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Lincoln holiday on its way out (West Virginia)
West Virginia Gazette Mail ^ | 9-8-2005 | Phil Kabler

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.


TOPICS: Government; US: West Virginia
KEYWORDS: abelincoln; lincoln; sorrydemocrats; westvirginia
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To: stand watie
or better yet, just ABOLISH the holiday celebrating the country's chief WAR CRIMINAL & TYRANT.

Congress is not in a position to dictate to the states what holidays they must observe and what holidays they cannot. So if states like Mississippi choose to make Jefferson Davis's Birthday a state holiday then they are free to do so, and nobody can force them to abolish it.

81 posted on 09/10/2005 9:32:45 AM PDT by Non-Sequitur
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To: Non-Sequitur
no argument from me.

each state should do EXACTLY as it sees fit. the !@#$%^&*! federal government should STAY OUT of the state's affairs.

if i were running the government of WVA (and i'm NOT!) i'd ABOLISH the "lincoln holiday".

free dixie,sw

82 posted on 09/10/2005 9:43:46 AM PDT by stand watie (being a damnyankee is no better than being a racist. it is a LEARNED prejudice against dixie.)
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To: lentulusgracchus
the "reinforcements" are the First Mounted Cherokee Rifles.

btw,i'm just "THE BOSS"s MULE-holder. (the GENERAL was too poor to buy a horse, so he rode a "good, young, red mule" almost all of the WBTS.)

free dixie,sw

83 posted on 09/10/2005 9:47:31 AM PDT by stand watie (being a damnyankee is no better than being a racist. it is a LEARNED prejudice against dixie.)
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To: Non-Sequitur
btw, if i had my way, we'd send you the "lincoln memorial".

he belongs "up north" where he has so many WORSHIPERS.

for all we southrons care, all ya'll can recite daily prayers to the clay-footed, secular, saint of damnyankeeland.

free dixie,sw

84 posted on 09/10/2005 9:59:53 AM PDT by stand watie (being a damnyankee is no better than being a racist. it is a LEARNED prejudice against dixie.)
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To: Non-Sequitur
You know as well as anyone that you can't always trust the Supreme Court even in easy times -- witness Plessy vs. Ferguson in the 19th century, U.S. vs. Miller and Roe vs. Wade in the 20th, and now Lawrence and Kelo in the 21st. And in the 1870's you had a completely partisan Court made up of people handpicked by the imperialist Conquest Party for their hack-work in other fields.

When will you learn to distrust power-seekers the way the Framers did?

85 posted on 09/10/2005 11:13:50 AM PDT by lentulusgracchus ("Whatever." -- sinkspur)
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To: Grand Old Partisan
"Don't waste your time. Neo-Confederates are cultists, impervious to logic or facts."

N-C's should be placed in a home - at their own expense.

86 posted on 09/10/2005 11:29:19 AM PDT by M. Espinola (Freedom is never free)
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To: M. Espinola; Verginius Rufus

You are right. Your comment brings to mind what James Pittigrew said in 1860: "South Carolina is too large to be a lunatic asylum and too small to be a republic."

I'm glad you saw this thread, as I had neglected to ping you about. I enjoy debating with sane Confederate sympathizers such as Verginius Rufus, but the crazies are best ignored.


87 posted on 09/10/2005 11:35:29 AM PDT by Grand Old Partisan
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To: Colonel Kangaroo; Grand Old Partisan; Non-Sequitur
Some Civil War West Virginia links:

The Wheeling Convention of 1861

1st West Virginia Sergeant Saves Colors, Soldier, Too

THE BATTLE OF Philippi Bridge (June 3rd, 1861)

VAN WINKLE, Peter Godwin, (1808 - 1872)

West Virginia has the highest average elevation of any state east of the Mississippi River, and the most irregular boundary of any state.

Don Knotts was born in WV in 1924 (photo-2004)

88 posted on 09/10/2005 12:15:47 PM PDT by M. Espinola (Freedom is never free)
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To: Non-Sequitur

Actually, it looks like 3 Southern justices remained on the U.S. Supreme Court until their deaths (including Roger Taney, who died in 1864), one died in 1860 but was replaced by a Lincoln nominee rather than by a Buchanan nominee, and one resigned to go home to his state. There was also one justice from Ohio who died during this period.


