Texas as a nation?

[aggie97]

How much of the money in Texas comes from outside of it? How many Texans work for companies based in other states that might shut down their "foreign" branch? How many Texan companies would loose business from not being able to sell to the US? How long could we withstand what I would assume to be an automatic trade embargo with the US?

It seems to me we would have to rely on Mexico's help.

This may have all already been worked through by somebody, just some thoughts.

Interesting points, but if a US company could refrain from reporting profits from TX branches on US tax returns, then you have a new "tax haven" for those companies. If Texas expands it business friendly policies, just watch how quickly those companies move their headquarters to TX.....especially if they don't have to deal with the Obamacare bullshit.

If the Dems/Repubs continue to make living/paying in the USA distasteful enough, Texas becomes a Majorly popular "escape" from the bullshit plan.

[Forever_frost]

Considering our energy production here in Texas in the natural gas, oil and green energy, we could continue to export and plus up our own government fairly easily. Then you'd have to forcibly eject any illegals immediately. I'm also for imposing a 2 year mandatory service to the Republic of Texas to every man and woman 18 to 24

[Cobraman]

lol

[grove rat]

...just watch how quickly those companies move their headquarters to TX.....especially if they don't have to deal with the Obamacare bullshit.

isn't it already happening? i know the jitb headquarters are now in downtown and more are moving to the south due to cheaper taxes and cost of living

also i read that dallas is number 6 on the top 9 cities in the world with the most billionaires. currently there are 14 in dallas alone, if you take in the dfw area there are 25. that's more than half in the entire state of texas


damn i'm glad to be a texan

[ceyko]

isn't it already happening? i know the jitb headquarters are now in downtown and more are moving to the south due to cheaper taxes and cost of living

also i read that dallas is number 6 on the top 9 cities in the world with the most billionaires. currently there are 14 in dallas alone, if you take in the dfw area there are 25. that's more than half in the entire state of texas


damn i'm glad to be a texan

All that may change if Texas were to separate. It may get better, it may get a whole lot worst. No one will know until it happens, but what you see Texas as now will not be remotely close to what it would be 20-40 years after it becomes it own entity and I can almost promise that a lot of people would be hurting and Mexico would try to make a move on it. If not them, the cartels would get a whole lot cockier.

There would be a ton of bad that is easy to predict. Just how -good- it would be is the anomaly. A lot of people would leave, companies may leave, some more come in - just hard to know ballpark numbers on all those anomalies.

[onemeangixxer7502]

Obviously the feds would try one way or another to stop it. Whether it making it harder for large companies to do business or by a show of force. I'm just waiting for them to start asking other states to bail out places like CA and others...

[Forever_frost]

Obviously the feds would try one way or another to stop it. Whether it making it harder for large companies to do business or by a show of force. I'm just waiting for them to start asking other states to bail out places like CA and others...

Asking? What do you think these stimulus programs have been for? And the high speed rail they keep wanting to put in

[slow06]

All that may change if Texas were to separate. It may get better, it may get a whole lot worst. No one will know until it happens, but what you see Texas as now will not be remotely close to what it would be 20-40 years after it becomes it own entity and I can almost promise that a lot of people would be hurting and Mexico would try to make a move on it. If not them, the cartels would get a whole lot cockier.

There would be a ton of bad that is easy to predict. Just how -good- it would be is the anomaly. A lot of people would leave, companies may leave, some more come in - just hard to know ballpark numbers on all those anomalies.

Well put. This plan should be entered into with as good of an idea of the consequences as possible. Ask yourself would the risk be worth the reward? Quite possibly, but are you even aware of the risks? Are people running into this thinking because Texas has such a great economy that it will automatically continue if they were to leave the US?

Many are already aware of this, some of you are already willing to give all, so my thoughts aren't for you. My thoughts are for the guys that don't realize that this idea could cost them their job or their home. It cost them their lives. It could cost their wives and children their lives.

I watched the Patriot this weekend so that is really why I am thinking of all of this honestly, but as Hollywood as that movie is I don't doubt for a second that it was that bad and worse. It wouldn't be fun, it wouldn't be glamorous. It would be hell.

[Forever_frost]

Oh it'd hurt and a lot of lives would be lost. The Civil War would look like child's play but sometimes, to exercise your rights, you have to be willing to risk it all

[slow99]

Chris, TX has the 8th largest economy in the WORLD by itself.

No, it doesn't.

[Forever_frost]

Texas economy in world terms

According to U.S. Department of Commerce estimates, Texas’s GDP (gross domestic product) was $1.14 trillion. And that ranks Texas as the world’s 14th largest economy in 2009.

http://econpost.com/texaseconomy/texas-economy-ranking-world

[Binky]

I never said the economy wasn't large - just that its not self sustaining.

Lets hypothesize - say that Texas does secede from the US. Will any Fortune 500 companies that are based here stay? Most will likely move their HQ and bases to US soil so they don't suddenly become foriegn based corporations and have a tax nightmare / risk loosing their federal contracts. Bye Bye Texas Instruments, Bell Helicopter, EDS, - and that's just North Texas. Dell (Austin) will not risk loosing their government contracts either. NASA? hasta. BAE Systems? Bye Bye BAEbee.

So not only did the corporate tax base vanish, so did everyones jobs. Now you have unemployment on a massive scale that would eclipse the Great Depression. How will these people earn a living now?

That's not even to take into consideration the economic sanctions that the US Gov't will impose in order to quell and force Texas to rejoin the union. Foreign trade will come to a halt. I guarantee you will see a mass exodus of business leave Texas for US soil if secession becomes a reality.

The point is that the business to business economy is intertwined with the US economy, not just within the Texas borders or purely export. Yes, the economy is large and vibrant - but it will not be if Texas secedes. The tax base will evaporate faster than water hitting a hot tin roof and Texas will be one of the smallest economies in the world virtually overnight.

Like I said before - once people realize that its going to hit them in the pocketbook it'll fall on their face.

[Forever_frost]

I never said the economy wasn't large - just that its not self sustaining.

Lets hypothesize - say that Texas does secede from the US. Will any Fortune 500 companies that are based here stay? Most will likely move their HQ and bases to US soil so they don't suddenly become foriegn based corporations and have a tax nightmare / risk loosing their federal contracts. Bye Bye Texas Instruments, Bell Helicopter, EDS, - and that's just North Texas. