Letter to the Editor: Read Lincoln
Jeanmarie Billington, Tulsa
At his second inauguration, President Barack Obama took his oath on Lincoln's Bible. He also borrowed from Lincoln's speeches and ideas. Here's one Lincoln quote he missed:
"You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot keep out of financial trouble by spending more than you earn. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by encouraging class hatred. You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot build character and courage by taking away initiative and independence." - From "Epigrams," a collection of quotes gathered by Waite Phillips, republished by the Philbrook Museum of Art.
If Obama wants to be like Lincoln, he must understand Lincoln's broader point of view.
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