The Republic of Texas

The New Yorker recently wrote a satirical op-ed piece about the likelihood of Texas seceding from the US to become its own republic...again.

The foundation for the move is of course the liberal leanings of the rest of the country (or so they interpret...) and the 'over-taxation' of the Obama administration, which will raise approximately 1 in 15 (amount of Texans earning $250,000 or more annually) Texans' tax rates from 35-39.6, or the equivalent of about $34 per week.

While some lawmakers and citizens of Texas claim that part of the agreement of joining the US was that Texas could choose to break off from the US if desired, it is actually false. The decree from the mid-1800s, when Texas joined the US, actually stated that Texas could leave the US if it could be passed by lawmakers around the country, and if Texas was granted secession status, it would then have to break up into 5 separate states and figure out its path from there, without financial obligations from the US.

The article goes on to explain that roughly 1 in 3 Texans actually approve of or desire any sort of discussion about secession, and of those, a smaller percentage would enjoy or benefit from a secession. Which leads me to my question: why would Texas honestly consider this? Are they so far right-winged that they cannot tolerate even the most modest of tax increases, liberal brethren, and alternative fuel initiatives?

A state seceding from the US. It seems the stuff of fantasy or the stuff of 19th century America...not the stuff of civilized, intelligent and respectful 21st century America. It's stunning that this could actually be on the minds of lawmakers and high-ranking citizens in Texas and not just a handful of disgruntled wealthy citizens who want to hoard as much of their money as possible and develop it into a trust fund akin to the Bush's. We'll see, I suppose, but the beauty in the satirical piece is really one to make your head spin because it's more reality than fantastical...and some of the spoofs could become actual initiatives if they do somehow break away. Scary.