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So What If Texas DID Secede From The Union?
Tony Romm is now a contributor for The Cram, a student news arm of the newly launched PoliticsDaily.com. To follow his future work, click here.
The blogosphere is still rumbling this week after a suggestion by Texas Governor Rick Perry that the (now
literally) Lone Star state secede from the embattled union. It does not help, of course, that a poll released on Thursday by Research2000 merely confirms the unfortunate truth that Perry's comments may have resonated among some Texans: In the survey, nearly 35 percent of respondents, mostly Republicans, indicated they felt Texas would be better off as an "independent nation."
It would be naive to take these findings seriously; gauging public opinion on any topic is difficult and daunting, especially when the questions themselves are indulgent and practically invite silliness. It is likely that many of the survey's respondents answered only out of jest, submitting to Perry's gaffe without the slightest contemplation of what secession would actually mean for their state, personal or geographic.
But that hasn't stopped a plethora of pundits from jokingly hypothesizing on their behalf. Earlier this week, Daily Kos noted a few drawbacks to Texan secession: the loss of its coveted military bases, exorbitant NASA funding and most of its dirty industry. Preceding that prediction was Nate Silver, who reminded politicos at FiveThirtyEight that an America without Texas would have catapulted the Democrats to a filibuster-proof supermajority in Congress -- even without Al Franken's help -- and ensured that not another Bush family member could have won the White House in 2004.
Indeed, we can attribute to Texas' departure a number of interesting benefits (that only those wary voters who stuck out the economy's apoplexy could reap). For example...
(CLICK TO READ MORE...)
In the realm of higher education, an America without Texas would save the federal government more than $1 billion in Pell Grants (.xls), the program provided annually to college students who demonstrate significant financial need. In the 2006-2007 academic year, the Department of Education awarded Texas enough Pell Grant assistance to cover more than 440,000 college students -- money that would obviously disappear if the state left the union. To give this figure more perspective, recall that the most recent federal stimulus included a provision to increase Pell Grant funding by more than $13 billion dollars, almost $300 per student. When you subtract Texas from that equation and add the money saved by its absence, the United States could opt to cover more students or increase eligible students' current awards (even if only by a tiny amount).
A more substantial benefit from Texas' exit, however, is environmental in nature. According to The New York Times' assessment of state environmental quality, Texas emitted 224.76 million metric tons of CO2 last year -- ranking it first in total pollution. Presumably, this is because Texas also boasts the second largest population in the United States, weighing in at well over 22 million residents. Unfortunately, population totals matter little when state or federal agencies must offset carbon output. It currently costs the country anywhere between $1-30 per metric ton to address troublesome emissions, which would translate in Texas' case to anywhere between $224.76 million and $6.7 billion in CO2 offset fees. Of course, the Lone Star state's withdrawal would not exactly address the root environmental problem here; Texas would still emit pollutants at an alarming rate. However, secession would absolve the United States of its responsibility to pay for or fix it -- good news to the few voters who still weep openly about deficit spending.
And, finally, for those in the nation's capitol still bitter at Sen. John Cornyn's, R-Texas, vote against D.C. voting rights, Texas's exit would permit the District -- should it ever receive statehood -- a spot on the flag. Unlikely, but nonetheless important to the same cadre of cynical voters who first brought you Hippos for Hypocrites.
Indeed, many of these "benefits" are moot; the Lone Star state's exit would severely dent U.S. exports, among other areas of the economy, and test President Obama's foreign policy credentials. Then again, perhaps Obama too stands to gain from Texas' secession -- in some perverted sense, it would finally offer the ersatz Lincoln-ite the chance to walk in his idol's footsteps in more than just name.
The blogosphere is still rumbling this week after a suggestion by Texas Governor Rick Perry that the (now
literally) Lone Star state secede from the embattled union. It does not help, of course, that a poll released on Thursday by Research2000 merely confirms the unfortunate truth that Perry's comments may have resonated among some Texans: In the survey, nearly 35 percent of respondents, mostly Republicans, indicated they felt Texas would be better off as an "independent nation."It would be naive to take these findings seriously; gauging public opinion on any topic is difficult and daunting, especially when the questions themselves are indulgent and practically invite silliness. It is likely that many of the survey's respondents answered only out of jest, submitting to Perry's gaffe without the slightest contemplation of what secession would actually mean for their state, personal or geographic.
