The Divide

Before the Civil War it was the the issue of slavery that caused a war to be fought where two sides (Union and Confederate) were clearly divided. After the Civil War it was another dichotomy - that of Republican vs Democrat that evolved to become the norm. Today the sands are shifting again. A divide is growing between people who support big government with tax and spend (or just spend and spend) policies and those who are sick of government waste and special interests getting special treatment from elected officials.

An analogy can be draw between the pre-civil war abolitionist movements and the Tea Party protesting that is happening today. In no way do I attempt to parallel the moral equivalence of the pure evil of slavery and the mismanagement of tax dollars. However, the size and widespread aspects of the two movements are similar.

Is a new Civil War brewing? A war based on the proper role of government and the proper use of tax-payer dollars? Is big government waste the new peculiar institution of the 21st century?