[BroJoeK]

KoRn: "...For about 100 years anyway. Though I wasn't yet alive at the time, I understand that we started going to hell back during the 1960s, and haven't looked back."

central_va: "If it wasn’t for the South the USA would be a socialist/communist country by now."

Our Neo-Confederates like to blame ole' Abe Lincoln for most everything bad since, but in truth, the Federal Government remained much the same (i.e., 2% of GDP) until the early 1900s Progressive Era.
Its growth from our Founders' Original Intent to today's monstrosity happened in four major lurches:

1. Early 1900s Progressive Era (i.e., Woodrow Wilson) added the 16th and 17th Amendments -- Income Tax and Direct Election of Senators both concentrating power and money in Washington.

2. Franklin Roosevelt's 1930s era New Deal taxes (i.e., Social Security) more than doubled Federal Revenues, to 10% of GDP.

3. Lyndon Johnson's 1960s era Great Society added unlimited new Federal entitlements (i.e., Medicare and Medicaid).

4. Barrack Obama's "stimulus" and other spending have increased Washington's share from 20% to now 25% of GDP.

And our now solidly Conservative South voted and cheered for all of this, until Lyndon Johnson made clear that they were not to be the main beneficiaries of Washington's largess.

[central_va]

"If it wasn’t for the South the USA would be a socialist/communist country by now."

The statement stands on its own merits, and everyone knows it to be true. A divided country North and South, if it happened 150 years ago - by now the North would at best be a Euro Socialist state. Denying that will make you sound like an idiot.

[central_va]

Lyndon Johnson's 1960s era Great Society added unlimited new Federal entitlements (i.e., Medicare and Medicaid).

The "Great Society" programs were enacted in 1965. The asshat jerk didn't even try to run for reelection and it wasn't just because he screwed up in Vietnam.