OPINION: The best way to save America may be to break it up
*Columns are the opinions of their respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Wichitan as an organization.*
It doesn’t take more than a quick peek at the news to realize that the United States of America is not thriving. The nation is the most polarized it has been since the Civil War and respect for the country is declining worldwide. Instead of playing out the nation’s twilight years, inevitably ending in violent destruction, the world’s last superpower should work toward a gradual and peaceful dissolution into many, smaller sovereign countries.
The United States is huge. How huge, you ask? So large that the contiguous United States could fit 30 different European countries inside it. With a population of 328.2 million, the States is more than twice as populated as all members of the Commonwealth realm (which includes Australia, Canada, UK, Jamaica and twelve other sovereign nations) combined. The only states that compare to the US in size and population are Russia and China, neither of which has nearly as many freedoms and liberties as the US.
That sounds like a boast, right? Wrong. With all that size and all those people come drastically different viewpoints, ideologies, needs, concerns and values. While states are largely autonomous, the role of the central government in state politics is increasing every year. It makes very little sense that people who live, in some cases, thousands of miles from each other should have a say in the politics of each other. For example, there’s no reason northern states should have a say in the immigration policies of states that border Mexico just as there is no reason deeply conservative states in the bible belt should be able to stop liberal countries from adopting liberal or socialist policies.
With the divide between the nation’s left and right becoming more polarized and violent by the day, separating the US into ideologically similar countries would force the like-minded parties in these new nations to split into many separate parties with small differences instead of the two extremes parties we have today.
Despite a shared language and background, Texas is as dissimilar to California as Australia is to England. The same could be said for several United States states and regions. The most pressing concern over a dissolution is the economy, but in my opinion, the economy of all subsequent countries should continue to thrive with a free trade agreement under a European Union-style American Union. The Gross Domestic Products of California, Texas and New York state are similar to the U.K., Canada and South Korea respectively.
For those worried that potentially dangerous countries like Russia and the People’s Republic of China would run rampant in a United States-less world, I’d ask: what is the US doing to stop them now? The US hasn’t stopped Russia from illegally annexing Crimea and meddling in former U.S.S.R. Republics affairs, and it hasn’t stopped China from its cultural genocide of the Uyghur Muslims and its oppression of Hong Kong. An American Union, while perhaps not as influential, would still be able to promote the shared democratic values of the former states.
This dissolution would not be the one proposed by past politicians that splits the nation into fifty countries, leaving smaller states like Montana and Rhode Island vulnerable, but instead one where multiple states form federations with bigger states that share similar values and needs. Individual counties that don’t share the same demographics or values as their home state could hold referendums to join neighboring states that better represent them.
As a patriotic person who tears up when he hears the Star Spangled Banner and watches Independence Day every July 4, it’s sad for me to think of the USA ending in my lifetime. However, it’s even sadder to see it in its current state: a polarized state straying further from the democratic values of freedom it touts while being governed by aging hypocritical leaders who don’t represent the people they were elected by.
Hi there! My name is Amos Perkins, and I am currently the editor in chief of The Wichitan. I am a 4-8 grade social studies education senior hoping to graduate...
Cougrr • Dec 28, 2022 at 10:03 PM
Not by States, but by excising the cancerous major metropolitan areas. If America is to survive, the liberal cesspool major cities (that can’t seem to do ANYthing right), but control the State.. Chicago rules over ALL of Illinois, NYC controls NY state, Portland controls all of Oregon, Etc… Look at the ‘Blue/Red Map’ by county election map. Those relatively few Liberal welfare-entitled major cities control the rest of the US… Here where I live, that means that five or six of the 88 Counties in Ohio control the entire State. Those areas are also the places with the most crime. SO we just let the CRIMINAL cities control us???
RJ Widhalm • Dec 28, 2022 at 6:23 PM
Russia didn’t “illegally annex Crimea”. Crimea voted 90% to 10% to rejoin Russia. Next time do a search instead of just repeating Neocon talking points.
