One inconvenient factor overlooked by the author is the industrial might of the South. In 1860, the North was heavily into manufacturing while the South was agrarian. Today, the South is more industrialized than the North, has oil and coal plus the facilities to process them. It has many more chemical plants than the North.
So go ahead Yankees,secede.
You said it all before I could.
Bravo Sir, Bravo.
Also, the South has most major military bases. They can pay us protection money;)