Last week’s column contrasted President Lincoln’s eloquence with the thin gruel served up as political speech in these degenerate days. To paraphrase a German philosopher: “Nothing straight was ever made from the crooked timber of politics.” We must grant that his successes were not purely a product of eloquence; he knew how to play politics […]
John Frary column
Posted inOpinion, The Franklin Journal
Lincoln and eloquence
Oxford County’s GOP has its Lincoln Day Dinner on Friday February 9, Franklin County’s Republicans have theirs the following Saturday. It’s 209 years since his birth on February 12 in Hodgenville, Kentucky and a good time to look at the huge impact of his speeches. Ronald Reagan was not up to his standard, no president before or since […]
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Posted inOpinion, The Franklin Journal
Some tax facts
This column provides a set of facts which seem to be indisputable. They are presented in no particular order. Analysis and conclusions are up to the reader. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) divides ten of the largest “tax expenditures” in the individual income tax system into four categories: 1) Exclusions from taxable income for employer-sponsored […]
Posted inOpinion
Budget crises
Libertarians and anarchists rejoice. Those among us who rely on government checks and services are anxious and annoyed. Many citizens wonder about what to expect. Since the state’s June 30 budget deadline approaches and there’s no agreement on an acceptable compromise a government shut-down threatens. We aren’t necessarily talking about Maine, here. There are actually […]