Lisa Stultz • Oct 3, 2021 at 12:32 PM
I have had the very same thought about the need for the country to split up. However, I’m not sure how it would make any difference. For example, I am more of a moderate Democrat but my next door neighbors are conservative Republicans. I’m for universal health care, gun control, and making the rich pay their fair share of taxes, and they are the opposite. In order for these new “countries” to work, half of us would have to move. Otherwise we have more “countries” with the same problems we already have. I realize that the majority would rule, but we supposedly have that now. The only way we can really come together is by compromise, some sacrifice, and to find a “Middle Way”.
Saber 7 • Dec 28, 2022 at 6:22 PM
God gave you two feet, move.
Sapwolf • Aug 27, 2021 at 11:52 PM
As culture fragments, it is normal for countries and empires to split. It’s not by itself a bad thing or good thing.
However, a peaceful split would greatly vent the growing pressures that will certainly lead to civil war at the precinct neighborhood level up to the county level. Counties will secede from states and it won’t be just states seceding from the federal government, etc.
The problem is that the countries leaders have not yet mentioned a peaceful divorce as a possible solution.
I think we need to get the discussion going to avoid a huge bloody mess of a civil war. I’m from the SF Bay Area in CA but have lived in other states. Since I am a US citizen legally and culturally, and since I’m Catholic, I would fall in what is referred to as the ‘red’ camp. But, I would have no problem with the coastal counties of the west coast and east coast where it is blue with going their way too.
Both sides would be much happier even if there would be short-term processes to adjust to the new countries.
Let’s get the talk going so all the regions can be who they want to be. Otherwise, well…you don’t want to think of the alternative.
Sam Lipkin • Aug 20, 2021 at 10:51 AM
I for one would be perfectly happy to stop sending my hard-earned tax money to those federal government teat-sucking, lazy, irresponsible, meth-head, selfish, hypocritical, and selfish-as-heck cry-babies over in their so-called self-proclaimed “Real America”. They lost their monopoly over the culture and actually have to share power and influence with other people who live in this country and consider that to be “oppression”. And this is the fault, supposedly, of an evil cabal of (usually Jewish) Liberals who control Hollywood, the Media, the Gub’mint, and heck! Just about everything, right? And it’s because we Jewish Liberals are apparently all for all sorts of evil things. Never things we actually said we want, mind you. But you know it’s what we really want because Fox News says so 24/7. Let all the MAGA-nuts and Christian Taliban go off on their own and try to figure out how to feed themselves without having a federal government pay for all their basic services. Let them go run themselves however they want, just like the Taliban. Let us Americans who actually care about things like the Ten Commandments, the Golden Rule, the Sermon on the Mount, and the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence; let us live happy, secure, and free lives. If someone were to ask me what do I think of America as a land of freedom, equality, and opportunity for all?, I would paraphrase Gandhi and say I think it would be a great idea.
Joan • Jul 14, 2021 at 1:04 PM
As a very liberal person residing in a red state, I am beyond ready for a divorce. I feel bloodshed will occur by both sides of we do not. I would need to relocate and I’m fine with that.
I want to have access to abortions and for it to be treated as normal. I want the LGBTQIA to have rights. I think human needs are human rights.
And I understand I’ll never see eye to eye with conservatives.
There has to be a way to break up and let each other live our own lives. Half the country thinks this nation is stolen land stained by genocide and upheld by racism and systemic oppression. The other half literally thinks God had a hand in creating us as the best nation ever of freedom and opportunity. Neither is willing to budge.
Corv • Jun 10, 2021 at 1:29 AM
Watching from the “oh-so-socialist” Denmark, I only have to look towards the US for how it could be worse, at least with regards to economic political culture. We could be (even more) swarmed by people whose idea of welfare as socialism directly contradicts the historical facts of the Cold War: That the Soviet Union and pretty much every other socialist state had next to nothing for welfare, compared to the capitalist countries with social services, herein the US, UK, DK and France. Yugoslavia was largely the only exception, and the most cooperative one with the capitalists at that, albeit with less welfare than them.
