This is exactly what the billionaires buying up all this farmland want. Cut the red states loose, then Amazon/Microsoft/Alphabet/etc sweep in and establish company
townsnations.I would never forgive this country if it abandoned me.
The headline alone tells me this is bad-faith drivel, either meant to inflame tensions or to pander to the unrealistic “leftists” who think we’ll have our glorious revolution aaaannnyyy day now.
The country is not “divorcing” we are nowhere close to a “civil war” and there will be a tomorrow. And a day after. And a day after that.
We can start pushing the pendulum back the other direction on the momentum of whatever the latest scandal is, we can have grass-roots campaigns for people who represent us, we can be more social and more active, we can plant gardens and donate to food banks and attend city council meetings. The whole thing goes on.
Do not trust or even believe headlines that inflame tensions or make things worse. We can work harder to make sure nobody is getting abandoned. We had huge setbacks but over the long arc of history, we are still making progress.
but also… they’re arguing for small government. maybe y’all should start pushing in the same direction: make the federal government smaller, keep your blue state tax money, stop giving them as much… it’s what they want after all
and then use that money to form blue state coalitions: form a new, voluntary CDC, FDA, etc between aligned states that are far more robust than what you’ve been able to achieve with republican bad faith tampering
kinda like the EU model, but less central
(and if you didn’t see my instance, i’m aussie so i don’t really get a say, and nobody should let me influence anything - im not a citizen and i don’t live there or have to deal with as many consequences - unless you legitimately agree)
What you’re describing is exactly what I said will happen down the road as the states start making wars of redistricting. When states here like Texas gerrymandered their districts they are basically saying “only the red/republicans get representation.” It invalidates the constitution to some degree. But it also creates such an unfair advantage when trying to pass national policy that the only possible choice is for another state to do the same to balance seats in federal government. Then if they respond in another red state and do the same, well now this is just a slide until every state is one solid color or another and parties are meaningless. Representation is meaningless. At that point, like-colored states are just going to start forming coalitions and negotiating or reducing federal contributions and doing their own trading, their own new systems of representation between them, and so on. At some point, every region or power bloc will have it’s own international policies and defense forces.
At that point, Washington DC is just for show, for ceremony and rivalry and making trade deals and hurling shit at other regions. Some say it’s already like that, but we still do have a working and vastly complex federal/state relationship.
It isn’t wrong per-say for all this to happen this way, but a lot of people here want the USA to continue, it was an effective system for a long time. It will never just “go away” entirely, but many people feel like the erosion is beginning, or accelerating with events of the last decade or so. Losing a cohesive USA could be very destabilizing. Not because I’m under any illusion that the USA preserves order, but because some of the power-blocs that arise from the division may be very dangerous.
i think it’s certainly possible that it could start down that path, and it’ll become blatantly obvious that trickle down economics, “socialism is evil”, anti-intellectual crap that the red states bow at the alter of is a huge reason for their suffering and they’ll want to join those coalitions, but those coalitions will have years if not decades of policy on their side to make sure they aren’t overrun with the same ideas
could the process then just start over again? perhaps… it could just be a property of the system
As someone who lived in Texas for a decade, I was fully prepared for the US to abandon me after we voted in Greg Abbott again. Gubnatorial elections are popular vote elections not affected by Gerrymandering. We didn’t even have THAT excuse.
That being said, I always said that the rest of the US should cut off everything Oklahome going South and Texas going East as long as they offered a refugee program for those of us not batshit insane.
The only thing that would suck would be leaving behind the kiddos who dont have a say in where their crazy ass parents choose to live.
I’ve got bad news: the oligarchs run the blue states as well. California gave us Palantir and X. Peter Thiel advocates for this exact same thing for fuck sake.
They’re the ones who benefit from stories or headlines like this.
As long as we think we’re an “us versus them” across state lines, we’re ignoring the fact that we’re all under one management team, the wealthy assholes and deranged morons with all the money who play games with civilization like it’s a game of… civilization.
