Take one star off of the blue field on the American flag and it could represent a possible change in the country. Many conservative Republicans believe the state of Texas would be better suited as the Republic of Texas, like it once stood for only 10 years before officially joining the United States in 1845. Shortly after President Obama maintained his presidency for a second term, Texas issued a petition, which amassed more than 100,000 signatures, demanding secession from the United States of America.
“I think Republicans want to secede because they weren’t happy with the results of the last election,” junior Rachel Simon said. “They see that a lot of the country is becoming Democratic and Republicans are very conservative.”
Dave Mundy, a blogger on Examiner.com, persuades his readers to believe that the “Lone Star” can survive economically due to the states leading resources in natural gas, energy independence and a large workforce.
“I don’t think that Texas should secede because at some point they’re going to need the rest of America’s resources,” senior Mutinta Mutuma said. “This secession makes no sense and it’s ignorant.”
Nearly half of the country has also petitioned to peacefully withdraw from the nation. The two states with the most interest in this action are Louisiana and Texas followed by Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi. According to ABC-News, Texas is leading with nearly 82,000 signatures and Louisiana is close behind with approximately 16,000 signatures. A pattern can be drawn that the majority of these states have strong Republican beliefs and were Romney supporters during the recent election.
“Since I’m a Republican, I do believe a Republican president should run the country, instead of a Democrat,” senior Julie Schwartz said. “Most of us are tired of President Obama, but I’d rather Texas stay a part of the United States and just be run by a Republican.”
The uproar of these petitions leaves some bewildered as to whether this process of succession is a legal right. However, it does state in the Texas Constitution, Article 1, Section 1 “Texas is a free and independent State, subject only to the Constitution of the United States.” Republicans note that the document does not state that they are subject to the country or obligated to stay connected to it, but must simply follow the structure of the Constitution. Democrats feel that if a state is subjected to its Constitution then that means a loyalty to the country itself.
“Texas would have better benefits just staying with the United States rather than trying to be their own country,” senior Andrea Javier said.
Consequently, if Texas does one day transition into its own nation, the military’s responsibilities will be multiplied with newfound border disputes and premature experience with running a country.
“A small army isn’t going to want to go up against the rest of America, if it comes down to it,” senior Rudy Gomez said.
The fate of Texas is ultimately within the hands of Texans themselves. The citizens of the state play a key role in the economic, political and social status.
Within the state, two more petitions have been set up as well. El Paso wants to secede along with the state capital, Austin. Both are petitioning to become their own state, and so far in Austin there are approximately 5,000 of the required 25,000 signatures needed for Obama’s administration to review the petition. They would still remain a part of the Union, but want independence from Texas. Which questions what would be the capital of Texas as a state or country?
