I Don't Approve My Tax Dollars to do That: Fight another Civil War.

There are times I honestly believe our nation is led by groups of toddlers. States calling for secession following Obama's reelection is one of those times.

We went over this in 1860. A state cannot secede from the Union. Just because you disagree does not give you the right declare yourself as your own country.

The states in dark blue seceded when Lincoln was elected. They did not listen when he vowed not to dissolve or prohibit slavery. They simply assumed the Republican elect would and thus left the Union. At least this time the states have witnessed Obama in office for four years.  In a way, it's a little surprising to me how so much of the Civil War was fought on and devastated Southern land and yet Southerners persistently call for secession. This time they are joined by several northern even die-hard blue states but it makes one wonder, have you already forgotten how bad the Civil War was? 

Photo credit: http://www.ushistory.org/us/32e.asp

Petitions have been filed to the “We the People” website on behalf of twenty states: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina (shocker), Tennessee, and Texas (no surprise there).

Don't get married if you threaten divorce every time things get rough or you fight. Same thing with being part of a nation. 

Photo credit: http://www.reasonstosecede.com/whatissecession.shtml

He won the popular vote AND the Electoral College. Get over it.

Citing the Declaration of Independence, secessionists believe that it is their right to abolish and institute new government if they feel the government has failed to uphold its responsibilities (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57548572/states-petition-to-secede-from-union). My inner history major would like to point out that while the Declaration is an extremely important document, we govern ourselves according to the Constitution. Therefore the Constitution has the final say on secession. And as we determined 150 years ago, secession from the Union is unconstitutional. Done. End of story.

The We the People site allows people to communicate with the White House and submit petitions for things that they would like to change or see changed. Petitions that receive 25,000 signatures within a 30-day deadline will be reviewed. Texas' plea for secession currently has 22,000. They have until December 9th. 

Photo Credit: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1112/83776.html

I am sick and tired of hearing dissatisfied people automatically crying secession instead of trying to fix the problem. If you are really that unhappy with the direction of the government, run for office. Volunteer for a campaign. Get involved on various committees. Actively work to change things instead of throwing in the towel and declaring you’re better off on your own. Much of our nation’s greatness stems from our disagreements. It is remarkable that so many people have different political philosophies yet can get together and govern a nation. We sacrificed so much to be a nation – why throw that all away?

In my history class last semester, we discussed why Washington differed from the other Virginia elite. He sought a larger government with more authority and a federal military while many of his fellow Virginias favored a much smaller government and fewer taxes. My professor, Joseph Ellis, pointed out that Washington saw first hand why a big government was necessary. His officers and many of the men who fought were Northerners. They needed soldiers and supplies but the government did not have the power to authorize and distribute them effectively. It’s time the Southerners remembered the sacrifices the North made to make this nation a reality. If we can be scrappy Yankees taking on the leading military power in 1776, we’re not going to give up that easily in 2012 either. 

I don’t approve my tax dollars to do that: fight another civil war.