Sunday, March 24, 2013

If Texas Secedes From The Union Will I Be An Illegal Alien?

The graphic on the left comes from Sunday's Fort Worth Star-Telegram, showing Texas slip sliding away from the Union.

The article accompanying the graphic, titled "What if Texas really did secede?" has me worried.

If Texas secedes from the Union will transplanted Yankees, like me, be deported due to being illegal aliens?

A sampling of what is in this news story that has me worried...

Some 177 years after a violent divorce from Mexico, some unhappy Texans are again touting separation from the motherland, this time after a presidential election didn't favor one of the reddest states in the country.

Perhaps it's no surprise. Texas is the only state that has twice tried breakaways, experiencing the spoils of victory in 1836 but the torment of defeat in 1865.

What if Texas really did secede?

Pros and cons
Plentiful resources could be the difference
Texas is uniquely positioned to survive because of resources and population. It has one-fourth of U.S. oil reserves and one-third of the natural gas. The state's gross domestic product was $1.2 billion* in 2011, which would make it the world's 14th-biggest economy.

The challenges would be immense

The uncertainties are overwhelming: How would Texas manage healthcare and Social Security? How would it retire its share of the national debt? How would it repay federal loan guarantees for infrastructure and transportation projects?

*$1.2 billion? I suspect the correct figure is $1.2 trillion.

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