They can secede, with the consent of the other states (meaning an act of the Federal government).
The general theory is that once a state enters into the Union it gains certain privileges and benefits which it would not previously had access to. Things like military protection, federal government investment, the increased power/influence in global politics/economics, etc, etc. Each state is getting things from other states and the federal government at the same time as they’re giving things in return. Since it’s a two-way relationship, it should take both parties to sever that relationship.
It just seems wrong to me, kind of like not allowing divorces.
I’d argue it’s more like requiring alimony after a divorce. When two people are married often one will put their career on hold or de-emphasize it in order to focus on other things to support the marriage (eg stay-at-home parent). When the couple then divorces, the courts recognize that the individual who put their career on hold is now at a sever disadvantage in that they have forgone however many years of experience, advancement, salary, etc. They can’t just jump back into the workforce and expect to get a job as good as if they had been working the whole time. And the other member of the relationship (the one who did not sacrifice their career) got the benefits of having someone to manage the home while they could focus on their career.
So the court acknowledges this disparity in the relationship and will require the higher-paid member of the marriage to pay alimony payments to the other as a way to make up for that economic imbalance between them. The higher earning member of the marriage can’t just divorce and go about their way without having to compensate the other for the years they spent focusing on the family rather than their career.
This is what the secession of a US state would look like in theory. We tried the whole “one side gets unilaterally decides to break up without mediation or compensation to the other” thing. It was the impetus for the bloodiest war in American history. In order to secede “the right way” (ie without bloodshed), a state would have to go to the Federal Government and ask to secede. The government (which is a collection of representatives of the states and people in the states) then debates and decides on terms.
Of course, this has never been done or even tried. I suspect that pretty much every single state (except maybe California) would find that the benefits of staying in the Union far outweigh the benefits of leaving.
AcesFullOfKings@feddit.uk 1 week ago
untitled@reddthat.com 1 week ago
FriendOfDeSoto@startrek.website 1 week ago
Every case is different and the UK as a political union without a written constitution can technically allow one of their four home nations to become independent (again).
The US has had bad experiences with seceding states. Big kerfuffle that people didn’t want to repeat.
When it comes to international recognition of seceding territories, it’s frankly a mess. And also, frankly, everything is possible. Kosovo is an example where the majority of the international community decided to recognize it as a sovereign country. It was a solution to a war situation that didn’t make all parties happy. Serbia and Russia, for instance, still don’t recognize it. So while Mass may not technically be allowed to leave, if it did anyway, it would depend on the reaction from the rest of the union first and foremost, and then on the international community. If they back you and maybe even send peace keepers, there is a chance still. But there is a whole laundry list of things that have to go right for this to happen.
I’d suggest you devote all your energy to fixing the United States first. Resist 47 and his GOP cult followers. Not all is lost just yet.
schnurrito@discuss.tchncs.de 1 week ago
and if that had succeeded, the UK parliament would probably have consented to Scotland becoming independent. If the national government agrees to secession, it’s always legal.