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The United States is ungovernable. Half the population wants a country in which rich white men hold all the power, women stay home to raise babies and bake cookies, and everyone else is ignored or deported. The so-called Red States are so emboldened that they accuse anyone who disagrees with them of racketeering when they suggest that humans should reduce their use of fossil fuels in order to decrease greenhouse gas emissions.
The current administration is so besotted by its quest for power that it is sending some Americans dressed in full battle armor with masks over their faces to arrest ot…
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The United States is ungovernable. Half the population wants a country in which rich white men hold all the power, women stay home to raise babies and bake cookies, and everyone else is ignored or deported. The so-called Red States are so emboldened that they accuse anyone who disagrees with them of racketeering when they suggest that humans should reduce their use of fossil fuels in order to decrease greenhouse gas emissions.
The current administration is so besotted by its quest for power that it is sending some Americans dressed in full battle armor with masks over their faces to arrest other Americans and throw them into detention centers with not enough beds or toilets and keep them there incommunicado for days, weeks, or even months. Clearly this is not what the Founding Fathers had in mind when they drafted the Constitution, and would be appalled by what they see if they were alive today.
So let’s start with the premise that the American Experiment has failed, that We The People have in fact been unable to keep the republic we were given by Benjamin Franklin and his compatriots when they wrapped up their deliberation in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787. Let’s put aside all the talk of healing America’s wounds and admit the country is broken. Fine, now that that’s out of the way, where do we go from here?
Popular Sovereignty
I have a few modest suggestions, starting with a short discussion of the transition from monarchs to what has come to be called “popular sovereignty.” In the briefest terms, popular sovereignty is based on the idea that a nation can govern only with the consent of the governed. This was a radical idea in Europe, where entire nations were deemed to be the property of monarchs.
The reason a hungry peasant could be imprisoned for eating an apple plucked from a tree was because all the trees — and their fruit on them — belonged to the ruling monarch. Therefore, eating that apple was stealing from the monarch and needed to be severely punished. That notion was the basis of the infamous Potato Famine that led to the suppression of the people of Ireland by the British.
All potatoes belonged to the King and his minions dutifully harvested all the good potatoes, leaving the rotted, shriveled ones in the ground for the peasants to eat. Those who stole the King’s potatoes were hanged or banished to a penal colony in Australia. For more on this topic, I recommend reading The Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes. It is a history of the founding of Australia, which is fascinating, but the first third of the book describes the horrors the British crown visited on its own citizens in defense of its claim to own everything and everyone in the British Isles.
The United States was founded on the idea of “popular sovereignty.” It is right there in the beginning of the very first sentence of the Constitution — We the people of the United States…..” The people are the owners of the new country, not a monarch, and the government exists only with the consent of the governed. So, does that mean the people — or some of them — can withdraw their consent? Arguably, the answer is yes.
May Consent Be Withdrawn?
Let’s run with that idea for a while. If the people of certain states decided to withdraw their consent to be governed by the central government, they should be free to do so, shouldn’t they? Otherwise, the notion of “popular sovereignty” is just a fiction, is it not? Can consent, once given, ever be withdrawn? Should the consent conferred by our ancestors bind US all forever and ever?
These are not easy questions to answer. Clearly Rhode Island should not be able to withdraw from the Union on Monday and jump back in on Friday. These are momentous decisions that have consequences that will ripple though history for centuries and are not to be made lightly.
For the sake of discussion, let’s assume all the states were given a do-over. Stay or go? Which do you choose? We can assume Texas would choose to be its own country — it pretty much is already anyway. We can imagine that most of the South would agglomerate into a reprise of the confederacy. An argument can be made that perhaps the southern states should have been allowed to secede when they wanted to, instead of wasting all that treasure and human life on the Civil War.
The question is, how far north would the new confederacy go? South Carolina would surely associate with the new confederacy but would North Carolina or Virginia? Out west, California, Oregon, and Washington would form their own nation. As long as we are speculating, would British Columbia affiliate with the new west coast nation? Alberta would be thrilled to align itself with Montana, Wyoming, and the Dakotas. Northern Idaho would want in on that deal, while the southern part of the state might prefer to affiliate with Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and maybe New Mexico.
Oklahoma, Missouri, and Kansas could affiliate with Tennessee and Kentucky into their own nation. The New England states would affiliate with New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland. Having lived for a time in Nova Scotia, I heard a lot of people there express a desire to be part of New England as they feel largely ignored by their central government. New Hampshire would be free to affiliate with Florida as the citizens of both states have similar values. Pennsylvania would probably cast its lot with the Tennessee and Kentucky, while Ohio, Indiana, and Iowa likely would do so as well.
Aloha, Hawai’i. Hello, Puerto Rico
Hawai’i, which has chafed at being part of the US for generations, would be free to strike out on its own or join the west coast group as it sees fit. Alaska? Who knows? Could it exist on its own? It would struggle without federal subsidies. Puerto Rico would be welcome to join the northern states, unless it decides to go back to being a Spanish possession.
Is there anyone I haven’t offended yet? Oh yes, the upper Midwest. Could Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin get along enough to function as their own country? And what about Washington, DC? What happens to it? With no United States left, there would be no need for a nation’s capitol. Tear down all the government buildings and give the land back to the states who donated it. It seems the only fair thing to do.
Cry Havoc!
All these realignments would play havoc to many institutions, from the military to the courts. It would also disrupt a lot of trade and diplomatic relations, which would create consternation and confusion among other nations. But what is the upside?
First, the Supreme Court would be no more. The South would be free to appoint a group of Orval Faubus admirers if it wanted to. Everyone there would be free to walk around strapped and blow away anyone who disagrees with them. There would be no school lunch programs, healthcare, or unemployment benefits. Everyone would be required to attend a government-approved church every Sunday for three hours. Sweet Home Alabama would be the official anthem of the New South. Sounds like paradise, doesn’t it?
Progressive states would be unshackled from the Electoral College, which means taker states would have to stand on their own two feet for a change and stop sucking on the government tit. Those progressive states could keep their own money and spend it for the common good as they see fit instead of shoveling it to states where the average level of education is the same as it is for third graders in Finland.
They would also be able to write modern constitutions that enshrine the ideals they hold dear for themselves and future generations. Renewable energy would grow exponentially so that an era of free electricity arrives for the benefit of all residents. Nothing says freedom like controlling your own energy supply and not paying for expensive boondoggles like nuclear power plants that always costs more and take longer to construct than expected.
Stable Government
Perhaps the biggest advantage of a political realignment would be an end to the “push me/pull me” form of policymaking that has been the hallmark of governance in the US for the past 50+ years. China is eating everyone’s lunch because it has stable policies designed to reach long term goals successfully. The US keeps taking one step forward and two steps back with every election cycle.
That may be the primary reason why the country is floundering. Its people have a shorter life expectancy than the citizens of many other countries. Its education system is producing more poorly educated young people every year and upward mobility is just a distant dream.
If the people have the power to choose their own form of government — which is the bedrock foundation for the America — then let them choose to adjust their sovereignty to adapt to a changing world. The system we have now was perfect for 1787 but it is hopelessly outdated for the world today.
Let those who choose a progressive lifestyle design a government that fits their vision, and let those who do not associate freely with those who prefer the good old days. Then check back every 50 years or so and decide who the winners and losers are and make adjustments accordingly. Should freedom involve the ability to choose your form of government? If so, let’s get started.
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