Soft secession rolls back the scope of federal authority while envisioning a more constitutional nation, one in which states have more authority rather than being cogs in a federal machine. Not a national divorce, but an open marriage, soft secession makes the more onerous parts of federal rule more expensive and difficult. And conservative and leftist states will have the ability to pick and choose which parts of the federal government they want to cooperate with.
And which parts they don’t.
Soft secession can be a healthy alternative to a national conflict. By democratizing federalism, they create channels for dissent and limit the power of the administrative state. They also show how states can reclaim the authority they have given up to make local power more meaningful.
Federalization has accelerated America’s crackup. Elections have become national zero sum games. The more everything local has been nationalized, the more explosive politics has become. Soft secession may be the one thing that can save America from coming apart
I’ve said for years the more power is centralized, the more it becomes a nasty all out fight for control over the federal government. You have to do that even if you don’t want to out of self defense. If you don’t, the other side will and then they will impose on you.
More states’ rights/a more decentralized system like the one the Founding Fathers created allows more flexibility within the framework. Alabama can still be Alabama and Vermont can still be Vermont and they can both still easily fit in one country. That is not true if everybody is forced into one federal straitjacket.
Good article. I foresee the Balkanization of the country with semiautonomous regions developing. As you, I don’t believe we will see a classic civil war. The country is too intertwined for that to happen. We will see more federalism for sure though with people voting with their feet.
I fully agree. Unelected fed agency heads overstepping and legislating for states and localities and thereby preempting states’ authority and the 10th amendment need to be stopped. Red states should cut this off with state legislation that should the governor determine that a Fed agency head has overstepped they will not abide by the regulation unless the Federal Congress passes a bill affirming it. Enough of them rebel and do it and the federal government will eventually cede.
anything they can do, we can do better.
Federalism at its finest. The news the other day where a California legislator told the parents of California to flee the state to save their children was an eye-opener for me. As I said in response to that post, the Country is on the road to fracturing. People will leave the hell-hole states for the ones that respect freedom of choice. Federalism is a powerful weapon against a tyrannical central government if the states will just stand up. And the local sheriffs are key figures in controlling the central government’s unwillingness to give up their out-of-control heavy-handed enforcement of the state citizenry. What is needed are bold, strong-willed conservative governors like DeSantis who will provide refuge for the fleeing refugees.
Let the Left secede.
The Biden (in)Justice Department not only allows it, it encourages it.
States that have abrogated federal law must be purged from the Union. California has denounced the laws in the land on a wholsale bsis.
California must be pruged from the Union.
Those counties in California that repent from the purge and are genuinely desirous of being American can petition for reentry as part of anexisting state or as an entirely new State
What California needs is a Nuevo Zorro who will cut off the heads of the offending leaders and toss them into the gutter.
It appears to me the Deep State is making it’s final move grabbing total control. I can’t believe they are going to allow the 2024 election to happen unless they have everything in place to assure they win.