In his July 4,1861 Message to Congress, President Abraham Lincoln defined the essence of our democracy, and gave justification for the struggle the country was to undertake (which was) “… maintaining in the world that form of and substance of government whose leading object is to elevate man, to lift the artificial weights from all shoulders, to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all, to afford an unfettered start and a fair chance in the race of life … this is the leading object of the Government for whose existence we contend.”
These underlying principles, the social compact, of our government can only be obtained through a fair and not too burdensome redistribution of income. Republicans like to change the meaning of words. We shouldn’t let them turn “redistribution” into a dirty word as they have tried to do with the word “liberal.” When done right, such as the elimination of subsides and loopholes for special interest and with dedication to the underlying principles of our democracy, redistribution is a noble performance of citizenship.
— Paul W. Kaiser, Waukegan
