Killington secession is no joke

New Hampshire Union Leader ^ | November 10, 2005 | Norma Love/AP

[Past Your Eyes]

Concord — A New Hampshire commission established to help Killington secede from Vermont and join New Hampshire didn’t have much to discuss at its first meeting yesterday.

That’s because Vermont hasn’t established a similar commission to work out the details, and strongly opposes secession.

Regardless, commission Chairman John Hunt insists the New Hampshire panel’s existence sends a clear message to Vermont — or any other state — that citizens have a right to seek other alliances if their complaints aren’t addressed.

“They (Vermont officials) might see this as a joke. I don’t,” said Hunt.

[Past Your Eyes]

Any Freepers from the Killington area? If not, there should be. If Bernie Sanders, Pat Leahy and "Jumpin" Jim Jeffords were "representing" me, I believe I'd want to secede, too.

[who knows what evil?]

Killington secession is no joke.

Yes, it is.

[who knows what evil?]

You don't have to secede; you can move, just like many of us. I'm out of this socialist rathole next Spring.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

Well, it is a joke because it'll never happen.

But it does serve to make a point about Vermont anyway.

[cgbg]

I am getting confused here.

Vermont is trying to secede from the US.

Killington is trying to secede from Vermont.

Are any neighborhoods trying to secede from Killington?

Dogs from their masters?

Fleas from their dogs?

;-)

[clee1]

Agreed. This is a non-starter from the jump.

[sittnick]

Vermont is trying to secede from the US.
Killington is trying to secede from Vermont.
Are any neighborhoods trying to secede from Killington?

I'm in Rockford, Illinois, and I think those of us not in Chicago and its immediate suburbs would love to secede and join Iowa, Kentucky, Indiana or Missouri (sorry Wisconsin, your taxes are even worse and your land use rules are outrageous). Heck, can we join Idaho or Alabama?

[n230099]

[enter jaw harp sounds here]

"...the British empire, Hunt noted that government is not limited by land boundaries." “It’s a matter of where the people feel connected to that government."

Sounds lofty and insightful but it's not. Agree w/above, at what level is this thinking applicable? Can Primrose street opt to the next town?

[Gordon Pym]

The problem with northern New England is that Commielibs ruined the bug industrial cities with corruption, socialist schools, labor union thuggery and fawning adoration of FDR. Then they escaped to areas that were not ruined by their policies and they proceeded to screw those places up as well. Half a century ago you would have to look long and hard to find a Democrat in the current bastion of Liberalism that is VT (a bastion of Liberalism is a place populated by Liberal Bastions.)

We can see here how uncontrolled immigration can destroy a pretty good place to live. The states of VT, ME, and NH should have established armed border crossings and should have deported any illegal Liberals found attempting to cross. (The pink VWs with McGovern bumper stickers would have been a dead giveaway)

The only island of sanity in New England at the current time is NH. I hold that we need a Minuteman project to protect the borders of NH from Liberal refugees of the rest of the region. At least until the liberals that are there now can be rehabilitated -- or eliminated.

[rhombus]

To secede, Killington needs approval from both states and Congress.

Interesting. Has this been tested somewhere? Surely we had a major test of states seceeding from a union. I'm wondering about townships though. Their powers and existence are derived from the state constitutions and I'm wondering if this is addressed somewhere specifically in the Vermont Constitution.

[cgbg]

Rule number one of secession:

Raise a large army to defend your claim.

Rule number two: follow rule number one. :-)

[cloud8]

About 20 years ago Block Island got pissed for some reason and tried to secede from Rhode Island. The Vermont legislature voted to receive them with open arms. Said they'd always wanted a seacoast.

The trouble in Killington, a ski town, is that the industry is sending far more in taxes to fund the state education system than it gets back. It isn't fair, is it, that a rich town should get to keep its tax revenue and spend it on its own schools...

[rhombus]

The only island of sanity in New England at the current time is NH. I hold that we need a Minuteman project to protect the borders of NH from Liberal refugees of the rest of the region. At least until the liberals that are there now can be rehabilitated -- or eliminated.

I thought that's why they refuse to widen Rt 93 South of Manchester. So far it isn't working. Every weekend thousands cross the border with their wallets fat with cash to spend in NH. The two-lane traffic jams haven't yet made anyone turn back. If I lived in southern NH I'd be outraged at the traffic I have to put up with because no one will widen 93.

[cgbg]

I understand the town is getting ripped off by the lefties in the State Capitol. That is happening in many states.

Secession is just dumb, though.

They would have far more success mobilizing all the towns that are getting ripped off, surrounding the State Capitol with tractors or something (or maybe in the case of Vermont spraying the Capitol frozen with snow-making machines). :-)

They just are going to have to be louder and more obnoxious than anyone else in the state. These days that seems to be the only way to get the pols to pay attention.

[rhombus]

They just are going to have to be louder and more obnoxious than anyone else in the state. These days that seems to be the only way to get the pols to pay attention.

Unfortunately what will probably happen is the locals who are getting ripped off will move on. They won't be able to afford living there any more. More and more from NY State will fill the void, feeling like they are getting a financial bargainn when compared to NY State - and they are.

[#1CTYankee]

"Interesting. Has this been tested somewhere?"

Probably doesn't apply but interesting.

The citizens of Enfield, Somers, Suffield and Woodstock, unhappy with Massachusetts' high taxes, applied for admission into Connecticut in 1724.
These towns claimed they were included within Connecticut's original boundaries and were entitled to return to that state."

"Naturally, Massachusetts refused to give them up, but in 1749 Connecticut voted to acquire them. A verbal battle raged for years, reaching crisis proportions. Appeals to England were ignored, since that country was embroiled in the Seven Years' War."

"In 1768, Massachusetts laid formal claim to the four towns; however, Connecticut did nothing about the edict and continued to govern them."

Following the Revolutionary War, in 1793, both states appointed Boundary Commissioners to run a straight boundary from Union, Connecticut to the New York state line. In 1797 the Commissioners recommended that a disputed 2.5 square mile tract be awarded to Massachusetts as compensation for its earlier losses of Suffield, Woodstock, Somers, and Enfield to Connecticut. However, it was not until 1804 that Connecticut agreed to yet another compromise that partitioned the 2.5 mile area at Congamond Lakes with Massachusetts receiving 5/8 of the disputed parcel along the west shore and Connecticut receiving the remainder, along the east shore.

[mewzilla]

I think the red bits of NYS would be better off forming a new state, with some of the red bits of PA if they'd like. The more the merrier. Worked for WV :)

[cloud8]

> Has this been tested somewhere?

Barrington, R.I. used to be in Massachusetts. That's why when people in Berkshire County wanted to give the same name to their new town, they ended up calling it Great Barrington. I'm not sure how it ended up in Rhode Island, though.

Also, Article 1, Section 10: "No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, ...enter into any Agreement or Compact
with another State..." So after Vt and NH work things out, it has to go to Congress.

[wfu_deacons]

I don't think the Virginia legislature approved the secession of West Virginia. I believe the reasoning was Virginia was not part of the US and therefore WV could be admitted. At least for this act, the independent sovereignty of the Confederacy was recognized.

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Due to an error by surveyors some time around, I believe, 1860, the top 10 mile tier of Illinois should actually be part of Wisconsin. Consider yourself lucky...