Pew Trusts - Many rural, often conservative, residents of large Democratic-controlled states are tired of being overshadowed politically, culturally and economically by big cities.
They’ve tried legislation, elections and even redistricting. The problems can’t be solved by traditional means, they say. So why not use a tool built into the U.S. Constitution: create a new state out of an existing state through approval of both the state legislature and Congress?
It happened when Maine split from Massachusetts in 1820, and again when West Virginia split from Virginia in 1863 during the Civil War. Could Chicago split from Illinois now?
To be sure, creating a new state is a significant undertaking and unlikely to succeed, political scientists say. But long odds haven’t extinguished momentum for these quixotic movements.
In Illinois, a resolution calling on Congress to declare Chicago the 51st state has eight Republican cosponsors in the state House (there are 44 Republicans in the lower chamber) and support among many of the state’s conservative activists. It’s the second such bill in as many years.
2 comments:
The secessionsit leaders in the variouys tates who are from rural areasxz are likely to regret such a decision if it occurs. urban areas are richer, more vibrant economicaly, and pay more of thestate tax burden and create more of the jobs t6han the rural areas. Rural areas succeeding are likely to be poor and underfunded.
In the case of Illinois, it is the Republicans that want to kick Chicago out of Illinois. Chicago is not trying to form a new State.
Could this start a trend. Could Wisconsin kick out Madison, or Milwaukee. Just too many poor intellectuals and minorities that vote the "wrong" way there!
How about California, I know they have been talking about dividing that State, is it because rural areas are Republican, and the cities are sexually questionable, full of minority immigrants, and intellectual Liberals?
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