General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHere's a yard sign in Spokane that encourages us to secede from Western Washington....
....and all those liberals in Seattle. What do you think of such an idea? Matt Shea isn't the only home grown nut job that we can boast of.
Thanks to "forgotmylogin" and "billh58" and "Glorfindel" and "cayugafalls" for helping me to figure out how to attach a photo to an OP. Imgur, who knew.
Aristus
(66,462 posts)The West is where Washington happens. We generate the revenue, we attract the tourists, and we do the technological heavy-lifting. So, Eastern Washington: grow the fucking crops and shut the fuck up...
DBoon
(22,397 posts)They need nothing from cities and other liberal areas.
They have mastered the art of flint-knapping and will bring down big game with their spears, after gathering acorns for dinner.
They need nothing from 10,000 of civilized life and commerce with others who are unlike them.
They are happy living in the paleolithic era.
Chellee
(2,102 posts)with a side of story about how you almost got a deer. You missed him by THAT much with your hand made spear.
RussellCattle
(1,535 posts)customerserviceguy
(25,183 posts)a lot of the hydropower on that side of the mountains. I would presume that most mineral wealth in WA is also on that side, too.
fierywoman
(7,694 posts)lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)living in the nutjob areas, and the country would look like swiss cheese.
yellowcanine
(35,701 posts)As would the Eastern Shore here in Maryland.
RussellCattle
(1,535 posts)Hortensis
(58,785 posts)Mean and stupid people are everywhere. Is there a movement for eastern Washington to become a province of Russia, by any chance? That'd at least be a little less ordinary.
RussellCattle
(1,535 posts)...truly goofy rhetoric.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)AJT
(5,240 posts)TheBlackAdder
(28,211 posts)chia
(2,244 posts)from state tax revenue generated mostly from counties they're not.
Thomas Hurt
(13,903 posts)How many state and fed jobs they will lose.
How many people will give them the finger and move out of their utopia
How many will stay and become insurgents even
How they are going to get power, water without treaties with the US.
How many corporations that have facilities in the area but no HQ will bug out.
How they will keep their tax base up
I imagine the whackjobs will have a militia of gun fetishists.
Though I suppose they might have a some immigrant whackjobs who are willing to give up their US citizenship to live in their christofascist utopia.
chia
(2,244 posts)Thomas Hurt
(13,903 posts)RussellCattle
(1,535 posts)What would you call it if the Eastern counties wanted to leave Washington?
Thomas Hurt
(13,903 posts)not the State of Washington.
ProfessorGAC
(65,168 posts)Given how school funding, infrastructure funding, law enforcement & fire protection, and the like are formulated, rural areas are highly dependent on higher density, economically diverse urban centers
Breaking off as their own state would make funding of police, schools FDs, and the lack of economic diversity puts them at risk every macro hiccup.
They would send far fewer dollars to the fed than they would get back until their congress members' reputation gains experiential clout.
Even though it's just a state, the short term impact of secession would be similar to seceding from the US.
Would be tough sledding for a decade or more.
Given the whininess of that crowd, there would be a lot of wailing!
chia
(2,244 posts)They benefit from the coast, while they hate the coast. So I understand and agree with what you're saying, just pointing out the sign clearly says they want to be the 51st. state.
ProfessorGAC
(65,168 posts)And we agree on the economic fallout of that silliness, whether a new state or separate country.
Have a good evening!
chia
(2,244 posts)RussellCattle
(1,535 posts)Dan
(3,579 posts)safeinOhio
(32,715 posts)as many equal population states as the new Eastern state? Like 3 or 4 states with equal number of Congress people.
Might work out. Compromise.
EarnestPutz
(2,120 posts)....as well as the seriousness with which it's being discussed. There are a lot of nice people over here and we're being dismissed over such a half-baked idea? Come on. Lighten up a little.
Tikki
(14,559 posts)Spokane, Benton, Yakima and Franklin Counties are ramping up with their case numbers.
What are they now Second, Fifth, Sixth and Seventh in number of cases in WA and the population of the State sits on the Western side.
