Secession, Family Law, and Political Science - Basketball Forum : Professional and College Basketball Forums

**Krstic All-Star** · 11-23-2012, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Secession, Family Law, and Political Science
Eugene Kontorovich • November 23, 2012 11:53 am

Discussions of secession in the U.S. are weighed down with the baggage of the Civil War. This legacy may not just burden American’s view of secession as a domestic issue, but also the general concept. The U.S. has opposed secessionist tendencies abroad, even when they were obviously salutary, such as the break-up of the USSR and Yugoslavia, and continues to oppose the break-up of Iraq and other unhappy unions.

Important recent work in political science has helped us better understand the economics of state size. At the same time, secessionist movements have gained broad followings in major Western European democracies, even at a time that nationalism in Europe is thought to be at a nadir. These developments (and not the various U.S. petitions, about which Eugene recently wrote) motivate this post.

Secession seems a good idea on libertarian grounds in that heterogenous preferences can be better accommodated on a smaller scale. Alesina and Spolaore famously theorize optimal state size as optimizing between economies of scale and heterogenous preferences of nationals: the former is increasing on size, the latter decreasing. For optimality to be maintained, there must be some process shaping the size of state other than accretion. Otherwise, one would expect that all countries in equilibrium would be too big.

...

http://www.volokh.com/2012/11/23/sec...tical-science/

His divorce analogy is particularly intriguing.

e-monk · 11-23-2012, 12:04 PM

the thing is that red states tend to get more federal funding than blue states do and contribute less so I say good riddance, **** em

Nimreitz · 11-23-2012, 12:26 PM

Quite frankly, I'm kinda sorta open to it too these days. You can have Texas and the deep south. Good ****ing riddance. I'm assuming Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida will stick around, but I'm not married to Florida.

Republicans up here in civilization could stop kowtowing to the religious right's bullshit socially divisive issues and we could actually come up with intelligent solutions and policy. Even "fiscal conservatives" like noted lunatic Grover Norquist devise most of their power from the intellectual wasteland of the South.

**E.H. Munro** · 11-23-2012, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by e-monk

the thing is that red states tend to get more federal funding than blue states do and contribute less so I say good riddance, **** em

The flipside is that Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Alaska, et al don't benefit to the extent that they could from their own natural resources because the federal government claims rights over them. Both sides would undoubtedly benefit from the divorce.

**Ron** · 11-23-2012, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by E.H. Munro

The flipside is that Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Alaska, et al don't benefit to the extent that they could from their own natural resources because the federal government claims rights over them. Both sides would undoubtedly benefit from the divorce.

You ever look at an Interstate roadway map of Texas? Losing federal funding for 90% of Interstate roadway construction and repairs in that state and Texas becomes North Mexico.

Nimreitz · 11-23-2012, 02:33 PM

Drill baby drill.

And assuming all the plains states leave with the South, pipeline baby pipeline.

rocketeer · 11-23-2012, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron

You ever look at an Interstate roadway map of Texas? Losing federal funding for 90% of Interstate roadway construction and repairs in that state and Texas becomes North Mexico.

oh yeah, totally...

Tragedy · 11-24-2012, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by E.H. Munro

The flipside is that Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Alaska, et al don't benefit to the extent that they could from their own natural resources because the federal government claims rights over them. Both sides would undoubtedly benefit from the divorce.

And what extent is that? Is it enough to be on your own completely?

**E.H. Munro** · 11-24-2012, 11:25 PM

Well, what those states get out of it is employment of their citizens, but the federal government keeps the royalties on all the gulf oil produced, and those would be territorial waters of Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, etc.. So, yes, there's a fair amount of coin involved. Add in the reality that there'd be no more federal corporate income tax rate on companies there and they would be able to collect a higher percentage there, as well.

11-23-2012, 12:04 PM	#2 (permalink)
e-monk All-Star Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 5,661 Rep Power: 3201099	Re: Secession, Family Law, and Political Science the thing is that red states tend to get more federal funding than blue states do and contribute less so I say good riddance, **** em

11-23-2012, 12:26 PM	#3 (permalink)
Nimreitz Legend Join Date: May 2003 Location: Milwaukee, WI Age: 29 Posts: 16,247 Rep Power: 14813408	Re: Secession, Family Law, and Political Science Quite frankly, I'm kinda sorta open to it too these days. You can have Texas and the deep south. Good ****ing riddance. I'm assuming Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida will stick around, but I'm not married to Florida. Republicans up here in civilization could stop kowtowing to the religious right's bullshit socially divisive issues and we could actually come up with intelligent solutions and policy. Even "fiscal conservatives" like noted lunatic Grover Norquist devise most of their power from the intellectual wasteland of the South.

11-23-2012, 02:33 PM	#6 (permalink)
Nimreitz Legend Join Date: May 2003 Location: Milwaukee, WI Age: 29 Posts: 16,247 Rep Power: 14813408	Re: Secession, Family Law, and Political Science Drill baby drill. And assuming all the plains states leave with the South, pipeline baby pipeline.

11-24-2012, 11:25 PM	#9 (permalink)
E.H. Munro Baddest Honky Mofo Alive Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 24,248 Rep Power: 21474869	Re: Secession, Family Law, and Political Science Well, what those states get out of it is employment of their citizens, but the federal government keeps the royalties on all the gulf oil produced, and those would be territorial waters of Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, etc.. So, yes, there's a fair amount of coin involved. Add in the reality that there'd be no more federal corporate income tax rate on companies there and they would be able to collect a higher percentage there, as well. __________________ If everyone loves you you're doing it wrong. "Opium is the religion of the masses." Fred Reed The Power of 99 Press "He thinks it's going to be fun being governor. It's only fun being governor of New York if you have money to spend, and I spent it all." Nelson Rockefeller on his successor, Hugh Carey.

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