It seems ridiculous to me how many people cause an uproar when an election doesn't go their way. However, I don't remember hearing about hordes of "blue" states threatening secession when George W. was elected to a second term. Whether you like it or not, President Obama won his reelection fair and square, taking the majority of both the popular and electoral votes. More than half the people who voted chose to vote for this man, and those who chose not to vote at all forfeited their say-so in the matter. So, folks, it's time to quit whining and get on with the business of finding productive solutions to the problems our nation currently faces.
Quite honestly, I have a feeling that those states would not really choose to secede if given the choice. The costs would be too great, and they would just be hurting themselves. As of writing this, these are the current states which have had a petition started on their behalf: North Dakota, New Jersey, Colorado, Oregon, Montana, Indiana, Mississippi, Georgia (although whoever stared that petition forgot to use a capital "G"), Kentucky, Florida, North Carolina, New York, Alabama, Texas, & Louisiana.
Here are things that I believe should be required of any state that wishes to secede.....
Applicable to any states choosing secession:
► Any citizen who is a resident of a seceding state, but who does not wish to be seceded from the Union, will be allowed to relocate to within the Union's borders within a certain prescribed window of time.
► The United States will immediately withdraw all active duty U.S. military personnel from your state. Active military personnel with a "permanent" address that is within a seceded state will granted a discharge and returned to their home state or will be given the option to become a citizen of the state to which they are restationed. Inactive Reserves and National Guardsmen will be granted discharge upon request or will be given the option to relocate to an area of the country remaining a part of the Union. Anyone choosing the latter will be allowed to bring with them one spouse and any dependent minors, elders, or disabled persons in their immediate families.
► In conjunction.with the withdrawal of U.S. military personnel, the United States will also remove from within the boundaries of seceded states any and all military equipment, weapons, and supplies belonging to any branch of the U.S. military, reserves, or National Guard.
► Any federally-owned land within the boundaries of a seceded state will be sold back to that state at fair market value. This will include military bases, federally-funded public housing, land occupied by the U.S. Interstate system, federal court houses, federal prisons, and any other federally-held land I may have forgotten to list here.
► Border Patrol agents will be immediately removed from any seceded state that currently borders a foreign nation. Any U.S. constructed fences or similar barriers will be removed in conjunction of the border agents' departure. The U.S. will take no action to secure the borders of a seceded state against illegal immigration into that state's borders. We will, however, take action against those crossing into the Union from within the borders of a seceded state.
► Any citizen of a seceded state who is working, living, or traveling elsewhere in the U.S. will be given a specific limited window of time to return to their home state. Remaining within the borders of the Union after this time will be considered to be illegally inside the U.S. and will make those people subject to any relevant laws regarding illegal entry.
► Any citizen of a seceded state who is traveling outside the U.S. on a U.S.-issued passport will be given a brief, but reasonable, amount of time to return to their home state and have a new passport issued from the government of their home state.
► Any citizen of a seceded state wishing to hold employment within the Union will be required to obtain a U.S. work visa.
► Any citizen of a seceded state who is currently attending any school, college, or university in a Union state will be given a window of time to return to their home state and obtain a student Visa allowing them to return to school.
► All federal funding will immediately cease to any school, college, university, or other educational or vocational institutions within the borders of a seceded state.
► Congressional seats held by seceded states will be redistributed to Union states.
► Any federal funding for national or state parks, Native American reservations, roads, bridges, airports, rail lines, or any other infrastructure will cease.
► Citizens of a seceded state will automatically lose any rights to Social Security benefits and any other federally funded payouts, except military retirement/disability pay which will continue unless the recipient requests then to be stopped..
► Federal funding for Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, hospitals, HUD housing, school lunches, WIC, unemployment, disability, farm assistance, and other social services will end immediately.
► All banks within a seceded state will lose FDIC insurance.
► Seceded states will forfeit their right to federal assistance in the event of natural disasters including hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fire, winter storms, or tsunami. Additionally, federal funds will not be readily available for preventative preparation for or recovery from any such event.
► Any seceding state bordering the Gulf of Mexico and impacted by the BP Gulf oil spill will be forced to bargain on their own with BP for recuperative funds for oil clean-up efforts.