Pure psychopath shit.
I agree sell them off to Mexico if were going to run the US like a business let’s run it like private equity. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
why would Mexico take on bad debt?
Might encourage them to build that wall after all.
Presumably it would actually be worth it for them.
They would provide Mexican level services to the new Mexicans which is presumably lower than the current services they receive suckling at the teat of the federal government.
The dumbest most neoliberal take ever. Maybe poor people deserve it?
Actually I take it back, dude is probably a white supremacist.
Christopher Armitage @chrisarmitage1 Most tell you what’s wrong. I try to tell you what works. Researcher, Former Law Enforcement Officer, Veteran, Author. Living in Spokane, Washington 🌲🌲🌲 with 3 feline roommates
I don’t know about denying red states funding, but I do know that I’m sick and fucking tired of my taxes paying for these assholes who then turn around and refuse to release funds that have already been approved to my state as some sort of punishment for being blue.
Nah, fuck that.
Wow, a cop and a veteran. Double whammy
Don’t forget “author”, as though that’s relevant for anything
Article author doesn’t actually elaborate on what they mean precisely by “cut them loose” but from context it seems to be cut off all their federal funding.
Not even sure how you’d do that to be honest - even Trump’s admin has struggled to legally withhold federal funds from states he hates, the funding gets pushed through in the end by legal action. So you wanna out-crime Trump? Dumb article.
If the author wants to make bold demands then along with that comes the requirement of suggesting how to achieve them, else it’s just performative whining.
Never surrender a square inch of territory to those scumbags. Those states are ruled by corrupt, anti-democracy elites, and the decent people there deserve a chance, not to be written off.
The decent people can always get help to be resettled to civilization.
Care to elaborate on what you mean by that? Are you going to help pay the relocation expenses of left-leaning voters in red states?
The “decent” people in those states keep voting for this
I didn’t.
Then you’re a decent person.
I’m talking about the “decent” people who are actually just dickheads
So. NO. This is what we are fighting against. We need to make a society where everyone can be included, happy, heallthy, and free. Not just exclude those we don’t currently agree with.
Many of these hard core MAGA people are like super fans of a sports team. They are looking for something to identify as and a group to be part of. Give them better options and they wouldn’t exist.
Give them better options and they wouldn’t exist.
Straight up bullshit. They’ve been given better options over and over. They are small, hateful people.
There are several sets of people involved. First you have the ambitious. These are poloticians and such that probably aren’t really racist at the core, but are willing to act and be racist to get ahead. They are the real problem. But it isn’t hate that drives them. It’s ambition. For the people suffering, that doesn’t matter. But when it comes to solving the problem it does.
Then you have the people who are actually racist, hateful people. They do exist, but they are actually a very small minority. The rest are “followers”. They weren’t racist until someone convinced them to be. These are the people you can give better options to. Doing so errodes the power of the other two groups.
Nope, fuck maga. i have no sympathy for nazis. they want to hate everything and everyone, let them be miserable in their little hate worlds.
There are several sets of people involved. First you have the ambitious. These are politicians and such that probably aren’t really racist at the core, but are willing to act and be racist to get ahead. They are the real problem. But it isn’t hate that drives them. It’s ambition. For the people suffering, that doesn’t matter. But when it comes to solving the problem it does.
Then you have the people who are actually racist, hateful people. They do exist, but they are actually a very small minority. The rest are “followers”. They weren’t racist until someone convinced them to be. These are the people you can give better options to. Doing so errodes the power of the other two groups.
I have no sympathy for the two groups that aren’t the followers.
You realize you think like them and they think like you, right? Dehumanizing someone unequivocally and wishing ill upon them is the easy and default human condition you find yourself living in right now.
Ah, the age-old dilemma: is it morally sound and/or necessary to dehumanize dehumanizers?
And if we’re honest, isn’t dehumanizing people a very human trait?
Or put my favorite way: “No one hates like family.”