Tikki
roamer65
(36,747 posts)cayugafalls
(5,643 posts)The one who wants to start a Christian Theocracy called Liberty? Holy Cow! That guy is CRAZY!
Far-right Washington state lawmaker faces backlash against white nationalism
https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2019-11-27/matt-shea-spokane-washington-white-nationalism
Anyone who supports that guy is really a whacko.
EarnestPutz
(2,120 posts)....a vehicle for his other much crazier notions. Fundamentalist Christian Law. It isn't just red states that have the whackos.
MFM008
(19,818 posts)The fact we in Western Washington annoy them so much.
We take away almost all of their votes with the votes from King and Pierce counties.
So theres that....
marlakay
(11,491 posts)And the republicans bitched about that all the time.
I figured I had to live with the crappy republican congressman before they changed the district so tough luck!
RiF
(48 posts)Go, girl.
panader0
(25,816 posts)Dividing a state in half is dumb too. It'll never happen and just seems to be a way for people
to hate the "other side". I wish people would quit it, especially DUers.
My grandfather taught at Eastern Washington U for 50 years--C.S. Kingston. There's a building named for him there.
My mother and three uncles were
born there in Cheney. She was a real liberal, also a life-long teacher.
There are DUers from every state on this site. Are some states more blue or red than others? Sure.
I've seen some wacko state bashing on DU. I think it's stupid and offensive.
RussellCattle
(1,535 posts)....not expect to see this discussion go in the direction that it has. I am thankful for Western Washington voters who help us elect a good governor and state legislature every year, but I feel a little put upon by some of the comments. We're not "the other" as you point out, nor do we live with "the other". Don't demonize my wheat farmer neighbors whose politics leave a lot to be desired. State bashing is stupid, again like you said, and even more so when it's "intramural" like here in my really great state. I thought the yard sign was funny.
panader0
(25,816 posts)They divided the nation when they seceded. Our nation is The UNITED States. United, people of all
colors or sex or belief.
Let's concentrate on
shared values. That should be the focus and not the urge to wall off states or divide people by region.
RussellCattle
(1,535 posts)....who want their own state, it goes without saying, are the lunatic fringe. The big divide here in Washington are those in the East who resent paying taxes to the State ferry system (conservatives) because they do not use it and those in the West who resent that we won't give up our studded snow tires and they have to help pay for all the winter road damage (liberals, mostly). We don't hate each other.
Red Mountain
(1,737 posts)That's the issue. Representation without population.
At some point, Federal expenditures need to be adjusted to more accurately reflect Federal contributions.
RussellCattle
(1,535 posts)...and pay for more school lunches in California and cut back in Alabama, I really see a problem. Isn't it appropriate that the people of this country, through the actions of their federal government, try to help out the people who live in poorer states? The "Senators" part you're right about. There's more people in one borough of NYC than in Wyoming and that's a problem. Fixing the disparity in equal representation won't be fixed by only spending in Mississippi what Mississippi pays into the coffers, and vice versa.
misanthrope
(7,428 posts)by splitting up?
Thekaspervote
(32,793 posts)They would flounder without Chicago and surrounding area
BGBD
(3,282 posts)but they can't be a state on their own. Only if they agree to form a single state with Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and both Dakotas.
That'll give us 46 states, but we don't want to go changing the flag so we need to add 4 more to fix it. Washington DC, and Puerto Rico first of all, and break out three cities from their current states to make their own state as well. New Orleans and St. Louis should work fine.
I think that's a fair deal. Should end up with a Democratic President for the next 50 years and a 60+ Senate majority.
rockfordfile
(8,704 posts)Xolodno
(6,401 posts)...State of Jefferson had.
Kudos to those who get that.
jmowreader
(50,562 posts)First, there is no damn way Congress is going to allow a conservative state to enter the union without also admitting a liberal state to retain the balance in the Senate. So, we'd have the "State of Liberty" come in at the same time as the "State of Puerto Rico."
And second, Western Washington's property and business tax revenues are the reason Washington can run with no state income tax. If the Shea-ites manage to secede from Western Washington, that comes to an end.