Dec 11th, 2008 | Politics survey

"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."


This quote by Abraham Lincoln is from the First Annual Message to Congress, December 3, 1861.


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.


15 votes, 113 views , 4 comments
 
 
Poll tags:Politics, Labor, Jobs, Wealth, Economy, Capital, Capitalism

 
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Comments (4)
Bmccue7
(Reply)
Georgia, United States

posted Jan 21st, 2009 at 17:13 CST

I must not be working in a mature economy. From what I can see, there is a rigid hierarchy of those who own things lording over those who produce things.

Drowlord
(Reply)
Texas, United States

posted Jan 21st, 2009 at 13:58 CST

Past labor generated a lot of existing capital.  In that sense, there is a great deal of capital that exists without any existing laborer to ascribe it to -- and since much of that capital is infrastructure necessary to create current labor...I would say that capital and labor have a less heirarchical relationship in a mature economy.  Intellectual property muddies that water a lot, too.

Philgtaylor
(Reply)
Australia

posted Dec 15th, 2008 at 09:04 CST

There must be a balance. If too much of the profit is siphoned off to those who own the businesses, the economy suffers, because it is the workers who spend the money and this drives the economy. The main problem with the current economic crisis is that people like you and me are not spending, mostly because they are unable to spend, because they have no money left and cannot afford to borrow any more.

Ebenezer
(Reply)
Fiji

posted Dec 14th, 2008 at 03:00 CST

It ought to be true if the capitalist began as a self employed, providing his own labor by self employment, until his business expanded to the extent where he needed by compulsion to employ other people (labor). However one needs to recognise the other contributor like land and machine without which labor is extremely limited.

 
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