Historically, the mongers of violence and war have only been ended by stronger violence and better war strategies and resources. The whole take the higher road and tolerance thing is what got America into this current mess in the first place. These assholes are cowards and only come out when there are no consequences, but go back into hiding when there are.
People should not be punched in the nose for their race, religion, sexuality, gender, etc., basically who they are. People should be punched in the noise for being assholes, their bad behaviour.
There are several sets of people involved. First you have the ambitious. These are poloticians and such that probably aren’t really racist at the core, but are willing to act and be racist to get ahead. They are the real problem. But it isn’t hate that drives them. It’s ambition. For the people suffering, that doesn’t matter. But when it comes to solving the problem it does.
Then you have the people who are actually racist, hateful people. They do exist, but they are actually a very small minority. The rest are “followers”. They weren’t racist until someone convinced them to be. These are the people you can give better options to. Doing so errodes the power of the other two groups.
But where we are now… I feel like you might be right about a need for responding in kind. But, while doing so, remembering that overall, the follower group is not an enemy that should be eradicated, but one that showed be turned to a better side. So it’s kind of like making sure you don’t box them in and give them no way out but to fight. You need the followers to join you while you overpower the other two groups. And after, you need to make sure the followers have better options so that they don’t join up with the next popularist to appear.
i do realize that and it weighs on me, and i hate it, but i refuse to tolerate intolerance.
I am fully willing to have rational conversations with maga, but after trying 100s of times and making no progress, i see no reason to continue with the olive branch. i would have better luck teaching my dog mandrin, than making maga see reason or have empathy.
Exactly. Some of these people are literally our fucking parents, and even they refuse to listen to reason.
They are lost.
It’s a fascinating social construct: Once enough chronological years are accumulated, expertise is expected. Obviously though, points at everything, that’s a fallacy. They’re literally clinically retarded. It’s uncouthe to fight the retarded.
I didn’t see any dehumanization in the comment you’re replying to
The problem is that you can’t separate most of MAGA from the hate. If a black person in Mississippi benefits from a federal state service, that cannot be tolerated, even if many whites benefit as well.
It’s more important to protect a non-viable embryo, according to these people, than to protect the mother’s life or health.
I feel like King Theoden from LotR, who says “What can men do against such reckless hate?” Though, it’s valid to substitute “hatred” with “stupidity”
There are several sets of people involved. First you have the ambitious. These are poloticians and such that probably aren’t really racist at the core, but are willing to act and be racist to get ahead. They are the real problem. But it isn’t hate that drives them. It’s ambition. For the people suffering, that doesn’t matter. But when it comes to solving the problem it does.
Then you have the people who are actually racist, hateful people. They do exist, but they are actually a very small minority. The rest are “followers”. They weren’t racist until someone convinced them to be. These are the people you can give better options to. Doing so errodes the power of the other two groups.
These followers aren’t being told black and white. They are be told lazy, or criminal. And when the ambitious people shut services, they don’t mention the “good” people who benefit, they only mention the bad people. So often followers don’t even know who is really losing out. The news is full of trump supporters who are unhappy that a local to them person they knew got picked up by ICE. That’s because they believed the propaganda that it would only be violent illegal immigrants and such. Some were just fooled. But a lot just idolize trump because he filled a place in thier life that was empty. Give them something better, and they won’t idolize him. And idolization causes a lot of people to believe illogical things.
That is all true and yet we still need to offer better options than a civil war.
Billionaire Burgers?
Shareholder Shortribs?
Capitalist Casserole?
Sufficient hate or stupidity, is indistinguishable from the other.
Yes.
They’re hyperfocused on states rights. Fine. Here’s the thing though - with rights come responsibilities. One can’t claim the right to make one’s own decisions, then dodge the responsibility for those decisions.
They.make their choices, they have to deal with the consequences themselves.
So they can grow the fuck up and join the modern world, or they can just wallow in their ignorance and incompetence. It’s their problem - not ours.
with great states rights comes great states responsibilities
So instead of ignoring the fuckups of countries all over the world we are expected to ignore them here as well. Clearly ignoring the problem is not working.
