Posted on 09/10/2005 4:46:12 AM PDT by Colonel Kangaroo
Lincoln holiday on its way out
By Phil Kabler Staff writer
A bill to combine state holidays for Washington and Lincoln’s birthdays into a single Presidents’ Day holiday cleared its first legislative committee Wednesday, over objections from Senate Republicans who said it besmirches Abraham Lincoln’s role in helping establish West Virginia as a state.
Senate Government Organization Committee members rejected several attempts to retain Lincoln’s birthday as a state holiday.
State Sen. Russ Weeks, R-Raleigh, introduced an amendment to instead eliminate Columbus Day as a paid state holiday. “Columbus didn’t have anything to do with making West Virginia a state,” he said. “If we have to cut one, let’s cut Christopher Columbus.”
Jim Pitrolo, legislative director for Gov. Joe Manchin, said the proposed merger of the two holidays would bring West Virginia in line with federal holidays, and would effectively save $4.6 million a year — the cost of one day’s pay to state workers.
Government Organization Chairman Ed Bowman, D-Hancock, said the overall savings would be even greater, since by law, county and municipal governments must give their employees the same paid holidays as state government.
“To the taxpayers, the savings will be even larger,” he said.
The bill technically trades the February holiday for a new holiday on the Friday after Thanksgiving. For years, though, governors have given state employees that day off with pay by proclamation.
Sen. Sarah Minear, R-Tucker, who also objected to eliminating Lincoln’s birthday as a holiday, argued that it was misleading to suggest that eliminating the holiday will save the state money.
“It’s not going to save the state a dime,” said Minear, who said she isn’t giving up on retaining the Lincoln holiday.
Committee members also rejected an amendment by Sen. Steve Harrison, R-Kanawha, to recognize the Friday after Thanksgiving as “Lincoln Day.”
“I do believe President Lincoln has a special place in the history of West Virginia,” he said.
Sen. Randy White, D-Webster, said he believed that would create confusion.
“It’s confusing to me,” he said.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Jeff Kessler, D-Marshall, suggested that the state could recognize Lincoln’s proclamation creating West Virginia as part of the June 20 state holiday observance for the state’s birthday.
Proponents of the measure to eliminate a state holiday contend that the numerous paid holidays - as many as 14 in election years — contribute to inefficiencies in state government.
To contact staff writer Phil Kabler, use e-mail or call 348-1220.
From dictionary.com: 'immigrant - a person who leaves one country to settle permanently in another.'
Until said immigrants become naturalized, they are NOT citizens ('[a] person owing loyalty to and entitled by birth or naturalization to the protection of a state or nation'), and are therefore foreigners ('[o]ne who is from a foreign country or place').
;o)
...is a figment of your fermented imagination. Try cutting back on the corn liquour chief, it will greatly improve your coherence!
But Mom!!! He did it too!!! The northern economy at the time of the war was based on cheap immigrant labor, which was ruthlessly exploited. The southern economy was based on owning people and forcing them to work under duress, up to and including summary and arbitrary execution. To blame the northerners for the base corruption of the southern slavocracy is like blaming the drug pusher for your addiction. You sound like Maxine Waters, blaming crack addiction on the CIA.
Leagalized theft is what laid waste to the Southern economy.
Legalized theft of freedom is what southern society was based on to begin with. Pardon me while I cry for those poor, disenfranchised ex-confederates. How foreign that must have seemed to them. Why, I bet they only counted toward 3/5ths of a person when it came time to take their representation away from them.
Purchased legally from Yankee slavers. From Africa - where they were already slaves - those that survived the Middle Passage, starvation and disease. All under the American flag.
Oh, gee. It was legal. That justifies everything then. That must mean that a modern social structure of sexual excess and irresponsibility is justified because abortion is legal.
In 1848 the Whigs carried 6 of the 11 states which later seceded.
In 1852 the Democrats carried 10 of 11, but the popular vote was very close in two of the states they carried. Overall they had 310,000 popular votes in ten future Confederate states, vs. 239,000 for the Whigs. (South Carolina did not choose electors by popular vote until after the war.)
