Originally published at: Seven rural counties in Oregon have voted in favor of seceding to Idaho | Boing Boing
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Even if the legislature was controlled by Republicans it’s not like they’d have a lot of motivation to give up the very counties they depended on most for votes.
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I’m not an American, so I’m not really sure what impact this would really have. Are those counties a net plus or minus to the state’s economy? Would losing them to Idaho have any other repercussions, like affecting Oregon’s overall representation in Senate or Congress? Changing borders every time you don’t like your government doesn’t seem like a great system overall, but I don’t know that I see the harm here.
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What happened to the"don’t like it then leave" people?
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I don’t know. Idahoans may want to think on this; the secession would make their state’s shape even more whacked out.
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Lol. Rent a U-Haul and gtfo then.
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Good point. You think they’d have pride in their gun shaped state.
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Depending on the particular shape, size, and location of those counties, Idahoans may say, “Excellent! We’ll finally get a gunsight!”
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i know a couple who live in Moscow(Idaho) who would notably disagree with characterizing Idaho in such a hive-mind fashion:
Idaho is open to accepting Oregon’s red counties, but
(…ok, i admit it, they have jobs at the University of Idaho; mascot: “Joe Vandal” …the fight’n vandals!)
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Generally speaking (there’s always counter examples): Red counties tend to be a drain on the state’s economy because of lower population density.
On the other hand, there could be natural resources (like oil) which offset that. It’s hard to take a guess at what the calculus would look like to the Oregon governor.
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“Rural counties have become increasingly outraged by laws coming out of the Oregon Legislature that threaten our livelihoods, our industries, our wallet, our gun rights, and our values,” Mike McCarter, president of the Greater Idaho movement, has said (according to the Idaho Statesman).
ETA: Changed my gif because this one fits better.
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Rural counties have become increasingly outraged by laws coming out of the Oregon Legislature that threaten our livelihoods, our industries, our wallet, our gun rights, and our values
I am not familiar with the specifics of the complaint. The ones that have me curious are the ones about livelihood, industries, etc. since those don’t make the news (and they are listed first).
The rest, meh. Taxes, gun regulation, treating minorities fairly. I get it.
Any Oregonians have thoughts what they are referring to?
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Another thing to consider: would incorporated Oregon have to give up their weed?
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It would be interesting to see if this even affects the House representation of either state. If not, it’s hard to see how the OR legislature doesn’t benefit by letting them go.
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If Democrats only cared about winning elections they might benefit from letting the deep-red counties go. If they care about actually providing effective governance for the people of Oregon then carving up the state for the sake of partisan politics would have a lot of downsides. The logistics alone would be a nightmare.
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Already saw the movie, it was depressing.
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I guess they’re trying to actually leave. They just want to take their land with them.
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That’s kind of like telling one’s spouse “I’m leaving. Now get out of the house.”
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America: Love It Or Leave It… circa 1861
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