What happened in our revolution?
We didn't like the British taxing us, so we threw them out and formed our own government ...
... which went on to tax us more than the British ever did, and with out own consent.
It's like that with revolutions, secessions, independence movements, and anti-imperial wars.
We throw off the oppressors and form our own government.
Because it's "our own" government we don't object to paying taxes.
A national elite grows up around the federal government and looks for even more tax money to spend.
Since the national elite doesn't exist in isolation from other elites it starts to resemble them.
So you more or less get what you rebelled against.
You can see something of the same process in state government right now -- even (or especially) in the most conservative states.
People are always complaining that their governor is a country club or chamber of commerce Republican and not a conservative ideologue.
What do you think would happen if your state were a country? Do you think the RINOs would automatically step aside and let you run things?
Of course there are ways of arresting the process -- tribalism, militarism, theocracy -- but they do more harm than good.
An independence movement may be justified under some circumstances.
If your rulers are stealing your land or enslaving you or are trying to uproot your language and culture, you'd do well to organize against them.
But if your complaint is high taxes, you rarely get what you want through independence.
I don't get why Walter Williams never addresses the question seriously, but treats secession as some kind of magic potion that will set everything to rights.
If it looks like the country as a whole is going down the European world on God, guns, and gays, there will be more talk of secession.
But really do you think an independent Texia would be any better at holding the line on these things than a superpower would?
“If your rulers are stealing your land or enslaving you or are trying to uproot your language and culture, you’d do well to organize against them.
But if your complaint is high taxes, you rarely get what you want through independence.”
Our rulers are stealing our land. Look at the Kelo decision, which completely subverts legititmate uses of eminent domain.
As far as enslavement goes, be aware that tax freedom day falls about 4 months after the start of the year. We are deprived of 1/3 of our work time because it is confiscated by the govenment without due process.
Our language and culture is actively being destroyed. First off, there is little political will to defend our borders. As a consequence, our nation is flooded by as many as 30 million illegal aliens and all that entails.
In addition, look at the damage that has been done to our culture by organizations like the ACLU-founded by a socialist. Be aware that we also pay for the successes of such organizations under Section 1988 claims for “proceedings in vindiation of civil rights”.