► Students in seceded states, regardless of age, will no longer qualify for federal aid to fund their education. Any federal funds being used to fund private school vouchers will also be ended.
► Federal funding for research, inventors', and small business grants and loans will no longer be available in seceded states.
► Residents of a seceded state will be given a one-month window to prepare and file their income tax paperwork for the part of the calendar year that their state was still a member of the Union. They will be taxed based on the time that they were still U.S. citizens, and any earned refunds will be issued.
► Federal assistance from agencies such as the FDA, USDA, FBI, CIA, U.S. Customs, ATF, Farm Bureau, etc. [full list here, opens in new window] will no longer be available in seceded states.
► All locations of the U.S. Postal Service within a seceded state will be closed as soon as all currently-held mail has been distributed. All machinery and equipment at post offices and mail processing centers will be removed, along with all postal vehicles and trucks and any mailboxes that are the property of the U.S. Postal Service. Once the seceded state has set up their own independent postal service, any mail for that state originating from the U.S. and being held in the possession of the U.S. Postal Service will be turned over to that state's postal service.
Update, Wednesday morning, November 14, 2012:
This post has become far more popular than I ever expected. Yes, there are numerous comments left below, but more of the response has come through emails from people who wanted to share their thoughts but didn't want to share them so publicly by commenting below. These emails have run the range from sweet and supporting to derisive and nasty, and I have taken the time to respond to each and every one of them (except two that were very obviously spam). Among the emails from people who are against secession—of their state or any other—there seems to be a common belief that a seceded state would come to regret the choice rather quickly. That repeated belief is the inspiration for the addition of the following additional rule:
► Any state that secedes will have to wait a minimum of _______ years before being allowed to rejoin the Union. At the time of rejoining, those states will have to meet a list of criteria including, but not limited to, a prescribed minimum GDP, unemployment and poverty rates below certain thresholds, ability to show evidence of an educated population, willingness to sign treaty-type agreements barring another secession attempt, and guaranteed compliance with any federal policies that have been enacted during the time they were separated from the Union.
Update, Wednesday evening, November 14, 2012:
Huffington Post has reported on this, now that there have been petitions filed by residents in over 40 states. The Governors of Alabama, Texas, and Tennessee (all Republicans) have released separate statements saying that they don't think that secession is the right choice for their states and that they think that cooperation is more important now than ever of we are to fix the problems existing within the U.S. It's not often I am impressed by statements released by Republican Governors, but today I am proud that they realize that this talk of secession is not getting us anywhere and that they know that secession isn't the answer. Read more from the Huffington Post article here (opens in new window).
Update, Wednesday morning, November 14, 2012:
This post has become far more popular than I ever expected. Yes, there are numerous comments left below, but more of the response has come through emails from people who wanted to share their thoughts but didn't want to share them so publicly by commenting below. These emails have run the range from sweet and supporting to derisive and nasty, and I have taken the time to respond to each and every one of them (except two that were very obviously spam). Among the emails from people who are against secession—of their state or any other—there seems to be a common belief that a seceded state would come to regret the choice rather quickly. That repeated belief is the inspiration for the addition of the following additional rule:
► Any state that secedes will have to wait a minimum of _______ years before being allowed to rejoin the Union. At the time of rejoining, those states will have to meet a list of criteria including, but not limited to, a prescribed minimum GDP, unemployment and poverty rates below certain thresholds, ability to show evidence of an educated population, willingness to sign treaty-type agreements barring another secession attempt, and guaranteed compliance with any federal policies that have been enacted during the time they were separated from the Union.
Update, Wednesday evening, November 14, 2012:
Huffington Post has reported on this, now that there have been petitions filed by residents in over 40 states. The Governors of Alabama, Texas, and Tennessee (all Republicans) have released separate statements saying that they don't think that secession is the right choice for their states and that they think that cooperation is more important now than ever of we are to fix the problems existing within the U.S. It's not often I am impressed by statements released by Republican Governors, but today I am proud that they realize that this talk of secession is not getting us anywhere and that they know that secession isn't the answer. Read more from the Huffington Post article here (opens in new window).
