OK, a lot of unhappy losers of the election want their state to file for secession. There is obviously no legal way for this to currently be done. Actually the idea is just plain stupid.
It would take a constitutional convention or a constitutional amendment to legally allow such an event. Either way it would take 3/4 of the states and that change is not likely to happen.
However, let's just stop and think about the possibility and the mechanics behind a state leaving the union peacefully to become its own "country."
If a state was legally and peacefully allowed to leave the union, I have the following questions which show why it is actually impossible to leave the union in the modern world with how inextricably intertwined we are.
I have to admit I am thinking about asking these questions to a Texas resident since they seem to be at the forefront of this, but these questions would apply to any state:
1. What would happen to your citizen's Social Security benefits? Their Medicare? Their housing assistance? Their Food Stamps? Their government contracts? Their VA benefits?
2. What would happen to all the military bases in your state? What would happen to your state's residents who were in the US military? Would they immediately be out of a job?
3. What currency would you use? What would happen to your residence who have money in banks outside your state? Who would set your exchange rate? What about credit cards issued from outside your "country?" Would they charge a foreign transaction fee every time the card was used like they do now when you use a credit card in another country?
4. Would you have any treaties with the United States? Would you allow travel to the US? What if the US, upset you left, banned your citizens from travel into the US?
5. What about the interstate highway system? Would you have the money to maintain those roads?
6. What about airplane flight? Would you be allowed to fly over the US. Would the US be allowed to fly into your "country?" What if the US was so mad you left and wanted to make sure no one else ever left they embargo your country like Cuba?
7. What would happen to all the people who work in federal jobs? Without federal funds contributed to your unemployment compensation fund how would you handle any of your people out of work?
8. What would happen to bankruptcy courts and other federal courts? What about the federal prisons in your state?
9. Would you still be party to all treaties the US had entered before you left?
10. Would you have an army and navy? How would you pay for it? Would you be allowed to have nuclear weapons?
11. What about all the post offices? Who would deliver your mail? Would you have to pay international rates to send a letter to your family in another state? How would you pay for your postal system?
12. What about telephone and internet access? Would you still be allowed free access to the infrastructure?
13. What about railroads that ship most goods? Would trains leaving your "country" be freely allowed into the US? Would you have to pay duties and imposts on those imports?
14. What would happen to the national parks in your state? The land isn't yours anyway so does it stay with the US?
15. Would you be a member of the UN? Would you have an ambassador to the US, Canada, Mexico, the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Russia or others? How could you pay for this? What would it cost?
16. Would you require passports to enter your country? What would border patrol cost you? Would you issue visas to residence of third world countries? Who would process them?
17. Without any federal funds at all for anything how much would you have to raise taxes?
18. Without the FDA and USDA who would keep your food and drug supply safe and secure? What would this cost? What rules and regulations would you adopt?
19. Without the FAA and the TSA who would keep your airports safe, your airplanes safe, regulate pilots, assure regular maintenance? What would this cost? What rules and regulations would you adopt?
20. Without the Department of Transportation who would set rules and regulations for automobile safety? What would this cost? What rules and regulations would you adopt?
21. Does your state even raise enough food to feed itself or do you import food from the Midwest? Do you produce enough clothing for everyone or is that imported? Do you have enough construction materials or are those imported? What happens to the costs of these items when they are imported and costs more because of this?
It is clear to see that even if the constitution allowed for the peaceful secession of a state such an idea is nearly impossible. I wonder why the people in the media who report on these stories never seem to ask any of these basic questions? Why does the media even give the time of day to such an idiotic idea?