The Revenge of the Slaveowners

[Bruce Gourley]

Many have been the observations that while the North won the Civil War, the (white) South has since triumphed over the North. This essay is an excellent summary of the argument that (although I would argue that the author does not criticize colonial New England Puritans enough; our own Baptist forebears, denied freedom of conscience, were beaten, jailed, whipped and in many other ways persecuted in order to maintain so-called communal order; history has long demonstrated to the world the evils of sacrificing freedom of individual conscience for the sake of communal conformity).

[Sandy]

That's a somewhat complicated way to say that the influence of money is rapidly reaching a point where it is able to buy the government. When we get to the point where the Supreme Court cannot distinguish between free speech and whatever can be purchased with cash, then there's been a paradigm shift in philosophy of government. And the Supreme Court is typically an institution influenced heavily by those Puritan, Yankee values, on the surface, anyway.

[KeithE]

Insightful article and one that I have lived. Moving from California/West Coast/WashDC for (27 years), Orlando (2 years) and Huntsville (34 years and counting), the difference between the political cultures (and not just the elites) is very obvious. Business leaders on the West Coast seemed to be more employee oriented than here in the South. But I’ll admit that it may be difficult to ascribe the difference to region when it may have been a national political shift in 1980 (I moved to Huntsville in Oct 1979). And Southerners do give more to charities.
Look at page 4.

An aside: Over the US we only give 2.1% of AGI to chartable causes (Mormon Utah is best at 4.8%, income tax evaders New Hampshire is worse at 1.2%).

Bruce, Sandy, Ed T and Lamar, what are your thoughts about the difference in political cultures South vs. North (since I know you have lived in both North and South), albeit Montana may be a special case.

[Haruo]

Doesn't it just seem right that in a democracy like ours, those who have more wealth ought to have more than one vote per person?

[Mrs Haruo]

This shows up in the revisionist history books-toys, sanitized versions of history being pushed at home schooling families who's parents often have a limited education themselves, therefore raising a generation who take pride in their LACK of knowledge of how the big bad world outside runs. It can be pretty traumatic for a young person who breaks free at age 21 and is not prepared with practical skills for getting along in a multi-cultural diverse society.

[Tim Bonney]

[Tim Bonney]

[Sandy]

[Stephen Fox]

Bruce: Exhibit A in all this is Bama House Speaker Mike Hubbard. You have connections to Wayne Flynt at Auburn, your disstertation mentor if I'm Not mistaken; and you are well acquainted with Mark Wilson in Baptist Circles, on Auburn Faculty.

Take this the obvious step further and lets see something in Oxford American or oped piece in NY Times on Hiubbard.

Also Hal Crowther's Summer 2013 review of Anniston Star's Brandt Ayers is must reading for you in Oxford American.