This week we celebrated the birthday of Abraham Lincoln. I intended to do significant research this week and write down some thoughts regarding Lincoln's presidency. I'm going to put this subject aside for now; however, I would like to share a few thoughts (somewhat disconnected).
Lincoln seems to be quite the skilled politician. He was our President during a very difficult time in history. Slavery is, of course, deplorable. Lincoln navigated through the issue as a politician. He is probably over-glorified. The act of ranking our Presidents is not necessarily bad, but it serves to create hero-worship. This has led to an enormous increase in executive power which is antithetical to the design of our country. Further, the Civil War reflects the conflict of State's Rights versus Federal power. When is secession acceptable? Did Lincoln go too far in asserting power to hold the Union together?
I know those are random thoughts, but that's all I've got on the subject for now.
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Judd Gregg (R-NH) has withdrawn his designation as Secretary of Commerce. This pick seemed sketchy from the beginning. Obama will have to go back to the drawing board again - he's 0/2 for this position.
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I don't have the details immediately available here, nor a good link for the readers on this... but, Indiana is considering a statewide smoking ban. I don't smoke (except about once a year), so this won't impact me personally. But, this is an affront on individual liberty and personal responsibility.
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