A petition calling for Texas to secede from the union crossed the White House’s 25,000-signature threshold on Monday, setting the stage for on official U.S. government review and response.
The petition aims to let Texas peacefully secede and “create its own new government”, and shortly after 2:30 p.m. CT on Monday, it had enough signatures to be taken seriously.
The White House web site states that “if a petition gets enough support”, which it defines as 25,000 signatures within 30 days, “White House staff will review it, ensure it’s sent to the appropriate policy experts, and issue an official response”.
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The petition, created on November 9 just days after President Barack Obama was re-elected, argued that “The U.S continues to suffer economic difficulties stemming from the federal government’s neglect to reform domestic and foreign spending.”
The petitioners do not foresee any financial problems for Texas if it were to secede, considering its balanced budget and an economy in better shape than many other states.
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Throughout the day many Texans flocked to the White House web site to add their signature to the petition, with the numbers reaching 35,000 by 6 p.m. CT. However, Governor Rick Perry does not support the petition.
“Governor Perry believes in the greatness of our Union and nothing should be done to change it,” said Governor Perry’s spokeswoman Catherine Frazier. “But he also shares the frustrations many Americans have with our federal government.”
She added: “Now more than ever our country needs strong leadership from states like Texas. We cannot allow Washington’s tax and spend one-size-fits-all mindset to jeopardize our children’s future, undermine our personal liberties and drive our nation down a dangerous path to greater dependence of government.”
It takes a lot more than a petition with more than 25,000 signatures for an actual secession to take place.
“I think it would take a civil war, frankly”, said David Cole, constitutional law professor at Georgetown University Law School, said. “If I’m not mistaken, this was tried once before.” — New York Times News Service