READY FOR A LITTLE STRESS RELEASE?

On Vermont Public Radio's "Switchboard" Thursday evening was the topic of Vermont seceding from the Union.
See the related item at: http://www.vpr.net

Here are my notes made during the show...for your stress-releasing musings!
XOXOXXX ♥ listener


"Why secede?"
Government has become too big
The US Empire has become unmanageable.

"What about the loss of federal funds?"
We will have more usable funds ourselves than the funds we receive with mandates.

"How would the rest of the country view us, and how would VT be perceived as a Republic? How would it affect tourism?"
50 nations and states in the world are smaller than Vermont.
Other nations may feel MORE willing to visit VT if it were independent.

"What if we had an emergency?"
Two words: Hurricane Katrina.

An immigrant called into the VPR show shocked that anyone would want to secede from a country that has done him so much good. He thinks VT would become a third world country.
(It might anyway, as Karen pointed out.)

Fun irony....the immigrant came from ENGLAND. Given that the USA effectively seceded from England, it was a humorous call, in a way.

VT was a Republic until 1791...the good ol' days. ;)

There is some talk about Peaceable Secession.
I honestly don't think it'll fly...because VT is presently "owned" by the Union. I doubt the rest of the country would say, "Oh well, sure, go ahead."

Caller from Montreal, Quebec (which has had it's own secession idears), Canada ...
suggests it has been great for Quebec to talk secession because Canada woos them! Ha!
Says folks from Quebec (immediately to our north) are sympathetic and would still come to visit! :)
Says to ask ourselves if the issues are a temporary thing or not. Is it WORTH getting out of the USA for what might be limited benefits.

"Canada is Vermont's #1 trading partner."
Would stay the same in the Independent Vermont.
Note: Not intended as an ISOLATIONIST idear...still very friendly toward and open to the rest of the USA.

So, who here would want to move to Vermont if we become an independent Republic?
Would Howard Dean be our leader?
Maybe instead of a President or a King we could just have a Doctor or a Guv. ;)

Another Montreal caller. Pretty sweet how interested our friends from the north are in this process! :)

The guest on "Switchboard" became interested in the idear as a skeptic but also as a professional historian. The more he considered it, the more he liked the idear and the more he was able to articulate why. So there is some very real sentiment toward doing so.
My town Rep is also the Speaker of the House in VT, though, and I know she is skeptical, understandably. I think it would take awhile (years) before it caught on here. But Bush is sure making it sound better and better, so who knows? Stay tuned! :-)

There is talk of Vermont being self sustaining, though not isolationist.
I think Vermont is better suited to this than many states, as the populace is very conscious of the need to be frugal and tending the environment, buying local, etc.. (sounds very Dean, doesn't it?) ;-)

I don't know if it would ever happen, but it is actually COMFORTING to ponder the possibility of Vermont seceding.

I wasn't taking it seriously until hearing the very reasoned and reasonable purposes in secession, and hearing that it's desired to do so peaceably and non-violently!! I LOOOOVE VERMONT!!!

"How would Vermont as a Republic defend itself?"
Well, we already have a National Guard.
(And I'm thinking: And they'd actually be HERE!)

A guy from MI just called in! Apparently the Upper Peninsula wanted to do something similar at one point! It failed because of the dependency on the Lower Peninsula. So he suggests creating ambassadors as a first step.

LOL! A woman called in with a strong British accent and misspoke saying, "I moved to Texas from America..."
She was concerned about people letting go of USA citizenship.
So it was suggested, "Why not dual citizenship?" (VT and USA or VT and CANADA...etc.)
I LOVE the idear of being a compatriot of some of my friends from Canada as well as some of you! Way cool. A new way to be a world citizen, perhaps.

Hey, turns out Americans have a constitutional right to secede.
Ooooooooo. What if we ALL (the whole nation) secede together and just leave Bush alone?
He can have the little peninsula in Kennebunkport where the Bush compound is anyway. ;)

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