of Independence

Declaration of Independence

Overview of Excerpt from Declaration

The excerpt chosen for this paper is one of the most powerful passages in the Declaration of Independence. It packs a punch equal to "We hold these truths to be self-evident…" because it actually states what the Colonies intended to do, and why they fully intended to do it. "…Whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these [life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness] ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their Safety and Happiness…" (Baylor / Declaration of Independence). Thomas Jefferson could have been very succinct and just gone with this passage in his text, and it would have conveyed the sympathies of the signers; that said, it was prudent of the signers to lay all of their grievances out in specifics, which they did with class and sincerity.

Texas and other states wish to secede now that Obama has been reelected

Meanwhile, 236 years later, is the safety and happiness of Texans in jeopardy? Has the interaction between the federal government and the Lone Star State been destructive of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for Texans? Is the federal government so oppressive that the citizens of Texas are choosing to "institute" a new government? Is President Obama seen as an autocratic despot similar to King of Great Britain in the 18th century? Are leaders of the current petition drive so obsessed with abandoning their place in the Union of 50 states that they ignore the many advantages of being in the U.S. Are the leaders of this drive racist and they simply can't bear another four years of seeing an African-American President of the United States? Is this a matter of hard cord conservatives playing the sour grapes game? The petition reads:

"Given that the state of Texas maintains a balanced budget and is the 15th largest economy in the world, it is practically feasible for Texas to withdraw from the union, and to do so would protect it's [sic] citizens' standard of living and re-secure their rights and liberties in accordance with the original ideas and beliefs of our founding fathers, which are no longer being reflected by the federal government" (HuffPost, 2012).

As of November 27, 2012, there were at least forty states (and probably more) in the U.S. that had sent petitions to Washington, D.C., signed by hundreds of thousands of citizens, demanding that those states secede from the Union. The state with the most signatures (this is based on November 26; numbers will no doubt go higher) is Texas, with over 117,000 signatures. Texas citizens wanting to go their own way and make Texas a country is not news and does not surprise alert observers of government.

Texas governor, Rick Perry, who (during a Republican Presidential Primary debate) couldn't remember which federal agencies he would abolish if he became president, is not currently backing the move by Texas petitioners to leave the Union, albeit three years ago he supported the idea. First, looking closely at the petition, it is a false statement to assert that Texas has a balanced budget: it is not balanced when it is running a $4.1 billion shortfall. And it is not thinking about the future of its young citizens when it cuts $4 billion from public school budgets to try and be closer to being balanced (sunshinereview.org).

Moreover, it is patently absurd for Texas to discuss going its own way when it receives huge amounts of cash from Washington, D.C. For example, while Perry blasted the federal government and President Obama loudly and often during the Republican primary debates, his state relies on federal money. After the Affordable Health Care (AHC) bill was passed (with no Republican votes in the House of Representatives), the Lone State was happy to receive $380 in grants to businesses and agencies to help set up the AHC in Texas. Moreover, Perry denounced the federal stimulus bill (which received no Republican votes) over and over, but wait, Texas ended up with "$17 billion from the stimulus" (Nocera, 2011).

And Texas is waiting for a waiver that will allow them to tap into federal money for the Medicaid expenses it will have to cover -- between $45 billion and $55 billion in federal funds. "The only word that can describe this is hypocrisy," said Texas Democratic state representative Garnet Coleman (Nocera). These days federal dollars might as well be counterfeit, they are so dirty -- but Texas would not survive without them" (Nocera).

As to the belief among secession advocates in Texas that the reelection of Obama was the tipping point in the need to break away, Daniel Miller (president of the Texas Nationalist Movement) said that the "underpinning to all of this [is] the ability to provide Texas solutions to Texas problems" (Mosbergen, 2012). Another leader in the secession movement, Peter Morrison, the treasurer of the Hardin County Republican Party and a Tea Party activist, put it this way: "Why should Vermont and Texas live under the same government…Let each go her own way" (Mosbergen). In his Tea Party newsletter Morrison expressed distaste for "the maggots" who voted for Obama; Morrison accused "non-white voters of voting for the president on an 'ethnic basis'" (Mosbergen).