But that hasn't stopped a plethora of pundits from jokingly hypothesizing on their behalf. Earlier this week, Daily Kos noted a few drawbacks to Texan secession: the loss of its coveted military bases, exorbitant NASA funding and most of its dirty industry. Preceding that prediction was Nate Silver, who reminded politicos at FiveThirtyEight that an America without Texas would have catapulted the Democrats to a filibuster-proof supermajority in Congress -- even without Al Franken's help -- and ensured that not another Bush family member could have won the White House in 2004.
Indeed, we can attribute to Texas' departure a number of interesting benefits (that only those wary voters who stuck out the economy's apoplexy could reap). For example...
(CLICK TO READ MORE...)
In the realm of higher education, an America without Texas would save the federal government more than $1 billion in Pell Grants (.xls), the program provided annually to college students who demonstrate significant financial need. In the 2006-2007 academic year, the Department of Education awarded Texas enough Pell Grant assistance to cover more than 440,000 college students -- money that would obviously disappear if the state left the union. To give this figure more perspective, recall that the most recent federal stimulus included a provision to increase Pell Grant funding by more than $13 billion dollars, almost $300 per student. When you subtract Texas from that equation and add the money saved by its absence, the United States could opt to cover more students or increase eligible students' current awards (even if only by a tiny amount).
A more substantial benefit from Texas' exit, however, is environmental in nature. According to The New York Times' assessment of state environmental quality, Texas emitted 224.76 million metric tons of CO2 last year -- ranking it first in total pollution. Presumably, this is because Texas also boasts the second largest population in the United States, weighing in at well over 22 million residents. Unfortunately, population totals matter little when state or federal agencies must offset carbon output. It currently costs the country anywhere between $1-30 per metric ton to address troublesome emissions, which would translate in Texas' case to anywhere between $224.76 million and $6.7 billion in CO2 offset fees. Of course, the Lone Star state's withdrawal would not exactly address the root environmental problem here; Texas would still emit pollutants at an alarming rate. However, secession would absolve the United States of its responsibility to pay for or fix it -- good news to the few voters who still weep openly about deficit spending.
And, finally, for those in the nation's capitol still bitter at Sen. John Cornyn's, R-Texas, vote against D.C. voting rights, Texas's exit would permit the District -- should it ever receive statehood -- a spot on the flag. Unlikely, but nonetheless important to the same cadre of cynical voters who first brought you Hippos for Hypocrites.
Indeed, many of these "benefits" are moot; the Lone Star state's exit would severely dent U.S. exports, among other areas of the economy, and test President Obama's foreign policy credentials. Then again, perhaps Obama too stands to gain from Texas' secession -- in some perverted sense, it would finally offer the ersatz Lincoln-ite the chance to walk in his idol's footsteps in more than just name.
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Previous 20 Comments
Nardac
6:34PM 6:34PM Apr 28th 2009
Can't see what the problem would be if Texas went away. It would attract all the right wing nut jobs and we'd finally be rid of that curse. In the end, they would be swallowed up by Mexico anyway.
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Nardac
6:39PM 6:39PM Apr 28th 2009
T. Williams
6:01PM 6:01PM Apr 28th 2009
If Texas did seceede I would love to see my state, Georgia, and the rest of the South follow.========= Please do. Those are the states that benefit the most from federal money and the ones that constantly whine about big government. They are also the ones with the highest number of teenage pregnancies but they always want to tell the rest of us how to run our lifes according to the Bible. Good riddance.
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David Scott
7:21PM 7:21PM Apr 28th 2009
Strangely enough, all Arizonans I have spoken to say that they would move to Texas should it secede from the Union - and me along with them!
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Gregory Grahn
10:48PM 10:48PM Apr 28th 2009
It would be the end of the Dallas Cowboys....they could no longer be apart of the National Football League.
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Hod
10:55PM 10:55PM Apr 28th 2009
Give Texas to Mexico.... Most of them down there are as dumb as Mexicans anyway.