What rules do you think we would need that I may have left off the list? Share your additions in the comments below!
**Please note, this blog post is strictly the stated opinions of the post's author, listing the author's thoughts on what requirements should be made of states demanding secession. The author is neither a lawyer nor a politician and makes no claims as to the existence of such rules already in American law, and does not know if any such laws currently exist that are either similar or in contrast to the ideas stated above. Please do not confuse this blog post with actual U.S. law.
Wow, really? No matter who you voted for, I feel like it's silly for people not to acknowledge just how great we have it here. That's a little nuts.
ReplyDeleteElections, in general, bring out wither the best or the worst in people, I think. That is very evident this election season.
DeleteActually, as someone who is polyamorous by nature, I would change the second point to say "Anyone choosing the latter will be allowed to bring their spouse(s) and any dependent minors, elders, or disabled persons in their immediate families."
ReplyDeleteOther than that, awesome job!
Samantha, normally I would agree. However, since that point is dealing specifically with military service members, I listed one spouse because the military does not currently recognize more than one spouse per service member. Of course, if their policies ever change, then this rule would of course need to be changed to reflect new policy.
DeleteFirst - Have not (yet) visited the petition site, but ... Wow!? Really, people?! Secession?
ReplyDeleteSecond - You've really done a terrific job of listing the requirements / and losses these states would assume, upon leaving the US.
Third - Wow!? Really, people?! Secession?
Thanks so much! I still am sure there are things I have forgotten to add to the list. Truthfully, the scope of federally-funded or federally-assisted is huge, and I think folks tend to take many of these things for granted.
DeleteSince I posted this entry this morning, new petitions have been started on behalf of South Carolina, Michigan, Tennessee, and Michigan.
ReplyDeleteJust plain ridiculous. *smh*
The question is, would Obama do what Lincoln did, or would he just let them (us? SC resident here) go?
DeleteHonestly, I'm not sure. It would be fine with me if they went, unless of course it was my home state of Florida (in which case I'd have to find a way to move "back" into the Union). I mean, if there were truly a state whose citizens, by vast and overwhelming majority, wanted to secede, I say they ought to be allowed given the sorts of conditions I have laid out in this post.
DeleteI DO know, without a doubt, that we don't need any more Civil Wars. Our last one still remains the war that has cost the most American lives, and I think it would only be worse given all the war technology at our disposal these days. Civil war in these modern times might not leave enough country intact to constitute one nation by the end, much less two.
Even more petitions have been added. The new additions include California, Utah, Delaware, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. I predict there will eventually be one for each state, and I predict none of them will gain sufficient support to bring about any actual secessions.
ReplyDeleteThis continues to grow in ridiculousness.
In other news, this post has been blowing up with views, most arriving here from sharings of my original Facebook and G+ posts (thanks to those who shared) and various search engines. Traffic is arriving here from Google, Bing, Yahoo, AOL, and a few lesser-known search engines I had never heard of. I'm starting to see that the idea of secession is quite worrisome to many people. Most common search terms landing people here include these:
ReplyDelete► Can the military discharge service members for signing a secession petition?
► states wishing to secede 2012
► Are stated allowed to secede from the Union?
► If [my state] secedes, will I still be safe?
► Do citizens of seceded states lose government benefots?
► If [my state] secedes, will I loose my retirement benefits/Medicare/Medicaid?
► Will seceding states loose Social Security?
► If [my state] secedes will my military husband still get paid?
It seems to me that this talk of secession is becoming more fear mongering than anything else. Ladies and gentlemen, you live in the United States. No, life is not all happiness and picnics here, but you sure are a lot better off than the majority of other places. You may think secession will solve things, but it won't, and you're scaring a whole host of good, honest, hard-working people. If you don't like what's going on, work pro-actively and cooperatively to fix it. Americans don't typically run away from their problems or bury their heads in the sand....let's not start now.
