Secession, y’all: Why Texas can pull it off
When Thomas Dunne published Don’t Mess with Travis in May — my comedic political novel about a freewheeling Texas governor who becomes fed up with a Constitution-stomping president and decides to secede — I knew I had landed on something relevant. I didn’t know it was this relevant.
As of writing, the Texas petition to peacefully “withdraw” from the United States via the White House’s open petition webpage is up to 62,481 signatures, on its way to tripling the required names needed to trigger a response from the Obama administration. No doubt Texas’s desire to break free is a source of amusement inside a White House that has mastered the art of belittling the opinions of its challengers, but there is one not-so-small problem here: Texas could pull it off.
Here’s why:
–Resources. Texas currently sits on one-quarter of the nation’s oil reserves and one-third of the nation’s natural gas reserves. Even more, fully 95% of the country receives its oil and gas courtesy of pipelines that originate within Texas. This is what one might call leverage.
–The Texas Economy. This is well documented but worth repeating. In the last decade, even with the Great Recession, Texas has expanded by one million jobs. One million. That’s more than every other state … combined. Because of its friendly business climate, Texas is home to more Fortune 500 companies than anywhere else. If Texas were its own country, it would have the thirteenth-highest GDP in the world, just behind Canada and Russia. Or think about it this way: For every dollar Texas taxpayers send to Washington, they currently get only about 80 cents back. Theoretically, they could transfer those funds to the state’s coffers and still give every Texan a 20 percent tax cut.
–Utilities. Texas is the only state with its own power grid. Developed over the course of the last 100 years, the Texas grid covers the majority of the state and is fully state controlled. Translation: Texans could rest assured that the federal government doesn’t have the power — literally — to turn off their lights.
–Defense. While no match for Uncle Sam’s firepower, Texas does have a significant defense presence, namely in the Texas State Guard (which answers only to the governor), the Texas National Guard, the Air Guard and the legendary Texas Rangers. Texas is also home to two of the nation’s largest military bases — Fort Hood and Fort Bliss — and being able to control those two installations is nothing to sniff at. But let’s not forget the firepower of the citizenry itself. There’s a reason burglars don’t waste their time in Texas.
–History. Texas has done this before. Twice, actually. First in 1836, when it seceded from Mexico and became an independent country. Second in 1861, when it joined the Confederacy. And while the South did lose the Civil War, it didn’t lose it in Texas. In fact, by the end of 1864, the North didn’t have one square foot of Texas soil under its control despite many attempts. Even a full month after Robert E. Lee surrendered at the Appomattox Court House, Texas was still fighting. Texans love their state and they love a fight. That is a lethal combination.
SOURCE: Secession, y’all: Why Texas can pull it off
NEVER tell a Texan it can’t be done, he will do it just to show you he can!
I am so moving to the area north and east of DFW …
Like I said before, Fred, reserve a spot for me. The minute I can break free, I’ll be in Texas-for good. And hopefully fully trained as a brand new medical biller combined with my paralegal certifications. I may not have a job when I get there, but hopefully there will be jobs for me-even in the oil/gas fields, my overly large behind and middle age self could train to drive one of the trucks!
Another thing Fred Texas, along with some 14-16 other states has enacted Tort reform. This means that in a medical malpractice suit if the plaintiff wins they are entitled to compensation for medical bills/expenses both during and after and the limit on “pain/injury/thumbsucking” is $250,000. That means no more astronomical multi-million dollar add ons. Therefore the health care practioners pay less for their malpractice insurance. When Texas passed that law, the state was inundated by applications from everything from neurosurgeons to nurses and EMT’s to practice in the state. A great many of the physicians who applied to practice went to small communities where before the people had to drive some 50-75 miles or more to find a doctor. Now they have one within a much smaller radius. This means the doctors want to practice medicine on a local population and even to the extent that they will make housecalls. Is that the free market at work? I think so.
If we are to have meaningful “healthcare reform” where it starts is at the state and community level. It’s about time that the ambulance chasers found some other industry to parasitize.
I’m too old to move from my home in Oregon, but if I had to Texas is my first choice.
Happy Thanksgiving sir to you and your family.
