Prayers ARE answered

@HypnoChode Hear that, Republicans? If we give you Texas and sacrifice the emerald waters of Florida, will you agree to stay within your own borders of Black Hole, Conservistan?

@Graylight
Oh yeah. I spent several weeks in Florida/Austin in May and June. Beef aside, the MAGA commenter seems to be detached from reality, when it comes to where NASA is and how the incomers flipped Houston to liberal city with a gay mayor (can we say that). Hint: it's called education.

I don't eat meat.

@Northwest What are you proving? I am not a republican and I am a born and raised Houstonian.
I think that you misunderstood my point.
I voted for Biden reluctantly because I dislike him but that has nothing to do with what I said. It still remains true that the industry of Texas was not built by the people that just came here. Many voters that vote Democrat are not liberal in Texas.

@REMsleep
And that's the point I am arguing. In fact, cowboy studliness notwithstanding, and setting oil aside, the new Texas industry IS set by the newcomers. The same goes for Washington my state. FYI: the state of Texas generates 1/3rd of its power needs from wind farms.

15 years ago, the biggest thing in Austin, was SxSW. Now, it's the tech industry. A coupe of decades before Austin, it was Houston.

It's also funny that you mention NASA and Boeing. The latter's Texas activities were set by the formers, and how both would fare in a future country of Texas. Hint: NASA.

@Barny52 Yes. For years, there's been chatter - serious and not - about Texas ("It's a Whole Other Country") seceding from the US.

They won't because they're an indelible part of and very much enjoy the benefits of living as part of the US. But if Brexit taught us anything, it's that anything is possible.

Texas will likely never even come close to leaving the US, as it enjoys necessary protections and benefits a new country would be utterly without.

@Graylight our Brexit was trouble right from the start, got 0 gains with a lot of cost and fallout all down to a few fanning the flames! Hope you don’t have the trouble we did !

@Barny52 I'm remiss for not paying more attention to it (strong family roots in that part of the world), but from the US perspective it has seemed messy, very confusing and fairly zero-sum for everyone involved.

It seems wanting all the protections and benefits of a country but not its rules is very fashionable these days.

@SatanBurger I swear, it feels like it's coming down to, "If you can't beat 'em, kill e'm before they can get to you."

@Diotrephes Fine, if Texas secedes, and the rest of us let them go, it doesn't matter what the Constitution says. But that's a trite observation, like saying if 300 million Americans decided one day that we should be a colony of North Korea, that's what would happen.

@LeopoldBloom One of the basic principles in America is that the people decide on the type of government they want to have. So, if the Texans want to leave there isn't a damn thing the bureaucrats can do to stop them if the people persist. All they have to do is renounce their American citizenship and say that they are forming their own country on the land. They could then resist any further involvement with the Union and they would have seceded.

@Diotrephes If Texas tries to secede, they will face the same response as in 1860. But if they pay their portion of the national debt, compensate the federal government for the cost of all federal property (like military bases), and pay to relocate any Texans who want to leave, they are free to go.

@DavidT8899
Yes, I'm sure 🤣 If you knew how to prove it, you would have done so.

@DavidT8899 California doesn't have any laws that require individuals to show ID to police in any instance.

@Graylight Thanks for the information =

Can You Refuse to Show ID to Police in California?
"California does not have any laws that require individuals to show ID to police in any instance. Lacking any “Stop and Identify” or “Papers Please” laws, cops are unable to legally penalize you for politely refusing to furnish ID in most circumstances.

However, if you are pulled over or get arrested, you will need to provide the officer with an ID or face additional penalties. In addition, if you were pulled over for a DUI and failed to show ID, your refusal may be used against you in court."
https://www.losangelesduiattorney.com/dui-faq/can-you-refuse-to-show-id-to-police-in-california/#:~:text=California%20does%20not%20have%20any,furnish%20ID%20in%20most%20circumstances.

Do I have to identify myself to police in California?
Posted on October 1, 2021
"You do not have to show police your identification in California, unless you are being lawfully detained or arrested. Unlike some other states, California does not have a “stop and identify” statute that makes it a crime to refuse to identify yourself. However, Vehicle Code section 12500(a) VC makes it a crime to drive without a license.

Do I have to show my ID to a California police officer?
No, Californians do not have a general legal obligation to show their ID whenever a police officer asks to see it.

Unlike in many other state laws, California law does not have a statute that forbids people from refusing to show their ID. These statutes, known as “stop and identify” or “papers please” laws, require people to show their ID if police ask for it. However, the laws generally state that police or peace officers are only allowed to ask for identification if they have a reasonable suspicion that the person:

is committing a crime,
has committed a crime, or
is about to commit a crime.
Some of the states that have “stop and identify” laws are:

Colorado,1
Nevada,2
Ohio,3 and
Utah.4
Other states, like Arizona5 and New York,6 let officers who reasonably suspect criminal activity to demand a suspect’s name, address, and an explanation of his or her conduct. These laws do not necessarily require the suspect to provide their ID card to the law enforcement officer, though."
https://www.shouselaw.com/ca/blog/do-i-have-to-identify-myself-to-police-in-california/

@SteelHands Article IV, Section 3 describes the mechanism for creating new states. It requires the concurrence of the state legislature and Congress. I believe in Texas' case, they already have congressional approval to divide into as many as 5 states as a condition of their reentry after the Civil War, so if the Texas state legislature decreed that it is now the states of East, South, West, North, and Central Texas, that's all that would be needed. However, this doesn't mean they can secede.

@LvChris Can a state be expelled form a nation?

@REMsleep I'm a Californian who moved to Georgia and am proud of helping turn that state blue.

@LeopoldBloom What the hell are you doing living in Georgia? Bunch of backward rednecks there.

@independentone Job promotion.

Because of the population, there are more redneck hillbillies in California than in the entire South combined. They're just outnumbered. And there are definitely fewer here in Georgia than before. I'm looking forward to Stacey Abrams as my governor and Raphael Warnock to continue as my senator. I'm also contributing to the Democratic congressional candidate in my district, who I happen to know personally.

@LeopoldBloom Maybe they can move?

@Fukfacewillie Will Texas pay for that? Who would buy their house?

@LeopoldBloom I don’t know, but if Texas wants to leave I am in full support!