Democrats are afraid of ideas with which they disagree. It is better to censor them to protect the people than assume “the people” can use their judgment. Trump Derangement Syndrome has similar side effects. It is better to run away from the potential for prosperity than allow it to improve people’s lives – they might decide they like that and stop voting Democrat (or something.
New York state is geographically overwhelmingly Republican, but like most blue states, it has densely populated Democratic cities that make them blue. Oregon, Washington State, and California are prime examples of this. New Mexico, as well. However, to my knowledge, none of them suggest that their state secede to Canada to become a new province.
New York state legislators have hinted at using unusual tactics to combat the incoming Trump administration, including holding back federal taxes and leaving the United States to join Canada.
State Sen. Liz Krueger, a prominent Democrat from New York City who is also the chairwoman of the state Senate Finance Committee, proposed the ideas as state Democrats only have weeks to counter President-elect Donald Trump before he takes office.
I think New York State should hold back its taxes from the Feds and, in return, get nothing from them. Not because it sounds like a fair exchange, but because it would need to collect those federal taxes for the state government and would receive nothing from the Feds. In the long term, it is a better deal for New Yorkers, who can then affect how their money is spent and on what.
It’s a bad deal for members of Congress from the state because they lose the ability to leverage federal money in exchange for goodwill and votes – no opportunity to bribe their districts with Federal Welfare. That would fall to the State House and State Senate.
I assume Federal student loans would likely be inaccessible, and the state—if it wanted to adopt the practice—would have to backstop these “investments” in education. It also seems likely that out-of-state students on Federal loans would be prohibited from spending that money at New York’s universities, which would also lose all their federal grant money and have to sing to the state government for their dinner.
In other words, I love this idea.
But what about seceding to Canada? It is just as unlikely, but they have at least one thing in common. Blue New York state allows abortion up to 24 weeks and then in the event of a medical emergency in the third trimester (just like New Hampshire does). Canada’s national government, just like in the US, has no federal abortion law. Each provincial government can set its own standard, and not one of them allows abortion after 24 weeks, while several stopping the practice at 12-15 weeks.
New York State would fit right in.