Granted, if it was facts these people cared about, they would be looking at fact-checking agencies, rather than living in a world where independent media, academics, corporations NGOs and governments do not exist and everyone who contradicts their favorite pundit on Twitter must be “brainwashed” and “communists stealing the election”. Social media is just mass media with worse standards for fact-checking, so they just made the problem they complain about even worse.
With that level of misinformation and conspiracy-theory lunacy, the idea of saying “everyone is so polarized” is just false neutrality. They’ve made a central tenet of denying climate change, science and statistics, and so are impossible to work with, no matter how well-behaved the other side could be.
Sadly, I don’t think splitting most countries would be an option, as people have homes and people they love, even within states they hate. In this situation, I can only hope the international community makes it easier for people of philosophical, humane like-mindedness to move to different countries that are the most like them, to solidify and pursue useful goals. Probably no need for that for anti-immigrant republicans, though. You can guess why, given their stances on immigration.
Karen Sweatman • Mar 24, 2021 at 2:33 AM
If the power grab and destructive policies by the Marxist left continue, most Americans will want out. The problem is, we can’t vote our way out of communism. H.R 1 defines the radical left’s plans for future elections. They will be cheat fests that emulate what they did in 2020 to usurp President Trump. Open borders, drugs, crime, overspending that bankrupts the country, gun confiscation, defunding the police, lawlessness, eliminating ICE and the DEA, political persecution, striking down the Constitution, killing free speech, and removing the freedoms so many Americans gave their lives to protect. I see only two outcomes, a peaceful split or bloodshed. Sadly, I believe it will be the latter.
Michael Pippen • Feb 19, 2021 at 11:15 PM
I don’t think either side will be convinced by arguments at this point about which political philosophy is best. With a peaceful break-up, there would be multiple regions/states/countries that could do what they think is best; i.e. free market or public health care, different economic, cultural, and trade policies, etc. After some years, one or several models will be shown to be more successful and the others will copy. Of course there will be conflict, but there is conflict as it is.
Scooby Dee • Feb 15, 2021 at 4:50 PM
I know Barry it would be great. And while the hippy
nitwits who invented the internet apps and mobile phone you use smoke bongs, you wunnerful country folk can roll around in the mud with your hogs in the barnyard. Gawd bless yer heart!
The biggest recipients of welfare and financial drags are in the Midwest and South. The centers of wealth creation are on the coasts because that is where the brains are. You do the math Bible boy.
GCH • Jun 30, 2022 at 4:35 PM
The biggest recipients of welfare are not Christian conservatives. Nice try!
Barry Manilow • Feb 5, 2021 at 7:13 AM
It’s a great idea but wouldn’t work. After a few weeks the democrat nation would be begging for help doing actual work (manual labor, producing electricity, producing food) as they sit around playing with twitter, facebook and creating useless apps.
Janet Tucker • Jan 31, 2021 at 11:40 AM
With each new day the schism grows wider. Why split into small states. Looking at the political map, it is obvious that there are two blue countries at the coasts, and a red country in the middle. I’m thinking about the separation of India from Pakistan in the 1940s. It was bloody and violent, but it worked great for India, which no longer has the burden of dealing with religious madmen that execute people for insulting Mohammad. Today Pakistan is a regressive medieval dumpster fire, while India is an economic world contender. In America, I think everybody would be so much happier if there was an amicable (as much as possible) divorce. America can then become a Federation. The states in relationship, but not sharing the same house. Like it or not, we are moving steadily and rather quickly to that solution.
Dan • Jan 19, 2021 at 12:50 PM
Sadly, I agree with this. As we can see with the comments above, people are so polarized. I have my own beliefs (no reason in sharing them because 50% will agree and 50% will oppose). I think splitting up will calm the anger in this country because I can feel the rage in this country everyday.
Also keep in mind that by splitting up, I do feel like there will be an ideological battle in these new nations. You will have super-liberal people vs liberal people and super-conservative people vs conservative people.
