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David Floyd
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The bottom of a large bottle of beer
Jan 1970 time: 05:18
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quote: But if we want to see the Constitution as something static, rather than a dynamic document, then in that viewpoint, Lincoln could not have reasonably practiced the dire emergency powers he used. |
That's entirely the point - he couldn't do what he did without an Amendment.
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David Floyd
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The bottom of a large bottle of beer
Jan 1970 time: 05:18
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quote: Have you ever heard of a national emergency?? |
I don't recall the Constitution being subject to arbitrarily declared (or even legitimate) national emergencies.
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Ramo
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Austin, Texas, USA
Oct 1999 time: 23:18
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quote: No, there is nothing in the Constitution that explicitly stated that a president has those powers, you mentioned, Ramo. |
More to the point, there's nothing in the Constitution that explictly or implicitly states that Congress (which is responsible for making laws, not the President) had any of the powers I mentioned.
quote: But if we want to see the Constitution as something static, rather than a dynamic document, |
Static, my arse. Ever hear of these things called Amendments? 
What do you think is the purpose of the Constitution? If the President or Congress can make arbitrary changes to the Constitution simply by calling it "dynamic," it no longer means anything.
That's not to say that usurping the Constitution is necessarily unjustified (although it was unjustifed every time Lincoln did so), but it always is, by definition, unconstitutional.
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loinburger
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Sweet Sauce Jones
Jul 1999 time: 00:18
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quote: Originally posted by MrFun
What president would not have a compelling interest in preserving their own country?? |
If a nation, particularly a republic, does not have the best interests of its citizens as its top priority, then that nation's existence can no longer be justified. Of course Lincoln would like to keep his power, but that doesn't necessarily justify his actions.
Last edited by loinburger on 03-04-2002 at 20:38
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Ramo
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Austin, Texas, USA
Oct 1999 time: 23:18
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quote: Explain to African-Americans today, how it would have been better and the right thing to do, to let the Confederacy exist. |
Due to internal economic pressures, namely the lack of labor fluidity and recent foreign competition (India and Egypt) against the South's primary cash crop, cotton, the South would've eventually passed some form of abolition. Furthermore, without Yankee tariffs (in particular, the McKinley Tariff of 1890), the South wouldn't have been thrust into a depression in the 1890's, and blacks wouldn't have suffered under Jim Crow laws. Also, due to the lack of Yankee tariffs, poor black farmers would've been in much better economic conditions.
quote: Yes, Lincoln did violate the Constitution, but he was definitely justified in doing so. |
I'd be interested in hearing your justifications. 
quote: How can you say that Lincoln did not receive the majority of the popular vote?? |
He probably is more educated in the subject than you are. 
http://www.iath.virginia.edu/vshado...s/election.html
quote: By the way -- slavery was a central issue to westward expansion before the Civil War, and was the central issue during the Civil War. |
Tariffs were the central issue to the Civil War, not slavery. Tariffs, not abolition, were what Lincoln was campaigning on. Much higher tariff duties, not abolition, were in danger of passing Congress. Tariffs, not abolition, was what the federal gov't had authority to pass.
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mactbone
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Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
Sep 2001 time: 23:18
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quote: Due to internal economic pressures, namely the lack of labor fluidity and recent foreign competition (India and Egypt) against the South's primary cash crop, cotton, the South would've eventually passed some form of abolition. Furthermore, without Yankee tariffs (in particular, the McKinley Tariff of 1890), the South wouldn't have been thrust into a depression in the 1890's, and blacks wouldn't have suffered under Jim Crow laws. Also, due to the lack of Yankee tariffs, poor black farmers would've been in much better economic conditions. |
Well, if the cash crops weren't making enough money for slavery to be profitable, what makes you say that they would be better off?
Without the industrial capacity the South would've been piss poor. Then there's the CSA which most probably would've started taxing like crazy to keep the government afloat, because that's what usually happens when a power base starts to disappear. Instead of a temporary depression, it would've lasted a lot longer, especially if the Northern businesses didn't try to establish a presence in the South.
Remeber, speculation can lead to a lot of places...
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mactbone
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Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven
Sep 2001 time: 23:18
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Did you not just say at the very end that a black farmer would be better off without the war, and specifically said "poor", implying that the economic situation would be better off under the CSA?
Look, there was a government, which had beuracrats, which desire money, it was called the CSA and even had a President. They would see the depression (caused by no slavery, etc.), and try to halt the collapse of their government by gaining more power, i.e. money, taxes.
The South would not have recieved any aid from the North and I would think that businesses in the North would shy away from building factorys etc. in the South, thereby causing their industrialization process to last even longer.
You said that there was a depression in the 1890s, one that did end. I sat it would not have ended, and eventually it would have driven the CSA into the ground.
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loinburger
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Sweet Sauce Jones
Jul 1999 time: 00:18
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quote: Originally posted by MacTBone
Look, there was a government, which had beuracrats, which desire money, it was called the CSA and even had a President. They would see the depression (caused by no slavery, etc.), and try to halt the collapse of their government by gaining more power, i.e. money, taxes. |
The parallel between the USA and CSA doesn't work. The CSA was a confederacy; the central government had very little power, and the State governments would have done everything within their power (which was considerable) to keep it that way. The structure of the CSA would not have allowed for a Lincolnesque dictator to take over and tax the hell out of the populace.
quote: The South would not have recieved any aid from the North and I would think that businesses in the North would shy away from building factorys etc. in the South, thereby causing their industrialization process to last even longer. |
It's amazing how close this hypothetical situation is to the reality of what really happened.
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Ramo
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Austin, Texas, USA
Oct 1999 time: 23:18
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quote: Did you not just say at the very end that a black farmer would be better off without the war, and specifically said "poor", |
And rich as well (except that there were not enough rich black farmers in the South to be statistically signficant). It wasn't an extraneous word. Ignore it.
quote: implying that the economic situation would be better off under the CSA? |
Yes...
quote: Look, there was a government, which had beuracrats, which desire money, it was called the CSA and even had a President. |
Again, it was a Confederacy. The central gov't was much, much smaller than the Union's.
quote: They would see the depression (caused by no slavery, etc.) |
Why? Slavery was economcally hurtful. Why would the lack of it cause a depression?
quote: and try to halt the collapse of their government by gaining more power, i.e. money, taxes. |
Don't you think that would piss the people off even more and accelerate the collapse? 
quote: The South would not have recieved any aid from the North |
When did the South recieve aid from the North? It was actually the South subsidizing the rich Northern industrialists in actual history.
quote: and I would think that businesses in the North would shy away from building factorys etc. in the South, thereby causing their industrialization process to last even longer. |
When did the North build lots of factories in the South?
quote: You said that there was a depression in the 1890s, one that did end. I sat it would not have ended, and eventually it would have driven the CSA into the ground. |
I'm saying that the depression wouldn't have happened in the first place!
BTW, why didn't the Southern state gov'ts all collapse due to the depression in our history?
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Ramo
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Austin, Texas, USA
Oct 1999 time: 23:18
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quote: If the South was not part of the Union, where exactly are they going to get the money? Crops? |
Yep. That's where it got money in actual history.
quote: Ramo seems to think, and I agree, that the South would not be making very much money off of that. |
The Southern people would be making more money than if they were under Yankee rule.
quote: So, where exactly does the money come from? |
Money for what? Are you referring to the gov't or the people? If the former, from taxes, same place they did so in our history. If the latter, crops, also the same place they did so in our history.
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