Which in the South was slavery.
Rhett has seemingly swallowed the whole "slavery is moral" thing hook line and sinker. A lot of people in the South at that time did. They were wrong, but such was the culture in which they emerged.
Wrong by our standards now, and wrong by the standards of some at the time. But it's an indication of just how far Rhett and the vast majority of Southerners of the period would go to protect their institution from political interference from others.
It doesn't make his economic arguments invalid though.
Mildly suspect, given his history. But again, he mentions taxes 23 times and slaves/slavery/slaveholding 31 times, including in the title. His issue with taxation was obviously secondary to his concerns for slavery.
Really? Wow! I had no idea. :)
Wrong by our standards now, and wrong by the standards of some at the time. But it's an indication of just how far Rhett and the vast majority of Southerners of the period would go to protect their institution from political interference from others.
I have lived long enough to realize many people see just what they want to see. I've also noticed that if something benefits some particular group, they tend to see it as right and proper, and it's not a matter of them lying to themselves. They actually come to believe that the thing benefiting them is just and proper.
Cognitive dissonance is apparently a quite common human trait. Note how Jews support the political party that most often advocates anti-semitism. Note how homosexuals support liberal policies that will eventually result in Muslims cutting off their heads.
People believe those things that they perceive as in their best interest, and they believe them fully. They don't allow the slightest hint of doubt to creep into their self-righteousness.
Such were the unapologetic slave owners on the 19th century South. To believe they were immoral people was simply unthinkable to them.