Economics (Justice,Greed,Tax)

Labor Is The Superior of Captial And Deserves The Higher Reward

Back to those quaint rural folks and their quaint notions.

Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital.

Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed.

Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration.

Capital has its rights, which are as worthy of protection as any other rights.

— Abraham Lincoln, 1st Annual Message to Congress (December 3, 1861)

“Labor” is working people. “Capital” is the wealthy classes, those who own the means and profits of production, for whom most of the working people work. To put the idea of the Lincoln quote in a different context, here’s a line I heard from a local Democrat the other night. “The people who play by the rules in this country deserve to be treated fairly.”

Lincoln was the first Republican President. When I queried an uncle of mine (in 1956) why he was voting for (and named a new son after) Democrat Adlai Stevenson, when Abraham Lincoln had been a Republican, he answered, “The Republican Party has changed a lot since Lincoln’s time.”

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2 Comments

  • Connie and I are off to Colorado Springs to breathe the air of the central front range and see if that’s what causes the hallucinogenic effects some folks who live there are obviously suffering from.

    Well, not actually. We’re going out to see a nephew graduate from the Air Force Academy.

  • Why, sorry, but really, that’s fun. I simply cannot refrain here from saying: “If ever I heard an understatement on politics, well, here it is.”