I don't think you realize that the people that you are so ready to say good riddens to are also the people that have paid Federal taxes and Social Security. You may wave and have a pizza party as one patition stated but I don't think you will be dancing when the federal funded military can not function or the federal funded social services does not have the money to feed the millions of liberal non workers that you are so proud to support. I think that you may need to rethink a few points. It may be hard for the people who would pull away from the union, however, the pains will be felt through union states also. Everyone will be looking at hard times. Life would not be as we have known it. However, the non union states will be free and still have their morals in tack. I don't say this to be spitefull, I say this to try and make you understand not to delude yourselfs into thinking that you will walk out unscathed. God help us all for we need him now more than ever.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what pizza party you are talking about, but I don't think it has been mentioned anywhere here. I, personally, and not ready to wave off anyone, but I also realize that if you think your ship is sinking, you don't try to hold onto the "dead weight" (in this case, people who don't want to remain a part of the U.S.).
DeleteI also don't think that anyone has mentioned morals in any of this, so perhaps I'm not the one who is delusional after all.
And these days, the "non-workers" are both liberal and conservative. Unemployment has hit everyone. I am one of the most liberal people I know. I have a full time job with no benefits and have NOT gone to apply for government benefits (like food stamps and Medicaid) even though my son and I live well below the poverty line and would qualify for HEAPS of benefits.
Continuing to blame the nation's problems on the "liberals" or the "conservatives" has never helped and isn't going to start helping now. This mess all began under a CONSERVATIVE President and has only CONTINUED under a liberal one. It's everyone's problem, and the blame game is getting us nowhere.
As for "God" helping us, I seriously wish people would stop hauling God into politics. If he exists (which I seriously doubt), I would hope he hates everyone's politics.
I will have to agree to disagree. I am all for secession. This president has already done all the above or is gearing up to do so. You call the losers in this election as whiners. When ALL the tax cuts end in December 2012 I hope you are prepared to pay out the ass. The average household will pay an extra $300.00 a month in taxes. But wait, there is the FORCED healthcare,(have you forgotten that Congress exempt themselves for it?But it's going to be great for the American people!Have you forgotten how it was FORCED on us?) add that to your monthly budget. And then there is CAP AND TRADE....our utilities are predicted to triple in cost over a four year period. Gas, food, clothing, etc will double. Our military will be cut and we will be left defenseless against our enemies. The federal government does not own the state....the states own the government. There is a thing called the Constitution.....this piece of paper is in Obama's way. He's blamed everybody but himself for everything that has gone wrong. I wonder who he is going to blame the last four years on. I haven't even hit the tip of the iceberg on all the failed policies of this administration, his lies and broken promises are just the beginning. The fiscal cliff is upon us....thanks to out of control spending. Where's a budget? What happened in Benghazi? Why did the President LIE for two weeks about it? Why is he playing golf rather than helping those in NY and NJ who still have no electricity, food and water? Afterall, he blamed Bush for Katrina. He is a irresponsible president. A good man but a very bad president.
ReplyDeleteWow, way to roll every conservative talking point into one long comment that mostly has nothing to do with the original topic! I applaud you AND your poor mastery of proper English.
DeleteThat aside, I already "pay" for healthcare I can't afford to use (because I can't afford the co-pays or deductibles). And you're complaining that gas and other fuels are going to double or triple in cost...which would mean that *gasp* America would be paying the same sorts of gas prices that Europe has been paying for over a decade!
If you want a President who keeps all his campaign promises, move to a country where there is only one political party and no one to stand in the President's way. The President doesn't make law. He can suggest laws, recommend laws, even push laws...but in the end, laws are written in Congress. Blame them if you must have a scapegoat. Or, better yet, open your eyes and realize that this avalanche of problems began decades ago and is only being railed against now because it has gained enough momentum to be noticed by the average citizen. Congress has spent years with its collective head in the sand, not dealing with these building problems, and now we are all suffering the consequences of Washington bigwigs raking in fat salaries without ever producing any results.
America got it's start by seceding from the British. We left that country for the same reason over 30 states want to secede now. Our Libertys and Freedoms are slowly being taken away. We are being taxed above which is reasonable. Too many people are dependent on the government who have made a lifestyle out of it.We cannot practice our religion without fear of retaliation.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what religion you practice, but I will practice any religion I choose without fear of government retaliation. The only retaliation I expect is from my fellow citizens, as I live on the Southern edge of the Bible belt and I think the Bible is about as useful as the Lord of the Rings trilogy....just my opinion, though.