89 posted on 09/10/2005 1:05:52 PM PDT by Verginius Rufus
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To: Non-Sequitur
I went and looked at the case of Virginia vs. West Virginia (11 Wall. [=78 U.S.] 39-65). It has to do with the way that Berkeley and Jefferson counties were added to W.Va. (the same procedure was set up for Frederick County, which remained part of Virginia). It does take for granted that West Virginia is a state, and seems to assume that the Pierpont government in Virginia during the war was a legal government.

The three dissenting justices were David Davis of Illinois, Stephen Field of California, both appointed by Lincoln, and Nathan Clifford, appointed by Buchanan.

90 posted on 09/10/2005 1:19:28 PM PDT by Verginius Rufus
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To: Colonel Kangaroo

Washington welcomed foreign help in America's struggle with England.


91 posted on 09/10/2005 1:23:33 PM PDT by Mush MouthPhil (socialism is a drug in the nation's system)
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To: Loud Mime

It tells me the homosexuals are going to demand MLK day be recruited into "civil rights" day since sexual behavior is the same as skin color under the law.


92 posted on 09/10/2005 1:27:00 PM PDT by longtermmemmory (VOTE!)
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To: lentulusgracchus
They're a-tryin' to git around me on my left, general!

Maybe he'll come to your aid in his captured U-Boat.

93 posted on 09/10/2005 2:12:21 PM PDT by Heyworth
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To: stand watie
no argument from me.

That post went right over your head, didn't it?

94 posted on 09/10/2005 3:05:28 PM PDT by Non-Sequitur
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To: lentulusgracchus
You know as well as anyone that you can't always trust the Supreme Court even in easy times -- witness Plessy vs. Ferguson in the 19th century, U.S. vs. Miller and Roe vs. Wade in the 20th, and now Lawrence and Kelo in the 21st.

Not to mention Scott v Sanford in the 1850's. Oh wait, I forget. You liked that one, didn't you?

When will you learn to distrust power-seekers the way the Framers did?

That's because the framers never met people like you.

95 posted on 09/10/2005 3:08:09 PM PDT by Non-Sequitur
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To: Colonel Kangaroo
Looks like these dolts haven't got anything better to do.

Let's see, major natural disaster, terrorists, border invasions, fuel problems, etc, etc, etc. Nope, nothing to see here.

And these assholes are worried about this? Would someone explain to me why these idiots are running our country? (into the ground)


96 posted on 09/10/2005 3:11:16 PM PDT by unixfox (AMERICA - 20 Million ILLEGALS Can't Be Wrong!)
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To: Verginius Rufus; Non-Sequitur; Roccus

For a while during the Civil War, Congress added a tenth Justice to the Supreme Court, to cancel the vote of a southerner who remained on the Court.


97 posted on 09/10/2005 6:35:40 PM PDT by Grand Old Partisan
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To: Verginius Rufus; Non-Sequitur

Yes, it was well established that the Pierpont government was the legitimate government of Virginia. Francis H. Pierpont remained the Governor of Virginia until 1868.


98 posted on 09/10/2005 6:37:33 PM PDT by Grand Old Partisan
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To: Grand Old Partisan

Thanks for that tid-bit. Had to drop off the thread earlier. It was just too nice a day to spend indoors. Spent the afternoon on my deck with my buddy sighting in a couple of rifes and blowing up coke cans with the 12ga. Listened to my Mountaineers trounce Wofford. I've got the Richmond race on now, not bad for a NYC boy,eh?


99 posted on 09/10/2005 6:59:42 PM PDT by Roccus (Able Danger? What's an Able Danger?)
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To: lentulusgracchus; PeaRidge; TexConfederate1861; 4ConservativeJustices; Aurelius
The Lincoln worshipers are reeling from this hit. It just twists their panties that a state might excersize its right to CHOOSE which holidays to observe.

I also noticed the a Jeff Davis reference in the first few posts....par for the Wlat brigade.

100 posted on 09/10/2005 7:14:37 PM PDT by stainlessbanner
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