Much talk is going on about states seceding from the Union. Let’s examine that idea shall we?
First, the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia once wrote, “If there was any constitutional issue resolved by the Civil War, it is that there is no right to secede.”
Actually, there is.
Perhaps what Scalia meant was that there is no unilateral right to secede. One state can’t just say, “The heck with you, U.S.A. We’re out of here.”
What a state (or states) can do, however, is begin the process of seeking a mutually agreed upon parting of the ways, and that process clearly exists, set forth by the U.S. Supreme Court in its 1868 ruling in Texas v. White. That ruling concluded that a state (or states) could secede by gaining approval of both Houses of Congress and then obtaining ratification by three fourths of the nation’s Legislatures. In other words, it’s a tough task.
Second, if the state decides to secede, then the state should buy their land back from the U.S. government, much like we bought Alaska from Russia. Current land prices for U.S. land are (approx.) $1,500 per acre, with one square mile containing 640 acres. Florida has 66,000 square miles and Texas has 270,000 square miles; multiplied 640 times the current price of $1,500, Florida’s tab would be about $63 billion and Texas tab $260 billion. Now negotiations would have to be considered on all federally owned parks, seashores, military, NASA and naval bases and other federally owned lands. Also remember that according to Federal Acquisition Regulations, no foreign countries would be able to sell to the U.S. military for national defense projects.
Third, all federal payments would stop immediately including: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, federal welfare of any sort, farm and oil subsidies would be halted, as well as education, federal disaster aid , and interstate funds. Interstate commerce would have to be reviewed and evaluated giving priority to Union States – you know, buy domestic first.
Now before you resort to the oh so very tired insults, remember “Insults are the arguments employed by those who are in the wrong.” (Jean-Jacques Rousseau)
Iris Nielsen, North Logan
