Quote of the Week

     “I believe that this war is lost, and this surge is not accomplishing anything.”

                                                                    Harry Reid

Quote of the Week

   ” If I were two-faced , would I be wearing this one?”

                                              Abraham Lincoln

This Month: March 4, 1861

         Abraham Lincoln was sworn in as the sixteenth president of the United States on March 4,1861. At the time seven states already had seceded from the Union. Lincoln’s goal in his inaugural address was to ease the fears of the South by stating that he had no intention of interfering with slavery where it already existed. To Lincoln, his top priority at this time was the conservation of the Union, not the abolishment of slavery, though ending slavery was a strong belief of his. If the South succeeded in leaving the Union then what effect could the leader of the Northern states have on the slavery issue in the South? His tone and language were both conciliatory but also firm as when he pledged to “hold, occupy, and possess” all Federal property including Fort Sumter. His pleas were unheeded and the nation would soon plunge into a nightmare that seemed to be without end.

Quote of the Week

    If you must break the law, do it to seize power; in all other cases observe it.

                                                                                Julius Caesar

Taxes

Raising the cigarette tax is a hot issue in the S.C. Legislature these days.Much of the debate has been over what to do with the revenue from the tax hike. Another stated goal has been to use the tax as a way to encourage people to stop smoking. I wonder if those two are compatible. If revenues from the taxes go to fund new government initiatives then what happens if people quit smoking?Do they really want people to stop smoking?  Will these programs be terminated if the money for them dries up? I doubt it. More likely, that burden will be shifted over to non-smoking taxpayers. If the purpose is to deter smokers, then take the money and use it to cover programs already operating and maybe create a surplus or give a tax rebate. There’s nothing wrong with that. But if the real agenda is searching for more money to grow government then there should not be any statements proclaiming pretend feelings for people’s health and the plans should be to give back the money as people quit smoking.