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bobo
5:31AM 5:31AM Apr 29th 2009
As big as Texas is, it could not hold the amount of people that would move there, if succeeded from the U.S......Bush and all
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Linn
7:18AM 7:18AM Apr 29th 2009
If Texas secedes I will move there immediately
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angie
9:26AM 9:26AM Apr 29th 2009
Texas, and perry are holding thier own, while the rest of this country is in economical collapes ,Texas is not. can't be that stupid, and if ya'll hate TEXAS so much,why do ya all keep moving here to avoid the mess in your own states,,,
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angie
8:54AM 8:54AM Apr 29th 2009
thank you john trent, i am happy that you enjoyed our fine state and yes we do pride ourselfes on good old fashion hospitality,
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angie
9:27AM 9:27AM Apr 29th 2009
I am proud to call myself a texan, I am at this moment not so proud to call myself an american, some of the comments in this blog are disgusting and filled with jealous hate, if you don't like texas,and live here than just leave, if you have something ugly to say about texas, than at the least get the facts first,
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angie
9:26AM 9:26AM Apr 29th 2009
texas recieves grants yes, but how soon the nation forgets, texas opened its state for katrina victimes to the tune of 70 thousand, we put them in every hotel we had we suppoted them and now they make thier homes here,they have jobs,they live in our neighbor hoods, and fema still pays them monthly, what did other states do, not much, texas has aleays extended its helping hand out side its boarders, but when texas was hit with ike, ?, the blogs were filed with the same garbage as this blog, the one thing we here in texas have learned in the last year is, we can indeed do it ourselfes, those with the loudest insults are really the most ignorant, and the real shame is texans will aleways extend a helping hand,no matter what, thats called humanity!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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momofdjt
9:57AM 9:57AM Apr 29th 2009
Hey Angie, Take the hate with a grain of salt. Jealousy is a bitter pill for some to swallow. They choke and sputter vulgarities when they have no practical words of wisdom to share. We Texans love our state. We love our freedoms. We love our heritage. And we WORK with pride.
We open our doors and our checkbooks on regular occasions to help those who are less fortunate than ourselves. Petty disagreements are swept under the rug when the call comes for us to unite. We rise up and help our neighbors without blinking.
Those who foolishly say that Mexico can have us back, do not realize that we are not available to give. Texans fought hard for their freedom from Mexico and we will fight hard to remain a free people.
If it takes the words of Governor Perry, to shake Washington, then I am happy they were spoken. Even if it makes us appear mentally deluded to some on the far left.
The Federal Government needs to keep its scrawny hands away from our law books.
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MUFFIN
11:15AM 11:15AM Apr 30th 2009
Perhaps Perry missed his Texas History class. How can Texas SECEDE from the Union when she is still a
REPUBLIC? if she was never there how can she leave ?
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Clay Laird
12:17PM 12:17PM May 29th 2009
I see all all these comments about whether or not Texas can secede from the USSA. Those comments are not worth a cup of warm spit. Sorry, but Texans will make that decision.
The ONLY question that must be answered is: If some of us are willing to die to leave the USSA, are some of you and/or your children willing to die to keep us? Everyone reading this blog knows the answer to that question.
If you want your children to live in a free Capitalist county, then come/stay and join us. Those of you that want someone to take care of you, please leave before we drive you out. You only have a few years to make a decision. After that the fence on the South, West, North, East will be built to keep all socialist out.
You can be living with us in a country that NOW has the 15th largest GDP on the planet. Think of what it can be in 10-20 years.
Also:
Every real Texan knows they are required to have weapons and ammunition.
Plenty of oil for our own use. Who do you think refines all that oil into gasoline? We will let others have it for an additional $1.00 per gallon
export tax.
No toy cars built by the USSA government.
No cap and trade.
No 10-20% VAT tax that is coming to the USSA.
No criminals released to prey on us.
Great ports.
Who do think runs most of the Military bases we have?. The boys we have fighting overseas will be coming home. Want to do battle with them?
And several dozen other advantages . . .
And a few disadvantages we can handle. . .
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Previous 20 Comments