number of members of Congress.  Why is this important?  Read slowly:  too many constituents, too many issues.  Too many issues, no way for Congress to timely consider them all.  Even bills which, on their merits, would pass through committees, floor votes, and the White House may die in committee simply for the lack of time to consider them.  The solution?  Give the bills priority, that is, collect a large number of co-sponsors. 

And the dependence on co-sponsors is but one unwanted consequence of an overpopulation of constituents. 

FOR EVERYONE.  Here comes the train!  Saturday, November 10, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Senior Citizen Center, Montebello Park, 115 South Taylor Avenue.  Have you ridden the Blue Line from downtown Los Angeles to Long Beach?  Or the Gold Line from downtown to Pasadena?  The Gold Line is now being built from downtown to Third and Atlantic.  And the transportation agency is considering extending the line farther.  Along the 60 freeway?  Whittier Boulevard?  Washington Boulevard?  Come let the agency know your opinion, as it has not decided the route of the extension.  For more information, contact Kimberly Yu, Project Manager, by e-mail at yuki@metro.net or by fax at 213.922.3005.

FOR EVERYONE.  A fun online activity.  There is a Web site which is displaying copies of picture postcards from a long time ago.  There are quite a few for California, but none for Montebello.  Many families have interesting picture postcards from a long time ago.  Would you like to send a copy of yours to this Web site?  http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/special/ppcs/ppcs.html .  

Delaware was the first state to ratify the United States constitution. It did so on December 7, 1787.  

Today about 500 descendants of the original Nanticoke Indians reside in Delaware. They celebrate their heritage each September with the Nanticoke Indian Pow Wow.  

The log cabin originated in Finland. Finnish settlers arrived in Delaware in the mid-1600s and brought with them plans for the log cabin, one of the enduring symbols of the American pioneer. One of the cabins has been preserved and is on display at the Delaware Agricultural Museum in Dover.  

Thomas Garret lost his entire fortune in his battle against slavery. He was sued by a Maryland slave owner and fined for aiding a black family in flight. Over his lifetime, Garrett reportedly helped more than 2,000 fugitive slaves move through Delaware, an important stop on the Underground Railroad. 

Twelve concrete observation towers along the coast were constructed during World War II to protect the state’s coastal towns from German u-boat attacks.

http://www.fun-facts.com/item/86096  

Read the community lesson in the March 29, 2007, E-News before reading what is below.  http://www.mymontebello.com/life_tc_gww.html  

British Petroleum to Pay More Than $370 Million in Environmental Crimes, Fraud Cases  

Charges Result from 2005 Texas Refinery Explosion, Alaska Pipeline Leaks and Attempt to Manipulate Markets

WASHINGTON – British Petroleum and several of its subsidiaries have agreed to pay approximately $373 million in fines and restitution for environmental violations stemming from a fatal explosion at a Texas refinery in March 2005, leaks of crude oil from pipelines in Alaska, and fraud for conspiring to corner the market and manipulate the price of propane carried through Texas pipelines, the Department of Justice announced today. …  

This is a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice, http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2007/October/07_ag_850.html.

Now do a Google search for “Wikipedia Cassandra syndrome” and read about Cassandra.    

A friend e-mailed the following:  

October 14-20 is Hospital Infection Prevention Week and the first line of defense against hospital-acquired infections is clean hands.  

Just because hand washing is easy, doesn't mean they are doing it: 

 *   Nearly 2 million patients get an infection while hospitalized every year and almost 100,000 of them die; the cost of their hospital care alone is around $27.5 billion.  

 *   We know cleaning hands is a key factor in reducing infections; yet studies consistently reveal that hand washing compliance rates in hospitals are generally around 50 percent.  

Her e-mail contained this hyperlink:  www.stophospitalinfections.org

Interestingly, that led to a page which, apparently, Consumers Union, well known for Consumer Reports, supported:  

Tell your U.S. Representative to support Healthy Hospitals Act!  

About 100,000 people die each year from hospital-acquired infections, more than deaths from auto accidents and homicides combined. You may not know much about this deadly public health threat because hospital infection rates are secret in most of the country.  

Rep. Tim Murphy (PA) is sponsoring the "Healthy Hospitals Act of 2007" (HR1174). The bill will make you safer during a hospital stay by requiring public disclosure of hospital-acquired infection rates. If hospitals must tell you about their infections, they will work harder to reduce them. Please ask your representative to co-sponsor this bill!  

Nineteen states have already passed laws that give their residents hospital infection rates--in large part because of this campaign. Now it's time to make infection rates public for all Americans. Just fill out the information below and your message will be sent to your representative. …  

To learn about this newsletter, Montebello E-News, and the accompanying, growing Web site, “My Montebello”, visit www.mymontebello.com.  Also, you will find instructions and contact information for submitting announcements for publication in this newsletter.