Stacey • Jan 15, 2021 at 7:06 PM
How can we make this happen? I feel like we are all just sitting here allowing the Socialist takeover. If a portion want to destroy the United States and remake it as a Socialist state, why do we all have to go down with it?
Is there a legitimate movement?
Shirley Cook • Jan 7, 2021 at 3:33 PM
I agree with both of you. I had hope for the nation when Trump was elected. I feel hopeless now. I do not want to live in a country ruled by people who would steal elections, force Socialism on us and look down on us. Read Break It Up Quotes by Richard Kreitner (quoting John Quincy Adams on dissolving the Union). It hits the nail on the head. Lets end this miserable union that has no future but strife and misery.
Pamela Dale • Jan 3, 2021 at 1:23 PM
Yes, we do need an amicable divorce. How to split up the regions would have to be worked out, said Captain Obvious, but I would suggest keeping a common military. I think it’s the only way to avoid inevitable violence. Perhaps regions that prefer autocratic rule as opposed to regions that prefer democratic rule. I see no reason for the USA to remain as one. We are miserable together and we should break up into regions that have common political, environmental, and moral interests. I really hope this happens sooner than later.
Joseph • Jan 1, 2021 at 9:34 AM
Amos your writing and ideas are clear and I must say that I agree. While the devil is in the details, the country must breakup. There is such a lack of empathy or general knowledge of other regions and systems (see Mathew’s strange and belligerently uninformed comments above), that there is no way to come back to harmony and union. I would contend that we have never been united except for a few decades in the XX century. It’s time for like minded people on the topic to join together and propose a way forward. However, how we might come together for this purpose, I do not know.
Matthew • Nov 24, 2020 at 11:25 PM
That would be an interesting fantasy, to not be controlled by socialists trying to steal my freedoms from me. I actually prefer to read my Bible as it reminds me of personal accountability and values that the other side obviously lacks with their excuses for endless collections of welfare that frankly I’m not financially responsible for. I like cleaning my guns to because I know, as a fire extinguisher is a tool for a fireman, a gun is a tool in protecting my family and home from liberal thugs who feel entitled to my fruits of labor.
The military is the biggest concern. Naturally, the socialists don’t want any of it so they can find out the hard way how to fight off the Chinese invasion with sticks and stones, but nevertheless it will be sad to see then China at the doorstep to MY country. Kind of like being stuck in the middle of the map portrayed in “The Man in the High Castle.”
Another concern is will we then be stuck under the thumb of some overseeing, unelectable, “AU” that we once had elected power over but not anymore? Or are we to be completely autonomous? The latter would definitely spell the defeat for all one after the other as Britain would have back in the late 1700s if not united. Russia would reclaim AK, China would take HI and Guam as it did the South China Sea. That’d be just the beginning as they would salivate at the entire west coast full of fun loving hippies doing nothing but smoking a bowl around the clock while living in safe zones which ironically would be replaced with prisoner camps and brothels for the invading soldiers.
The more rational answer is to strip all the federal powers down to just a united military to defend us all and allow each of the states to conduct their own individual governments whether libertarian, conservative, classic liberal, or socialist. Wait, we originally were supposed to be that way! Hmm…freakin’ socialists have to try and control everything.
Geoffrey Harris • Nov 15, 2020 at 7:10 PM
Ok. A lot of folks have been discussing this lately. The general voice of opposition is just one based upon rejecting the idea due to its supposedly being unprecedented. A common currency, they dollar, still could be used. Admittedly there could be some challenges in dividing military assets. A big advantage to this arrangement is that the Bible-thumping, gun-stroking, knuckle-dragging, doltish, backward, troglydite, dark-age-promoting, scum could have their beknighted toxic wasteland of trailer parks ruled over by thuggish brutes whereas the more enlightened enclaves could have health care, quality education, and a lesser investment in prisons. Would prefer that the pc folks and those promoting unsuitable immigration be separated off too.