Should We Let Texas Secede?

Yesterday, Texas Governor Rick Perry (guess his party affiliation) ratcheted up his rhetoric against what he sees as an overly-intrusive federal government. At a ceremony with state lawmakers, Perry voiced support for a Texas resolution that singles out the Lone Star state's love of the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Here's Perry:

"I believe that our federal government has become oppressive. I believe it's become oppressive in its size, in its intrusion into the lives of our citizens and its interference with the affairs of our state," Perry said. He said Texas has economic strength, while Washington has a "federal budget mess."

Perry's remarks have pitted him against fellow Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison, who Perry defines as part of the Washington problem, not the Texas solution. Hutchison aides have fired back,

"Texans know Kay Bailey Hutchison works tirelessly for our great state. Unfortunately, this is another eample in a long history of Rick Perry choosing the political low road."

And what about the go-it-alone road that Perry seems to advocate? Such an ethos has long been in Texas' blood, from the Alamo, to joining the Confederacy prior to the Civil War, to Ross Perot and Ron Paul, Texans will often warn you not to mess with them.

Though Texas, unlike so many "red" states, does pay a higher proportion of federal income tax than it receives in services, much of that reason has to do with oil and a favorable climate. The top three leading Texas industries, which far outweigh the rest, are 1) Lawyers/Law Firms 2) Retired population 3) Oil & Gas.

So, as with Sarah Palin in Alaska, it is easier for governors like Perry to talk as though he's seriously considering pulling his star from the flag and forming his own country. Texas is oppressed, you see, by things like government standards in public schools, or clean air restrictions, or meddlesome programs like Social Security and Medicare. How dare a federal entity tell the states how to help its citizenry! And that includes nosy campaign finance laws, too, apparently.

On the other hand, Perry does have a point. The question as to whether the multiple bailouts of our economic sector is Constitutional is one to be debated. But what about the dissolving of our union? A host of blogs have been started to promote this very idea. Glenn Beck and Chuck Norris sure seem on board. The libertarian tea party movement also might approve such a dismantling the great tyrant into little tyrants.

Calls for secession are regularly heard in places like California, Texas, New Hampshire, Vermont, Southern Florida, Oregon, and on and on. And there's a robust debate about whether or not the North should have just let the South secede, and fade into economic irrelevance.

But what's your read? Should we ditch this whole United State concept and go our own separate ways?


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