In 1856 the Whig Party had broken up. Its heir in the Southern states was the American Party, better known as the Know-Nothings. If you compare the Whig popular vote in 1852, the American Party vote in 1856, and the Constitutional Union Party vote in 1860, you will find pretty similar numbers. For example, in 1852 the Whigs got 17,000 votes in Louisiana (vs. 19,000 for the Democrats), in 1856 the American Party got 21,000 votes there (vs. 22,000 for the Democrats), and in 1860 the Constitutional Union party polled 20,000 votes in Louisiana.
There were a lot of people in the South who didn't want to be Democrats, but after the Civil War and Reconstruction could not bring themselves to vote for the Republicans.
I agree with that. And after much reading on Washington's character and temperment, he would have surely had Jeff Davis strunk up after the war. George was not someone you wanted to piss-off.
head over to DU to sup with the other REVISIONIST lunatics like #3fan, whisky papa & cvn76.
those EX-FReepers will welcome you as you are just as filled with HATRED for dixie & her people as they are.
face it "Mr SPIN", you're too DUMB to be a FReeper.
posting your off-point cartoons just makes you look like more of a FOOL than you usually do.
free dixie,sw
One of the goals of Lincoln's Reconstruction policy was to create a viable Republican Party in the South from the former Whigs (at a time when it wasn't clear that voting rights would be given to the freedmen--most Northern states did not let black men vote at that time).
if you are, i PITY you.
free dixie,sw
we are NOT.
free dixie,sw
Very few immigrants were interested in moving to the South, where they would have to compete with slave labor and be treated like white trash by the plantation lords.
And funny how not many mountain folks owned slaves, but then the Crown Rights/DeLIErenzo/LOS/ moonbats here claim that slavery had nothing to do with secession.
Post said lies.
The American Colonies were only part of Great Britain by a convention and never received all the rights exercised by Englishmen. It was the demand for full citizenship which became rebellion ....
Get your facts straight. Colonists were British citizens, with all the rights of any British. Secession was a result of higher taxes, the Proclamation of 1763, the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act, the Townshend Acts, and the Tea Act, the King becoming a dictator.
There is no comparison to the Slavers' attempt to destroy a Republic governed by the People through the rule of law and all your attempts to equate that with rebellion against tyranny's without the rule of law are nothing but sophistic devices.
Southern secession would not have destroyed the United States government. It still would have have a tyrant President, Congress and judiciary, albeit over a substantially smaller geographic area, and one with much less revenues. The Confederacy did not attempt to invade Washington and overthrow Lincoln - they simply exercised their God-given, and legally held powers of secession from a despotic government.
THEY are the last to believe "All Men are Created Equal." In FACT, they devoted their lives to making sure that all men were NOT treated as equals. A throughly disgusting bunch of LIARS and hypocrites whose equals could only be found amongst the corrupted aristocracy of Russia.
The founders/framers did not establish equality for blacks at our founder. Au contraire, they expressly DENIED rights to blacks, prohibited their naturalization (citizenship) and miltiary service. So your point is that the founders were corrupt?
free dixie,sw
I don't drink alocoholic beverages, nor am I a 'chief'. You are simply racist towards persons of Native American descent.
if not, i PITY you.
the Southland's citizens wanted FREEDOM. nothing more;nothing less.
that is still TRUE, despite a 150 years of LIES told by REVISIONIST, LEFTIST,DAMNEDyankees.
free dixie,sw
Nonsense. Orders were found in possession of Lt. Dahlgren on US Cavalry stationary, with supporting evidence given by Dalgren's father, Kilpatrick and other in the Union military. Lincoln ordered the assasination of President Davis et al.
as my grandfather always said" "Scratch a DAMNyankee & RACIST blood will flow from the wounds."
free dixie,sw
Good points, but almost all southern office-holders were Democrats by 1860, well before Reconstruction. The Solid South predates Reconstruction.
The Dahlgren canard is not worth refuting, 4CJ. Enjoy your time in fantasyland.
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