Reply #14: not at all

[frogcycle]

they just said we don't want to play with you any more. You can continue business as usual. This crowd is trying to scrap it for all.

And frankly, since joining the union is something a state does voluntarily, why can't they voluntarily leave? Is the US a cult? Once you're in you can't leave? Why can't, say, California, decide it wants to be independent? I am not promoting that, don't think it would be good if we had a revolving door and were constantly adjusting the number of stars in the flag down and up. But where exactly is it proscribed?

As to the biggest reason frequently offered - defense - the federal government has pretty much screwed the pooch on that. The military is using so much of the National Guard that it really is more like a NATO alliance of state militias than a central defense. And it is making judgments that most governors, many state legislature, disagree with strongly. Maybe it IS time for the states to assert themselves again.