The "Americanization" of the South (the Third Reconstruction)

DrewM, (Yankee, somewhere up north), tipped me to a post by Goldberg this morning on a Salon whine-job about the Southern state strategy to "kill the U.S. auto industry".

Lind's argument is full of familiar liberal tripe spritzed with the "unpatriotic" test lines libs are flashing over the Big 3 bailout argument, plus others like "public spending and regulation are 'good', low taxes are 'bad', 'living wage', 'superior public services' (in the North), better skillsets (never mind that Bubba seems to be able to make wheels too), blah blah blah. All culminating in his charge that the South is waging economic war against the U.S. auto industry, the northern states, and all that is good and decent in the "look for the Union label" American economy.

His solution? Take this "superior" model (higher taxes, unionization, bigger government) and impose it on those "secesh" knuckledraggers, who incidentally are racists too.

The alternative to the Southernization of the U.S. is the Americanization of the South -- a process that was not completed by Reconstruction and the New Deal and the Civil Rights era, which can be thought of as the Second Reconstruction. The non-Southern states, through their representatives in Congress and the executive branch, and with the help of enlightened Southerners, need to use the power of the federal government to put a stop to the Southern conservative race-to-the-bottom strategy once and for all.

Ah, "enlightened". It's always about enlightenment. They tried and tried to fix us but gol-darnit, we just wouldn't go all the way. Allow me to translate that first sentence.

"The alternative to the capitalist enlightenment and improved competitive positioning of the U.S. is the forced unionization of the South. By federal fiat".

This moron apparently hasn't been paying attention to other growth industries in the South over the past 20 years. I'll mention one: technology. See Atlanta, Austin, most of Florida and a good chunk of Alabama. There's a reason tech companies planted roots in the South. It makes them killer competitors.

I have a working theory. Liberals got so damned pissed about having their patriotism questioned they've decided the best retort is to completely redefine the charge to mean something it just does not mean.

I will say it's somehow comforting to know that libs still pretty much despise the South. Makes me feel better about living here. I'm trying to develop some interest in NASCAR (so far no luck), but the moonshine is still making me blind, which helps my sister look gooder an gooder. She's cuter'n a June bug on a picnic blanket.

If only we could teach Bob Earl how to push bits around without scratchin his ass in the lab.

posted by Dave In Texas at 07:07 PM

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