Monday Open Line


Adding poignancy to Black History Month, today marks the centennial of the birth of Rosa Parks, a shy woman who became a symbol of the fight for civil equality. Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus to a white man. This sparked a boycott of the bus system by blacks, which greatly energized the ultimately successful civil rights movement. During her life, Rosa Parks championed the cause of increased opportunities for youth. When she was arrested in 1955, the average black child had attended about seven years of school. Now, 82 percent of African-American adults have at least a high school diploma. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at <www.census.gov>.

Sunday, February 3rd. It may be hard to credit but there used to be a time when the public sphere wasn’t filled with squabbling about income tax rates. The familiar noise began 100 years ago today, when the 16th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, authorizing Congress to levy taxes on income. In its first two years, the tax was modest, affecting only a very few citizens, and provided only a small part of the government’s total revenue. But World War I moved income taxes to the center of federal finances. In 2011, individuals paid nearly $1.1 trillion in federal income tax, while state and local income taxes amounted to $69 billion in just the third quarter alone of 2012. Profile America is in its 16th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Saturday, February 2nd. On this date in 1848, the United States and Mexico signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ending their controversial war, which began in May 1846 after some mutual provocations. In the peace treaty, Mexico recognized America’s annexation of the Republic of Texas, with the Rio Grande being the border. In exchange for $15 million and other provisions, the U.S. obtained all or much of what are now six of our other southwestern states. Some 80,000 Mexicans were thereby included in the subsequent 1850 Census. In 2010, the number of Mexican-Americans reached nearly 32 million. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at <www.census.gov