Constitutional Question: Can states secede? Ron Paul's view?

[rodent]

..

 

[Delaware]

Didn't one of the founders say when a Government has become too oppressive it is the right of people to break from the chains of oppression and form a new Government?

I would say it is, as the constitution is written by the people, so it should be our opinion that dictates what happens and what is allowed.

 

[freedominnumbers]

I think that ought to be an ultimate goal of the free state project if Ron Paul can't fix this country.

 

[bbachtung]

The Jefferson-authored Kentucky Resolutions shed some light on what the Founders thought of states having rights vis-a-vis the federal government (the Kentucky Resolutions were passed by the Kentucky Legislature to express that Kentucky was "nullifying" the Patriot Act of the day -- the Alien and Sedition Acts -- as deemed unconstitutional by Kentucky): http://www.constitution.org/cons/kent1798.htm

For more on the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, check out the Wikipedia article here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentucky_and_Virginia_Resolutions

 

[cujothekitten]

Vermont secession is gaining ground

http://www.boston.com/news/local/ve...nt_nascent_secession_movement_gains_traction/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/30/AR2007033002076.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,278564,00.html

 

[skiingff]

Vermont secession is gaining ground

http://www.boston.com/news/local/ve...nt_nascent_secession_movement_gains_traction/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/30/AR2007033002076.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,278564,00.html

Yep. I read one figure that said 13% of Vermonters support seceding from the Union. Don't forget, Vermont was an Independent Republic not too long ago.

Many Vermonters want to return it that way.

 

[katao]

If not, we had no right to break from Great Britain and form our nation.

The Declaration of Independence says we had the right to severe our political ties by the authority of natural law. The same would apply to the states.

 

[katao]

I think that ought to be an ultimate goal of the free state project if Ron Paul can't fix this country.

Amen, bro.

 

[Elwar]

A few states tried to do that once. The federal government did not allow it.

 

[erowe1]

I would say that the Constitution as it stands does prohibit secession via the 14th amendment. But if that is accurate (and I'm the furthest thing from a constitutional scholar), then it contradicts both ethical principles of liberty and states rights, and the original intent of the Constitution when it was signed by the 13 colonies, all of which reserved the right to secession in their signing of it. Certainly secession is a right that should be preserved, and a new amendment acknowledging that explicitly if necessary could be a good thing.

 

[noxagol]

The 10th amendment states that anything not specifically reserved for the federal government and not specifically denied to the states the states may do. So since seceding is not forbidden, the states may secede.

 

[bygone]

 

[Matt Collins]

Secession is politically unpopular because of the civil war

We never had a civil war. We had a "War Against/For Southern Independence". The distinction might seem small, but it IS significant.

 

[MGreen]

They can secede if they want.

Doesn't mean the federal government would let them. It didn't 150 years ago.

EDIT: And all this talk of secession and civil war gets me nervous. For the last year, I've been working on a screenplay about an American civil war taking place 10/15 years from now. I don't want the idea to be hijacked by reality.

 

[bygone]

 

[JosephTheLibertarian]

I'd like to see a libertarian world government... that would be cool.

 

[constituent]

They can secede if they want.

Doesn't mean the federal government would let them. It didn't 150 years ago.

EDIT: And all this talk of secession and civil war gets me nervous. For the last year, I've been working on a screenplay about an American civil war taking place 10/15 years from now. I don't want the idea to be hijacked by reality.

we're headed there, several angles... i think ultimately it will be a war that transcends political lines and the u.s. of a. will be relic and completely irrelevant.

 

[freedominnumbers]

If I were governor my first order of business would be to issue an emergency directive that citizens (and corps) of my state are no longer subject to federal taxation and we will no longer accept federal funds.

I'd issue an emergency order mandating the state police force to protect citizens from harassment from federal agents.

We'd instantly be better off. Currently for every dollar we send the feds we get 66 cents back.

Next I'd encourage the legislature to replace our income tax and sales tax with a fair tax or flat tax.

Either the feds will roll over (not likely) or they'd have to declare war on our little state, likely inspiring many more states to adopt similar actions.

 

[JosephTheLibertarian]

If I were governor my first order of business would be to issue an emergency directive that citizens (and corps) of my state are no longer subject to federal taxation and we will no longer accept federal funds.

I'd issue an emergency order mandating the state police force to protect citizens from harassment from federal agents.

We'd instantly be better off. Currently for every dollar we send the feds we get 66 cents back.

Next I'd encourage the legislature to replace our income tax and sales tax with a fair tax or flat tax.

Either the feds will roll over (not likely) or they'd have to declare war on our little state, likely inspiring many more states to adopt similar actions.

The US military would invade your state

 

[Duckman]

While I believe that states have a RIGHT to seceede, I don't think we should be actively encouraging secession yet. I think this country works very well together and most parts of it really feel, well, indivisible. (with perhaps Alaska, Vermont, and a few diehard rebels excepted!)