Secession In America: A New Path To Liberty
Since Trump’s victory on November 8th, there have been protests erupting all over the United States, and along with it, calls for secession in a very unexpected place. It started with many Californians tweeting their distaste for the election results, and turned into a cry for independence with #Calexit trending. Even some major Silicon Valley tycoons, like Shervin Pishevar, are saying they would fund a “legitimate campaign for California to become it’s own nation.”
This would be a great moment for liberty, and libertarians should be very excited about it. Because if California goes, then so could Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Hawaii, which would drastically impact the political climate in America, and give a much needed boost to the liberty movement.
That may seem counter intuitive for those who love liberty. California is a very socialist state and in many ways is antithetical to liberty, but hear me out. I’ve narrowed down the top three reasons Constitutional Conservatives and Libertarians should support California in their efforts to secede from the union, in no particular order.
#1: It’s A Real Decentralization Of Power
Secession would, if even one state, cause a major reduction in the size of the federal government. All of the money, resources and power that California contributes would no longer be at the disposal of bureaucrats in D.C. Which means less war, less spying and less theft (in the form of taxation). No longer would people in California be able to tell people in Wyoming or Montana how to live their lives, and vice-versa. Of course, this wouldn’t end the fight for liberty. But it will be a huge step in the right direction.
#2: Other States Could Also Secede
If even one state seceded then this would set a precedent for many others to do the same. Texas has talked a big game about independence for a long time, and they are one of the best positioned states to do so. A secessionist movement could inspire them to actually go through with it. The mid-western states, the Bible Belt, New England, and libertarian leaning states like New Hampshire could all break away and form their own countries, which would create much needed competition amongst those governing bodies. If you don’t like the laws in “The Republic of California” then you could just move to “The Republic of Texas.” And if you don’t like “The Social Democracy of Vermont” then you could just move to “The Free State of New Hampshire.” There are multiple different ways it could play out, but no matter how it does, I believe there would be a major increase in liberty across the board. After 20+ years, we could see America broken up into 5, 10 or even 20 independent, and competing nations.
#3: This Could Increase Peace Amongst Differing Cultures
America for a long time has been called a “melting pot” where people of different backgrounds, races and beliefs could live together in search of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But what if these different sub-cultures became too hostile towards one another? What if these sub-cultures sought to control one another?
Then what?
This is precisely the predicament the United States finds itself in, and the best course of action to take is to separate. Which is what the founders actually wanted. We could then begin mending broken relationships through trade, travel, and diplomacy – because there would no longer be fear of “the other side” taking control. Each society would be free to chart the course of their own lives.
In Conclusion:
Over the course of this election cycle, I’ve learned many things, one of them being – FEDERAL LEVEL POLITICS IS A JOKE. We will not achieve liberty by changing the federal government from within. There are far too many problems and the corruption is deeply rooted. But that doesn’t mean that hope is lost. In addition to impacting the culture, we can make change through the electoral process at the state and local level through secession and nullification, which are currently the only viable options to actually increase liberty. The liberty movement needs to become a secessionist movement.