Seems like we are playing right into their hands and sacrificing our own citizens in the name of politics.
The mistake isn’t ignoring the problem - it’s subsidizing it.
They’re free to continue to be ignorant, short-sighted fuckups because we’re there to bail their pathetic asses out.
If we’re going to bail them out, then that means we’re taking responsibility, and if we’re taking responsibility then they’re going to sit the fuck down and shut the fick up and do as they’re told, because obviously they can’t take care of themselves.
And if, on the other hand, they’re going to do as they please, then it’s not our responsibility - it’s theirs. And if they can’t bail themselves out of the trouble they’ve caused for themselves, that’s their own fucking problem.
It has to be one or the other. Authority without responsibility just creates moral hazard. Either they have the aurhority, in which case they also have the responsibility, or we have the responsibility, in which case we also have the authority.
They’re free to continue to be ignorant, short-sighted fuckups because we’re there to bail their pathetic asses out.
Fucking amen
I like this way of framing it because it doesn’t abjectly give up responsibility.
It plays right into their Atlas Shrugged sensibilities.
I love it
Hmm, I like this approach. How about this though. When a state fucks up bad enough to need a federal bailout, and it has to be the states fault not something like a natural disaster unless the state itself either caused it or demonstrably failed to prepare for it (looking at you Texas power grid) then the federal government does the following.
First they decide how much they’re budgeting to fix the problem. Then the State needs to decide if they’re going to provide a plan to keep that problem from happening again. If the state provides a plan then the federal subsidy payments are done in installments and those installments are conditional on implementing that plan. If however the state either refuses to make a plan or doesn’t make one that’s acceptable instead that money is put into a fund that people can claim some amount of to cover expenses for moving out of that state and into another one. This could potentially go all the way up to the cost of buying a house in a different state, although they then actually have to move out of their current state including selling any property in that state or else the money gets clawed back.
This way the problem gets solved one way or another, either the state improves or else there are fewer people stuck in shitty states.
Seems reasonable.
Maybe, but on the plus side it’s the ignorant, hateful citizens. Win-win.
That is just pure propaganda. They are not anymore hateful than you or I. They have been led astray.
I get it, othering is as appealing as it is toxic.
They are not anymore hateful than you or I.
Are you fucking for real?
We are talking about literal white nationalists.
If they are still “astray” at this point, it’s by choice. Fuck them.
So children raised in these environments, fed lies day in and day out are ultimately choosing to be a certain way?
Republicans don’t care about children, why should I?
It seems that’s not the only thing you have in common with Republicans…
Blame the people for being lied to just doesn’t have that self-righteous energy you are looking for.
Yours is the unpopular but adult position that will ultimately get us past this crisis
Secessionists are dangerous and malicious
This is simply what the red states want and it will not improve your lives but leave us with highly dangerous neighbors and a completely destroyed society
Do not fall for this shit
and plays exactly into what Putin wants, to weaken the US even further.
No country can last forever, renewal is just as important for governments as forest fires are to restoring the balance in nature.
Is it painful? Yes.
Is it necessary eventually? Also yes.
So basically what we already have
Do you think it can’t get much much worse?
Just because it can get worse, doesn’t mean it’s not already here
Review “soft secession”.
They love secession so much.
They love Jesus so much.
Let them have both.
Cut the Failed
RedStates LooseFailed and red basically are synonymous here
I meant the nation, in its entirety.
The West Coast and the North East states need to leave these useless bloodsuckers behind.
These “useless bloodsuckers” aren’t the problem. The “problem class” is everyone with a 7-figure income.
Of course we all know that Republicans have no concern for human life unless it’s an embryo.
This is not really true. Republicans do not really care about embryos any more than they care about the pro-life flags their voters fly. Like the flags, the embryo is just a symbol, a tool to be abandoned as soon as it has served its political purpose.
Yeah the main reason they care is because abortion gives women agency, the ability to control their own lives. In the conservative ideology women are subservient to men.
