Would the USA be better today if we had just let the South secede?

[Sophia4]

57. I went to high school in the South.

Leaching (chemistry), the process of extracting substances from a solid by dissolving them in a liquid

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaching

noun (leech)
1.
any bloodsucking or carnivorous aquatic or terrestrial worm of the class Hirudinea, certain freshwater species of which were formerly much used in medicine for bloodletting.
2.
a person who clings to another for personal gain, especially without giving anything in return, and usually with the implication or effect of exhausting the other's resources; parasite.

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/leech

Both apply. The Southern states, especially with this new tax bill, are extracting the substance of money from solid wage-earners in states like California.

Or if you prefer, the Southern states are clinging to Californians and others in prosperous states for personal gain, giving nothing in return. They are parasitic.

Either spelling describes the parasitic conduct I intended.

I like leach because it reminds me of bleach and the Southern love of people and things who are white.

As I said, I went to high school in the South. Worst schools in the country. Believe me.