On May 14, 2010, at 11:48 AM, B. wrote:
> "You think NYC gets a lot of help from the rest of the USA?"
>
> Maybe selectively, a la 9/11. Compare that to New Orleans in Katrina
> and ... even now (BP/Transocean oil spill)?
The South has a disproportionate influence on national politics. The South more or less dominates one of the two major parties and Southerners have long had a major influence in Congress. The South gets a lot of aid from Washington, and then rails against the government at every opportunity. Southern governors and legislatures are the ones responsible for some of the most regressive tax systems in the U.S. and very low spending on education and social services. A snotty remark from Michael Smith is nothing next to all that.
Doug