If enough Texans say they want to secede, put it on the ballot.

[Smith_3]

I doubt they would get a majority for secession. Texas has its share of morons, but also enough decent people who realize what a foolish idea it is.

They can secede if they want to, but everything that belongs to the union stays with the union. They will have to build their own military from scratch, for instance.

[Buzz Clik]

1. Forget that! Sell Texas to Mexico while we can still get a good price.

[droidamus2]

2. That's the idea

Hey, if they want to leave fine but since they are currently part of the USA they don't get to leave on their terms. What says we have to let them become their own country lets set our terms. Will let the people on the borders with Oklahoma, Arkansas,etc. decide if they want to be annexed into those states. We will see if Mexico is interested in buying up any of the area along their border. I guess if what's left wants to become their own country we could let them but no foreign aid until they show they can be a good world citizen. Prior to leaving the US they will be charged for anything that was paid for by federal money highways, dams, ports, etc. (if they refuse to pay remove the roads and dams). Do not offer any free military protection, hey you guys say your tough take care of it yourselves. Oh and for you people that live in Texas but work across the border in the USA you will now have to apply for a work visas in order to stay employed. Don't think you can just come across our borders we don't want any of you illegal aliens in the good old USA. Maybe we should build a fence to keep you Texans out.

Okay, enough of that. It might be an interesting intellectual exercise to get some economists and other experts to actually examine what would happen to Texas if the US just cut them loose. I bet it wouldn't be a pretty picture.

[Ian David]

6. Agreed. n/t

[sutz12]

16. Yeah, and you can sell it real easily...

Just point out that Mexico has universal health care.

:)

[elocs]

3. So, Lincoln plunged the country into war to preserve the Union

and along the way he freed the slaves and Barack Obama, the nation's first black president, would simply allow states to secede? I think not, but this is all just an exercise in conjecture anyways since it will never happen.

I have read that only about 18% of Texans want to secede. I am guessing that would be close to the total in a lot of red states.

[MADem]

4. They don't have the authority to do it, even if they wanted to.

That whole "we can leave when we want" business is utter fiction. They can't. They never signed a deal with the USA saying so, either.

[MercutioATC]

7. They can if both their State Legislature and the U.S. Congress agree.

...but that ain't gonna happen...

[Bluenorthwest]

8. Nope

Once they had a provision that they could be allowed to break up into smaller states in order to keep the balance of slave and non slave states if the State legislature and US Congress agreed. Never had any right to leave the Union in any way, shape, or form.

[MercutioATC]

9. I stand corrected.

[MADem]

14. They are subservient to Congress, though. Thy're acting like they aren't.

Which is kinda funny...!

[tekisui]

5. The have no authority or right to.

Doesn't matter how many in the state want it. If they want to leave the United States, they can get on a plane. They cannot carve it up.

[Liberal In Texas]

10. It ain't going to happen.

And it would be nice to get some help from the National Democratic Party in the next election to get rid of some of the wing-nuts (like the gov. and a couple of senators) around here.

[Canuckistanian]

11. We Canadians have a bit of experience in this

The province of Québec has held two referenda on separating. Both were defeated (one almost too close for comfort).

The main problem the rest of Canada saw was that Quebecers didn't fully realize what they were voting for, because of deliberate confusion of the terms of separation.

Some Quebecers were for a completely separate state and others were for a "sovereignty association" which meant they would retain political and economic ties to Canada. There were various interpretations of this, some saying that Canada and Quebec should share a common military and currency, for example.

All of this led to the "Clarity Act" of 1999, which specified that any province or territory would have to explicitly spell out the terms of separation and to decide if a referendum expressed a CLEAR will of a province's majority to separate.

And I'll tell you, those referenda were emotional times in Canada. We followed those results as if they were the scores in a Stanley Cup game.

I imagine that it would be twice as emotional for Texans.

[Ilsa]

12. Forget that shit, and forget "selling" Texas. We have lots of democrats

here in the Lone Star State, including me, and we don't want to be sold off, secede, or anything else, other than getting the wingnuts out of office. We need more liberals to move down here to help us take charge again.

Personally, I don't think anyone on DU should attempt to slam Texas until they've lived here at least a couple of years. (I've played along with it for awhile now, but it is time to stop it. It's getting hurtful.)

[Liberal In Texas]

13. Thank you. n/t

[MADem]

15. You might go blue next Presidential cycle. I think it's a possibility. NT

[VenusRising]

17. Agreed and well put.

There are a lot of good liberals in Texas. If it weren't for Texas there would have been no Molly Ivins or Ann Richards or Jim Hightower.

It really is becoming hurtful. I may live in Ohio now, but I will ALWAYS be a Texan at heart.

:hi:

[cherokeeprogressive]

19. I lived in Round Rock, north of Austin. LOVED IT and LOVED the People.

Long Live Sixth Street!

Funny Story: We woke up late on a Saturday morning after partying hearty the night before. It was April 1st. I turned on the radio and heard the DJ talking about preparations for a HUGE concert that was to take place that day and night at the big park downtown, I can't remember what the name of it is. Four stages, about 20 of the day's BIGGEST bands, and all FREE! We absolutely forgot about it being April Fool's day, and wound up at the park at about one o'clock in the afternoon, along with all the other goofs. I guess I should have understood the joke when I heard the DJ say Elvis was to headline one of the stages at the end of the night. It never registered at all.

I loved Texas, have had much experience there since I was a kid, and would move to the Hill Country outside of Austin in a heartbeat.

I get tired of seeing Texas bashed as well.

[WolverineDG]

21. Yeah, well that's how Molly got Austin to moon the Klan

I think the story goes she was being interviewed about some Klan march scheduled for Austin & all the bro-ha-ha about it. She said "Why all the fuss? Just moon 'em when the parade starts." And so Austinites lined up & down Congress & did just that. :evilgrin:

Only in Texas.

dg

[Ilsa]

22. She was incredible beyond belief. I don't think anyone can

excite Texas Democrats like Ann and Molly did.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

18. Once again. Only 18% of the state are that ignorant.

18% of our state agreed with the ignorant idea. Nationally, that's a better average than Bush's current approval ratings.

You really need to find another horse to beat, this ones dead, buried and already fertilizing the fields. I know it's so much fun to region bash on DU, but that doesn't make it any less petty and immature.

[TahitiNut]

20. As one who supports the human right of political self-determination, I support secession.

Likewise, I support the self-determination of Puerto Rico. :shrug: IMHO, it's up to the People of the state (guaranteed a 'republican form of government') to decide whether to be part of the U.S. or not.

[Texasgal]

23. here we go

AGAIN. :eyes:

[blogslut]

24. sigh

This horse is dead. Why keep beating it?

[WolverineDG]

25. Too much time on hands + no hobby + no imagination

:eyes:

:hug:

dg

[Texasgal]

26. + slow news day?

:P

[Lady Effingbroke]

27. ...

:boring:

[Paladin]

28. How About A Hiatus On This Topic?

It's old news, secession is not going to happen. And the main result of threads like these is to give DU Texas Haters a chance to vent in a really ignorant, unpleasant way. Enough, already......