If you missed the PBS series "Prohibition" you missed perhaps the best Ken Burns documentary ever. Tucked in among the interesting facts was a real zinger today's moral majority/tea baggers/anti-tax/anti-federal government club should know about. Federal income tax, you know that stuff they hate and call redistribution of wealth, that stuff the democrats are always tormenting you with, well why do we have it? We have it because the bible thumpers wanted it, insisted on it, and forced the laws through to implement it.
From the early days of the nation, tax on alcohol was the giant piece of the pie running the government. Often over 50% of the revenue was from booze. The church, and the temperance movements had to find a way the government could survive without the tax on hooch. Income tax was hatched as the alternative, and in the early 1900's it was passed into law. The zealots got what they had wished for, income tax, the gateway drug to prohibition. I don't think they are trying to disavow responsibility for it, they just don't know it was their own kin that put the yoke on them. Of course, they could just cheat on it. Naw.
I watched the first segment, and have DVRd the rest of it for a night when I have no distractions scheduled. Burns is a genius, and I've loved every one of his documentaries.
ReplyDeleteThe one part I saw was awesome, can't wait to watch the rest!
I will see it, some day.
ReplyDeleteI saw a little bit. Parallels to today's war on drugs.
ReplyDeleteDarrel,
ReplyDeleteGot a great story told to me from Dad while on the trip home - Grand Dad put James on a Greyhound to Dixon, Ky - where Uncle Bart picked
him up. Dad said that he delivered gallons of whiskey on the way to his grandfather's house.
Later on Dad learned that Bart was working with a black man in Providence, Ky who sold his booze for him.
It wasn't Bart that did the year but instead his brother Frank - I had some facts wrong - well these are old damned memories -
I will toast my 63rd with Willette Reserve...
Sarge