FERGUSON: Welcome to the divided states of America

In his famous book "Democracy in America," published in the 1830s. Alexis de Tocqueville referred to our nation as the "great American experiment." The notion that a country could allow its citizens a great deal of personal freedom and the power of self-government was new and radical at the time, and the rest of the world observed the U.S. with interest to see how this "experiment" would turn out.

I'd have to say it turned out pretty well overall. Although not all of our citizens have been able to achieve the American Dream, you would be hard-pressed to find another country that offers more of its citizens a chance to achieve freedom and prosperity than ours has over the past few centuries.

However, it is generally true that all good things eventually come to an end, and I have this feeling that our experiment may be winding down right now. Our right to choose our own leaders through free and fair elections may be our most fundamental one as citizens. But right now it seems to me that right could end up bringing about our undoing.

If polls are to be believed, Republican voters are poised to nominate a classic narcissist who uses racism, sexism and xenophobia as substitutes for a coherent platform. If he wins, he will face either a woman who committed brazen acts of treason while serving as secretary of state or an unapologetic socialist. However the election turns out, it's hard to imagine that the deep, bitter divide between the political left and right in this country won't grow to be even worse than it is today in the next four years.

Can you imagine Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton building a bridge of friendship to their political opposition? It seems unlikely. This may sound extreme, but it feels like we may be heading for a place where our remaining one nation, indivisible is just not a viable prospect any longer. So it may be time to start thinking about how things might shake out if America has to come up with some kind of separation agreement.

The most obvious way to split up the U.S. is to let the red states have their own country and the blue states have theirs. In general, the Southeast and the Midwest house Republican states while states in the Northeast and the West Coast lean Democratic. However, the Republican Party is so divided between social conservatives and pro-business moderates that it would be best to subdivide the red state nation even further. The social conservatives can call the Southeast their home while the moderates can settle in the Midwest. Having things divided up that way will allow liberals, moderates and conservatives to create their own version of an ideal country.

Down South in the CSA (Conservative States of America), abortion will be outlawed, marriage will be between one man and one woman, and (Christian) prayer will be common in schools once again. There will of course be no restrictions on firearms. In fact every adult will be encouraged to be armed at all times so that lawbreakers will be afraid to get out of line anywhere within the nation's borders.

Over in the Midwest in the MSA (Moderate States of America) the emphasis will be on economic prosperity rather than upholding public morality and praising the Lord. It will be sort of like Taiwan, only less crowded.

And of course up North in the PSA (Progressive States of America) things will be like a photo negative of the CSA. Separation of church and state will be strictly observed, firearms for private citizens will be banned, and Bernie Sanders vision of socialist paradise will be brought to life.

And so the Great American Experiment will enter a new phase as the liberals, moderates and conservatives each pursue their version of the American Dream unimpeded by people who don't agree with their ideology. Surely we will all be happy then, or at least we will be until the Lord wipes out the PSA for being filled with nothing but wicked, wicked sinners (i.e. Democrats.)

Bill Ferguson is a resident of Warner Robins. Readers can write him at fergcolumn@hotmail.com.

This story was originally published January 28, 2016 at 8:45 PM with the headline "FERGUSON: Welcome to the divided states of America ."