OPINION: Happy birthday, Mr. Lincoln
Lincoln’s birthday is upon us. And with a reluctant, but free-spending captain at the helm of the free world’s flagship, we are reminded how sorely we miss Lincoln’s genuine strength of character, bold sense of purpose and lifelong passion for defending American values and ideals.
If only he were with us now, at the advanced age of 206, what would he think of how his beloved United States has evolved in the 150 years since that fateful night at Ford’s theater? How would he feel about the way that the federal government has expanded since his death? What would he think of the Oval Office’s current occupant? Speculative questions like these have no definitive answers, of course, but as we take a moment to reflect on the gratitude we owe to the man who steered our country to safety during its most difficult period, it is still worthwhile to consider the possibilities.
On July 4, 1861, as the Civil War began and the federal government found itself dangerously short of cash, Lincoln asserted, “The people will save the government, if the government itself will do its part.” He was referring to the Revenue Act of 1861, when for the first time in history, the U.S. government levied an income tax on its citizens. The act was replaced and superseded shortly thereafter by the Revenue Act of 1862 requiring those with more than $600 in annual income to pay 3 percent in income tax, and those with more than $10,000 in annual income to pay 5 percent.