I like your idea better. Forget about seceding from the US for now. For instance, IL could secede from Cook County and join up with Indiana. There are big differences in how people live in Chicago and how they live in downstate IL. They just don’t fit together anymore, yet Chicago controls the state and wins the elections for their crooks to run the state. It would scare the crap out of the Feds. These petitions are silly.
Al Capone would approve.