You Can Find a Better America in the South

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Many Americans are Looking for a Better America in the South. Old stereotypes heap derision on the South, but as my father-in-law, Dick Young explains:

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At The American Conservative, Casey Chalk defends the South from the, unfortunately, frequent, unoriginal, and incorrect attacks against the region. He writes (abridged):

In polite company among the technocratic elite, it’s acceptable to ridicule the South, Southern culture, and Southern politics. The Left has skewered Southern states for.” Historian and foreign policy commentator Robert Kagan in a July opinion piece for The Washington Postclaimed that conservatives suspicious of liberalism are stoking the fires of Southern white nationalism, much as their intellectual forefathers, Russell Kirk and William F. Buckley Jr., allegedly did in the latter half of the 20th century.

Kagan’s is part of a broader attempt to undermine the virtues of the conservative and Southern intellectual tradition. In presidential election years, liberals circulate maps showing that the former Confederacy overwhelmingly votes Republican.

It gave the nation its most uniquely American musical genres: blues, jazz, country, bluegrass, and, of course, rock ‘n’ roll. Its …varied cuisine includes barbecue, fried chicken, jambalaya, gumbo, biscuits and gravy, po’ boys, peach cobbler, and, of course, bourbon. Its landscapes are magnificent, its flora and fauna varied and beautiful.

The South encompasses a remarkable diversity but manifests certain essential cultural traits visible from Virginia to Texas. Southerners bear a deep appreciation for their traditions and history. They embrace a strong sense of hospitality, neighborliness, and charm, often evinced in a slower pace of life focused on relationships and family. And distinct from most other parts of the country, Southerners remain vibrantly and vocally religious. Seven of the top 10, and 12 of the top 20 religious states in the country are in the South.

Southerners have an unparalleled pride in their regional identity.

Casey Chalk is pursuing a graduate degree in theology from Christendom College and is senior writer for Crisis Magazine. He covers religion and other issues for The American Conservative.

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Millions of Americans are realizing the benefits they accrue in states with low taxes and a low cost of living. The majority of those states are in the South and South West. Read more about the success of the South:

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E.J. Smith - Your Survival Guy

E.J. Smith is Founder of YourSurvivalGuy.com, Managing Director at Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd., a Managing Editor of Richardcyoung.com, and Editor-in-Chief of Youngresearch.com. His focus at all times is on preparing clients and readers for “Times Like These.” E.J. graduated from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, with a B.S. in finance and investments. In 1995, E.J. began his investment career at Fidelity Investments in Boston before joining Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd. in 1998. E.J. has trained at Sig Sauer Academy in Epping, NH. His first drum set was a 5-piece Slingerland with Zildjians. He grew-up worshiping Neil Peart (RIP) of the band Rush, and loves the song Tom Sawyer—the name of his family’s boat, a Grady-White Canyon 306. He grew up in Mattapoisett, MA, an idyllic small town on the water near Cape Cod. He spends time in Newport, RI and Bartlett, NH—both as far away from Wall Street as one could mentally get. The Newport office is on a quiet, tree lined street not far from the harbor and the log cabin in Bartlett, NH, the “Live Free or Die” state, sits on the edge of the White Mountain National Forest. He enjoys spending time in Key West and Paris. Please get in touch with E.J. at ejsmith@yoursurvivalguy.com To sign up for my free monthly Survive & Thrive letter, click here.