DeleteIf over 30 states hated Obama so much, he would not have been reelected by both popular and electoral vote (please don't be a conspiracy theorist). More accurately, some residents of over 30 states may want to secede, and they are welcome to feel that way. They are welcome to move and start over someplace else if they think they can. No one is stopping those people from becoming residents of some other nation. Keep in mind, however, the old adage about greener pastures...
For the record, I, as the blog owner, choose to allow comments to be posted here anonymously. And I will respond to most any comment that someone posts, unless it is so flagrantly offensive that I have to delete it (which has never happened so far in the history of this blog).
ReplyDeleteHOWEVER, if you want me to respect your opinion, at least own your words. The drop down menu allows you to enter your name or email address or any other identifying handle. If you're really so passionate about your beliefs, at least claim them as your own.
If you hide behind anonymity, you are a coward.
If you can't be bothered to identify yourself, you are lazy.
Neither cowardice nor laziness are attributes worthy of respect.
I completely agree with your rules that you have laid here. I have had to say the same things to some FB friends who live in TN and whole-heartedly believe that life will be as hunky-dory as it was before if their state secedes. There are SO MANY things that the federal gov't provides to the states and to individuals. I hope that none of the states secede. If they think it's bad now, wait til they see what happens afterwards. Two months into the secession, they'll be begging to come back (IMHO). But, it would also effect the ones who choose to stay in the Union.
ReplyDeleteThere will be no winning in this game if it is fully played out. Everyone will lose.
To the ones who believe we shouldn't be taxed more, please spend some time in another developed country. You'll be grateful that we don't get taxed like they do.
To the ones who think your religion is being retaliated on, spend some time in a Muslim, Buddhist, etc main-religion country, and be grateful you can actually practice openly (without harm to others) here.
To the ones who are pissed about Romney not winning, you get to vote again in four years. Besides, he would've hurt us even more. (Yes, he was a 'business man', and just like most top-seated business men, he's corrupt and would've only looked out for the top.)
To the rest who wish to secede, read through this one more time (the blog entry) and remember that most of the rules she put up there will more than likely be acted out if it were to ever happen. It's illegal (as of 1869, right after the Civil War and when the states were all put back together) to secede from the Union and WILL be acted out as an act of war.
Read that again: IF A STATE SECEDES, IT IS AN ACT OF WAR.
I hope everyone's eyes will be open to see that it would be the worst idea to secede. Please don't let it happen.
Well, you taught me something too: I was unaware that secession was considered to be an act of war. That's very interesting and adds yet another layer of complication to the idea.
DeleteI'm glad you understand that I'm not here advocating that any states secede. I think it would be terrible. But, just as a rebellious child who threatens to run away from home when he doesn't get his way with his parents, these states need to understand that while they may truly THINK they want to "run away," there would be serious and damaging consequences if they chose to do so.
Personally, I genuinely hope that this is just a fad. I say that not to minimize the feelings of those persons wishing for secession, but to express that I hope the secession talk fades away soon so that the country and its leaders can get busy finding solutions to existing problems and putting preventative measures in place to head off future problems.
As you very well know I almost never agree with your views when it comes to politics but this time I have to say I do. Any person who thinks that secession is a good idea obviously hasn't really spent the time to do the research and think it out. Most people really have no idea how much we depend on the federal funding we get.
ReplyDeleteI didn't vote for Obama but he is our president for the next four years. Complaining about it and trying to secede is taking the path of a child. Instead why not do your part to make things better. No president (not even Bush) is 100% responsible for the mess the country is in now. Many factors have played into it and it will take more than one man to get us out of it.
To all my fellow conservatives signing the petitions for secession I can only say grow up, do some research and instead of spending your time whining get off your butts and help turn things around. If you still don't want to be a part of the United States feel free to move to any of the many other countries and send me post card and let me know how much better off you are.
Just sayin!
I'm just content knowing that I don't think ANY state has enough people demanding secession for any of it to actually pick up steam and happen. When even the uber-conservative Governors of places like Alabama are saying that secession isn't the right path, I can only imagine how very very very right-wing (or maybe just plain ol' nutty) those petitioners must be.
Delete