The New Confederacy

I cannot help but notice the similarities between those who fought on the side of the Confederacy to keep the institution of slavery intact to some of the new young Republicans, Tea Party members and their followers.  If you are not part of the wealthy 1% of our country who controls arguably about 40% of the wealth I cannot see how you can support policies that effect you and your family in such a negative manner.  I can only relate this to a time in history when only a small amount of people in the United States could afford to own slaves, but more than half of this country was willing to fight to keep an institution that disenfranchised themselves.  Free labor for over 400 years equates to 400 years of poverty for poor whites who lost their jobs as a result of the institution of slavery.  It is ludicrous to me that simply for the ability to be able to say that you are superior to others, you would ensure your own demise.  While over 15 million Americans are unemployed, our Government has failed to relieve the working class and the poor of carrying the burdens enforced upon them by the greed of the big banking industry, large corporations and policies that promote the wealth of the top 1% of the United States population.  With the 2012 Presidential Elections approaching, the Republican primaries have been filled with such rhetoric as "if you don't have a job and you're not rich, blame yourself" (Herman Cain), the booing of a Gay Marine when asking a televised question regarding the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy during a Republican Debate and the refusal to increase the highest income earners' taxes despite the fact that according to the Pew Poll, "67% said the more high earners income should be subject to being taxed for Social Security, and 66% support raising taxes on incomes over $250,000, and 62% support closing corporate tax loopholes." These statistics along with the fact that wages are going down or stagnating for those who are lucky enough to find a job is in stark contrast to the Conservative perspective that saving the economy has to include tax cuts for the wealthy, removal or alteration of social programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security (to name a few), which they lovingly refer to as "entitlement."  The fact that the Republican/Conservative Party still even exists in today's society and has so many supporters reflects a country that has not strayed far from it's History.  Whether or not you believe that the current Administration (President Obama) has made the best decisions, if you are not part of the 1% or even close and you still support the Republicans and their Conservative views, I find it safe to say that had you lived during the Civil War, you more than likely would have fought on the side of Confederacy. What is most important to remember is that the Confederacy lost and the once Divided States became the United States...or did they?  I'll let you decide that yourself.  


In regards to the question I posed, feel free to answer within the "comments" section of this blog.  Thank you.