Has the US outlived the sea-to-sea, 50 state thingy?

[radhika]

Sounds snarky, but not really. For a long time now, I've stopped looking at the USA and the rest of the world through the matrix of the nation-state. Environmentally, culturally and economically, perhaps there are more organic regional alliances with affinities of climate, culture/language and world view. I've read several approaches to the new North American configuration - and think they should be explored. Here's a possibility that might just make life easier for all of us: 1) Northern Tier. Idaho, the Plains and Dakotas up ot the Great Lakes. Alaska could join the Northern Tier or just leave and be it's own realm. 2) Urban West Coast 3) SouthWest deserts and Rockies 4) MidSouth 5) SouthEast and 5) Northeast. Hawaii could standalone or align with West Coast Urban.

Like any divorce or business dissolution, there would need to be a 'settlement' with finances and mutual obligations. It's obvious that all regions would not operate the same way on matters of religion, civil liberties and economics. Fine. They would be blocked from trade with other regions and participation in group ventures. Like the European Union.

Just wondering if any of you were thinking the same way.

[Naturalist111]

1. Not me.

[d_r]

2. no

[NoPasaran]

3. Fuck this noise

I like things the way they are.

[leveymg]

4. You've read The Nine Nations of North America, haven't you?

That came out in the early 'eighties. Politics as regional demographics still hasn't been done better.

[radhika]

6. I"ll get it from the library....thanks...n/t

[county worker]

5. You take the Los Angeles and San Francisco out of the mix and you'd all have to pay higher taxes!

[FarCenter]

7. The US is relatively large compared with other nations

Only China, India and Brazil are larger, IIRC.

The tendency has been for large nations to break up into smaller ones. The only countervailing example is the European Union, but that is a very loose union.