Excellent analogy.
Posted on 07/21/2020 6:29:31 AM PDT by Kaslin
The Supreme Court’s decision to effectively make eastern Oklahoma into Indian territory may force the state to sever into two. Why does that have to be a bad thing? Within the continental U.S., when it comes to states, the more the merrier.
If not for all the other crises and daily outrages boosted by mass media, the news of Oklahoma potentially losing half its state land to the sovereign nation of the Muscogee (Creek) tribe might have garnered more Americans’ attention for a bit longer.
The decision was led by Justice Neil Gorsuch, who despite being Trump’s first pick for the high court sided with the four liberal justices. They ruled narrowly that eastern Oklahoma was in fact Indian territory with regard to state criminal law, but the legal consequences will be innumerable.
All Americans should welcome this opportunity to reconsider their state borders as well as all regulatory boundaries.
Unfortunately, most conservatives haven’t latched on to that take. Sure, it’s not an ideal situation when a conservative state like Oklahoma gets politically upended by a few federal judges, but this can lead to a better outcome if a new state is a result.
Before getting into the benefits that Oklahoma residents may enjoy, let’s consider the wider ramifications for conservative victory nationwide.
After a favorable vote in the House of Representatives, Democrats are closer than ever to achieving statehood for Washington, DC. Yet Republicans have no national counter-strategy? Making DC a state has been a nationally unifying issue for Democrats, because they are well aware of the political stakes, including two new Democrats in the Senate.
Republicans should be as unified across the country to support their own local efforts. There are many to choose from already. There are competing efforts to break away rural Californians from their state, and there are pushes to divide New York up into two or three chunks. This year, some Illinois counties will vote on removing Chicago from their state.
Kentucky, Maine, and West Virginia all became states after breaking off from another, so it’s not the crazy notion some opponents will make it out to be.
Similar campaigns are ongoing in Oregon (to join a new Greater Idaho) and Virginia (to become part of West Virginia). In relatively recent history, the proposed states of Northern Colorado and Superior (Michigan) have also been proposed.
Conservatives are well aware of the ungovernableness of many blue states. Take California for instance. Its state assembly is made up of 80 legislators, with each one “representing” roughly a half-million people.
Whether it’s taxation, gun control, or political underrepresentation, many Americans are realizing they need to vote with their feet and move or otherwise try a political solution that doesn’t wait on a federal election.
The Republican Party must pay closer attention, then get involved where it’s prudent. And it will be prudent somewhere soon because Democrats are the ones with the momentum to ensure permanent federal dominance for themselves in the near future. That is apparent in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Virginia, and elsewhere.
As the French philosopher, Montesquieu said, “Power ought to serve as a check to power.”
That doesn’t strictly mean Republicans vs. Democrats, but rather, more importantly, it should mean the States vs. the Federal government. Conservatives will not fare well under a strong, centralized Democratic government, but if there are enough conservative states, a fully Democratic federal government will be nonetheless weakened by their uncooperation.
If the Democrats gain statehood for the District of Columbia or Puerto Rico, Republicans should work to add four states of their own to maintain competitiveness in the Senate and electoral college. The pursuit is worthwhile, however, even if Democrats claim a perpetual majority, simply because more states are harder for the feds to push around.
That’s what the Founders intended for this system of government, “laboratories of democracy” as Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis called the states.
Decentralization would benefit the Native Americans in eastern Oklahoma all the same. They pursued as much in the early part of the last century by proposing the State of Sequoyah. Now that area holds 60 percent of the refinery capacity of the fourth-largest oil-producing state.
As long as the federal government manages the land as its territory, the Native Americans can’t expect to reach the land’s potential for economic development or profit.
So, let Oklahoma come to discover there’s a silver lining in this seemingly dark cloud. Let the nation watch as more competition between states percolates, and let those who wish to go their own way do so as well.
Bringing state capitols closer to the governed will ease some of the political tensions dividing our country, and it will reduce Washington, DC’s grip on power to a more reasonable level as well. Conservatives must recognize this for their own political survival as well as for the sake of preserving America as a constitutional republic.
“But it takes other resources to make them into something useful.”
Ya? And lest see you make them into something useful without the natural resources.
Just remember, We can live without you and your crap, but you cant eat, drive or wipe your ass without us.
Logging, Mining and Farming.
Back in the day the tribal light horsemen were the police, prosecution, judge, jury, and executioner. Time in jail was often traded off for lashes at the whipping post. Abortion could get a woman or an abortionist 50 lashes. Not exactly a bunch of liberals.
Good to hear—I never could understand how miners could vote Democrat. Makes no sense at all!
Escanaba, Manistique, Munising, Sault Ste Marie, St Ignace, Marquette, Houghton and Hancock, Superior-Duluth, Gladstone.
All are/were actually international ports.
“but the extra weeks of transit plus the time necessary for the Soo Locks offers no benefit to normal shipping to ocean or Bay ports.”
Wrong! They already load at Duluth and Marquette and Escanaba for points across the globe.
Hell of a lot faster, and far cheaper than barging it down the Mississippi and then loading it onto ships at the mouth of the Mississippi.
Unions.
Superior_Duluth isnt in the UP. Although we’d certainly take one over-Superior. Eff Duluth.
Count the ports in the UP.
Splitting into five states would result in 8 more senators.
Amen to that.
Ya all wonder why people from my home area are bitter and can seem rude.
Well, that area is one of the prime reasons we have some of the drastic over bearing regulations for mining today, as well as the Unions who have become over bearing.
The mining companies came in, as well as the Timber companies, and took what they could get and left. Virtually no place in this country was raped to the extent the upper midwest was by robber barons.
These robber barons came from the cities-NY, Chicago, Detroit, etc. Henry Ford built a complete sawmill in Munising Michigan and never turned a wheel there. Simply shut it down and left. Did the same in Kingsford Michigan where the Ford “Woody” was made. Never attempted to remodel the plant, just shut it down.
Now, because of the government and thier radicle rules and regulations, they cant re-open those mines or re-build plants. I.E. few years ago, a steel manufacturer wanted to put in a small electric steel mill in Escanaba Mich. They couldnt get over the state and federal hurdles, and because of that, they dropped the proposal.
Now wasnt that an idea? Build a steel mill at the point of where the Ore is and make the steel there so you could ship it on ships where the port is already there and ship that steel all over the world?
The state and federal government said OK, then do this, and that, and that, and that, and pay this, and that, and that, and you can put up your steel mill.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYIQMWW2m5c
During the course of my six and a half decades of adult life the Court has made a good number of really stupid decisions, but the Oklahoma decision has to rank near or at the very top of that list. It’s simply mind boggling that anyone with a modicum of common sense could be so damned ignorant.
I-70 would roughly make the southern border of North Missouri.
To include KC, Columbia, StL.
Excellent analogy.
Thank you for having the knowledge to affirm that. Great pics, btw.
Sorry, but hopefully the vast majority of them would be conservative.
Four more states.
“I’d love to see St Louis given to Illinois.”
No!!!
How bout just East St Louis then?
“How bout just East St Louis then?”
Yes, we can give that to Missouri.
Well, crap, ya got me there. Had no idea it was part of Ill.
Every county in Oklahoma voted for Trump in 2016, mostly by margins of 2 to 1 up to 10 to 1. Oklahoma County was the only fairly close vote and Trump still carried it by nearly 30,000 votes. The majority of the residents in what was Indian Territory before 1907 are non-Indians.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.