Fred, looking on craig’s list, there are a lot of jobs I could apply for in towns like Irving and Lewisville. Not being familiar with the area, what can you tell me? I clicked on the Dallas reference…
It’s the DFW area, as long as you stay OUT of Dallas itself it’s a great place to live…
COOL! Thanks Fred! How about the cost of living, and apartment availability? Sissy lives in Trenton-what’s it like there?
Cost of living is less than some places… Apts? I have NO idea, I have a house.. Sorry..
Trenton is a small town up by Bonham, decent area… Close to Dallas but not too close!
I’m sure that I read somewhere that the Texas Constitutions contains a section reserving the right to secede.
Am I crazy, or is that true?
It does, and there is NO caveat in the U.S. Constitution that forbids it…
Tenth Amendment wins every time!
Question:
Is there ANY place in Texas that isn’t hot as Hell in the summer, as well as humid as Hell?
Any place with cooler temperatures? And maybe rain?
Anywhere? Bueller?
BZ
Define HOT… It’s been nice this year, only broke 100° 9 times… The Dallas area isn’t too humid if you consider the humidity in Houston and the Valley down where Brady lives, but we’re Texans… We DO the HOW thing..
Caliente!
WHERE is the COOLEST place in Texas — ??
Mountains? Hills? Elevation?
BZ
BZ, cool and Texas don’t compute, it’s Texas, it’s either summer, almost summer or WINTER…
The coldest place in Texas id around Amarillo in January and February… Texas mountains would be a hell of a disappointment for you after living on Donner…
Watching the weather, it’s been warmer this past week in Kansas City than Dallas. Last winter, Dallas got more snow than KC but it was a freak winter for us up here.
I was gonna say my deep freeze
, but here in Texas those are usually stocked to gils with catfish and venison. And any other tasty game animal or fish.
Starting a business with a friend. We are looking for a place to build it up and Texas is one of the states we are looking at very hard. Probably will settle in Texas once we get all of our ducks in a row.
Here is what I am looking for:
Retirement friendly.
Business friendly.
Tax friendly.
Plus added for actual water and not for drought.
Drought will become a MAJOR issue for future states and regions.
At this point, I’m temporarily thinking Washington over Texas.
As Fat Freddie said: “Dope will get you through times of no money, better than money will get you through times of no dope.”
BZ
The biggest *draw* of Texas, it IS retirement friendly, and we have NO state income tax, it’s a great place for an investor that can make money…
Example: Hit 5 out of 6 on Power Ball and win $1M… In Texas you get 75% or $750K after Federal taxes.. Texas just tells you, “Have a nice day!!”
My step-son lives in Mesquite. He though his property/real estate taxes were quite high. Asked him what the were and told him that if he added about $2500 on to his tax payment, that would be what he would paying in NY State. He doesn’t think it’s that bad any more.
I used to live in washington. Very beautiful state. Awesome fishing, but very rude people. Winters were kind of long in compairison to Texas.
I’ve lived all over the US and I can’t think of any state I’d rather be. Too much of a good thing all in one place. But yes it does get pretty hot.
Think water.
BZ
Water? I am a half a mile from one of the most beautiful lakes in Texas, Lake Ray Hubbard… But it’s HOT here, I am not going to BS you, it’s TEXAS, think HOT…
Think Hubbard, think Bucketmouth Bass! To heck with the heat!
BZ,
Good thinking on your part and I am in Central Oregon, the RIGHT side(for now) of the Cascades. There will be water wars down the road, count on that for sure. The Pacific Northwest is blessed with a lot of water for the most part. That said, Eastern Washington and POORegon can be pretty damn parched. I have been in NW for way too long and if had the means, I would bailed outta here a long time ago. Neither POORegon or Washington are tax friendly in my opinion and it is going to get much worse. Liberals have ruined both states and it is a sad state of affairs since I moved here in 1978.
I like being close to the Cascades and if it were possible, I would be living at about 5,000 ft or higher where a 75 degree day is a hot one. Being a native West Texan, I have had me fill of heat but it does not bother me at all.
Hard to find ‘cool’ in Texas.
We have these things here in Texas called “Air Conditioners” so one can get in out of the heat…AND, every vehicle sold has one in it!