If anyone is interested in what Lincoln proposed as an alternative to debt-based (bank-issued) currency and the history therein, there is a powerful and well-researched documentary you should see: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-515319560256183936# Lincoln was the only president to pay off the debt. He was well on his way to doing it again before he was murdered. No president since him has had the balls to do what he did, and there are well-documented rumors that Booth was protected by monied interests (read: bankers) in Europe.