Has the South turned on Former Sons & Daughters?

Michigan Lt. Governor John Cherry is just now on television here in Michigan trying to calm fears about the recent refusal of the US Senate to create a 'bridge-loan' for the auto industry. Now, don't get me started about how this same Senate had no problem giving a blank check to banks who had SQUANDERED the American financial stability. Give this bailout NO QUESTIONS ASKED to the people who helped create the credit crisis but want MAJOR restrictions from the blue collar people working the line. Shouldn't they worry about what the CEO of the company makes and not the lowest paid worker? Isn't this a bit hypocritical, also, coming from a congress who regularly increased their own salaries? Bitches. That is for another day (another blog) completely.

Lt. Governor Cherry mentioned in his speech the connection between the auto industry and the South. "We here in Michigan (my family and many others) were in fact Sons and Daughters of the South who came to Michigan knowing that there was opportunity here. And we prospered here. And many of us consider ourselves very lucky for that opportunity. Michigan has never begrudged sharing its prosperity with the rest of the nation. In fact in times of crisis, Michigan citizens have opened their wallets, given of their time to help others in distress and when we had Hurricane Katrina, under the Governor's leadership Michigan responded with open arms. Michigan citizens left the state and went south in response to that human need. In this recent debate over the automotive loan we've seen the nation turn its back on Michigan."

Now his speech wasn't all finger-pointing and doom and gloom, but Cherry brings up a great point. The nation is turning its back, but not on Michigan. Rather, it is turning its back on the working class person who wants better for themselves. Some people are suffering and will not be happy to alleviate their suffering...no...they want others to suffer with them. Misery loves company.

But think about it - the South is the #1 place that foreign car companies (which aren't really foreign, but again, another topic for another blog) put their factories. They do not want to level the playing field for the American company. Hell, every other developed country has long-since bailed out their auto industry. China pumped hundreds of billions into theirs.

The South has a genuine fear and hatred of organized labor. Organization lost them Jim Crow, organization lost them control of the coal mines and organization ultimately brought down their Feudal system. Hell, I'd fear it too. Apparently the time bomb was further labor concessions wanted by the "Southern Gentlemen." They were trying to circumvent the spirit of the bill and again attack the union (good going, Dicks...keep playing partisan on your way out the door).

But it doesn't really matter. With all the political rallying and positioning that has occurred, "Georgie Boosh" will go back on his word and open the $700 Billion dollar bailout money to help out the auto industry. If there is one good time to not "stay the course," now is it.

But I cannot help to think about the old, tired adage, "The South Will Rise Again." Is this what they meant? Economic wars? Labor wars? I don't know, but damn it scares me.