What are the downsides to secession?

[Dave Ridley]

The ones I can think of off the top of my head are:

Possibly more difficulty getting to and from other states

Actually that's all I can think of at the moment.

However the important thing is just starting the debate and drawing attention to the idea.  Just talking about it will tend to make the feds more cautious in the way they treat people here.

[Russell Kanning]

I can't run for dictator from Keene?

[Kat Kanning]

Getting shot by USGov.

[Fluff and Stuff]

Getting shot by USGov.

Yeah, that's a big one.  Also, loosing my job, if I work in MA.  Tons less money from MA/CT/VT/ME shoppers so maybe higher taxes.  No longer first in the nation for pre-elections equals less visitors means maybe higher taxes.  Harder for family to visit me and buy a bunch of local NH things.  Less likely to get cheap Mexican labor.  The list goes on and on.

[KBCraig]

Downside depends entirely on the U.S. response. Could range anywhere from ignoring it, pretending it didn't happen, all the way to invasion and occupation.

In between, you could have roads and rails severed at the border, and/or strict border controls. Restraint of trade and punitive tariffs. Denial of direct air travel. Outlaw financial transactions between NH and the U.S., like a New England Cuba.

I don't necessarily support secession, but I believe the state should be able to if they wish.

Kevin

[tracysaboe]

Restraint of trade and punitive tariffs. Denial of direct air travel. Outlaw financial transactions between NH and the U.S., like a New England Cuba.

Considering that we'd have access to the rest of the world market that average U.S. citizens don't have, I seriously don't see this as a problem.

Tracy

[Russell Kanning]

I am sure we would also survive if outsiders didn't shop here. Since we don't tax those sales, then why would are taxes go up, if they went down?

Some of those other things are bad things the US would do......that is out of our control. We cannot force countries to open our markets to us.

We could let mexicans come and go freely from our country.

[Pat McCotter]

We have these things called "Business Profits Tax", "Business Enterprise Tax" and "Meals and Rooms (Rental) Tax."

[Russell Kanning]

People don't shop in NH so they can pay the meals and rooms tax. There is so much bloat in state government that we would never miss.

[Pat McCotter]

Oh, come on! They feel sorry for us not having an income or sales tax! They're helping us out with their tourist taxes!

[Russell Kanning]

 
We always see VT cars in our Walmart lot etc......especially on Saturdays. I just found a Walmart right across the river from downtown Brattleboro ..... so now why do they come to ours? Kat figures they must be visiting a lot of shops. Plus we have a home depot and a new Target. In a free NH future, they might be streaming in for our cheap gas, restaurants, food.

Sorry I am too excited about secession to find anything bad.

[Lloyd Danforth]

The ones I can think of off the top of my head are:

Possibly more difficulty getting to and from other states

Actually that's all I can think of at the moment.

However the important thing is just starting the debate and drawing attention to the idea.  Just talking about it will tend to make the feds more cautious in the way they treat people here.

Dave will be an ilegal when he goes to Boston.  He will have to work for minumum wage

[JonM]

We always see VT cars in our Walmart lot etc......especially on Saturdays. I just found a Walmart right across the river from downtown Brattleboro ..... so now why do they come to ours? Kat figures they must be visiting a lot of shops. Plus we have a home depot and a new Target. In a free NH future, they might be streaming in for our cheap gas, restaurants, food.

Sorry I am too excited about secession to find anything bad.

Who says a seceded New Hampshire will go libertarian?

[aries]

We always see VT cars in our Walmart lot etc......especially on Saturdays. I just found a Walmart right across the river from downtown Brattleboro ..... so now why do they come to ours? Kat figures they must be visiting a lot of shops. Plus we have a home depot and a new Target. In a free NH future, they might be streaming in for our cheap gas, restaurants, food.

Sorry I am too excited about secession to find anything bad.

Who says a seceded New Hampshire will go libertarian?

Well it's the libertarians pushing for secession (and anarchocapitalists)... so if it does, it will be because of US!

[JonM]

Just because it's libertarian types pushing for it doesn't mean they'll control the process once it happens, especially as many are decidedly against actually participating in the political process.  The only way to make secession happen in a way that doesn't have a 90% chance of ending badly for the pro-liberty crowd is to have the vast majority of the New Hampshire people on board with the same set of ideals.

If New Hampshire was the libertopia it would need to be in order for secession to work well, we wouldn't need a Free State Project, we'd all just move there and enjoy it.  People pushing for "secession now!" seem to want to skip the whole "get the people of New Hampshire on our side" step of the equation.  Have we learned nothing from the underpants gnomes?

Phase one: Collect underpants
Phase two: . . .
Phase three: Profit!