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In reply to the discussion: Peter Morrison, Texas GOP Official, Calls For 'Amicable Divorce' From 'Maggots' Who Voted For Obama [View all]happyslug
(14,779 posts)The reason is, such a bill can address many of the problems such a "Divorce" will incur.
1. Texas gets more money from the Federal Government then it pays in Taxes. Thus Texas leaving would be a big asset to the remaining USA.
2. Deciding where NASA and the various Military bases will go, the GOP in the rest of the South would jump at the chance to get those units into they home states.
3. Texas is no longer a net oil exporter to the rest of the US (in effect a net importer) thus we can restrict what oil from the Gulf goes to Texas (The biggest off shore oil fields are between Louisiana and Cuba NOT Texas).
4. Social Security can NOT be sent outside the borders of the US, thus anyone in Texas who wants to retain their Social Security will have to move back to the US. Now, if a country signs a "Social Security" Treaty with the US, (and most countries have) it can be sent out, but Congress can add a clause that Texas can NOT sign such a treaty with the US,
5. South Texas is complaining that Mexico is withholding excessive amount of water that would normally flow into the Rio Grande (Mexico makes the same Claim as to Water flowing into the Rio Grande from its headwaters in Colorado, through New Mexico, but the time the Rio Grande reaches El Paso it is bone dry). The US can claim that is a problem between Texas and Mexico and keep the water the flows from Colorado and New Mexico (New Mexico will be happy).
6. The US can establish border stations (and inspection) stations on the Louisiana New Mexico and Oklahoma borders, to make sure only US Citizens cross over.
7. The State of Texas will have to PAY the Federal Government for any Federal Land in Texas. You have to remember, except for the 13 original States, Vermont and Texas, all states were originally 100% Federal owned lands (Under the provisions of the Treaty with Mexico, the US accepted some Mexican land Grants as valid, but even most of the people who owned those lands went through the procedures under the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 as to how that land was to be sold). Texas had pre-annexation land ownership, thus no Federal Land from Day one unlike the rest of the Frontier. Since that time, the US has purchased lands from Texas and Texas land owners. These includes some large training bases. Texas will have to pay for them at the price the US sets (And remember above, these same bases are going to be stripped of equipment and personnel, thus worthless).
8. The above also covers Federal Park Lands, that Texas will have to accept as permanent park land. No money needs change hands, just a clause that Texas can NOT change or sell any of the Former National Park Lands.
9. Officially give the USS Texas to Texas, presently it is a museum but technically still owned by the US Navy (Who does some work on it, including inspections to make sure it is still safe).
10. Give Texas the Inner Coastal waterway alone its coast, It is used by barges to transport goods along the coasts by barge, rather then go by deep ocean ships across the Gulf of Mexico. Presently the inner-coastal is paid for by the Federal Government and is a key to the oil refineries on the coast.
That is just ten things a Bill can mention. Remember the Bill is to SCARE Texas not to actually pass, for every Texas member of Congress will vote against it, the last thing anyone with any brains in Texas (Left wing or Right Wing) is for Texas to be independent. Texas as an independent nation is not viable, it will be gobbled up by the US or Mexico as it quickly finds it can NOT survive alone. Denver will boom, as people coming from Southern California decided to go via Denver to avoid Texas, even if they are going to New Orleans. A lot of the things the Federal Government does is below the surface (for example, welfare, the Feds pay 1/2 of any welfare for Children).
Thus the purpose of such a bill is to Scare Texans to shut these people up, they are COSTS involved with being independent and those costs are incurred at the Federal Level. Texas may NOT want those costs, but will have to incur those costs if it is independent. Costs Texas will do NOT want to incur, but without which the benefits tied in with those costs disappear.