“Labor is prior to and independent of capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration.”
Any guesses about who this quote is from? A right winger would assume it came from President Obama, Sen. Bernie Sanders, or some socialist/communist/Muslim free loader, correct? It's a quote from Abraham Lincoln in 1861, and as E.J. Dionne writes in today's Kaplan Daily, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone in public office expressing those sentiments. Today, the cult of the super wealthy plutocrat trumps (pun intended) the working people who are the foundation of wealth in this country. Their condition and issues have virtually disappeared from discussion and view, except for Labor Day. The other days are devoted to lionizing the "entrepreneurs" and young millionaires.
Hopefully, we'll turn the corner soon, and regain the respect we once had for working Americans.
