I'm a southerner by blood on both sides of my family. Both fought for the right side. That said, if the right side hadn't lost and we were in the Confederacy today, my guess is that somehow things would have gotten just as upside-down as they are now. Trading Federal rule for state just creates 50 smaller tyrants in place of one big one. But, the closer you are to the government, the better. The county commissioner knows he might get his ass kicked if he gets too far out of line. School board members know they will. Governors, know they won't.
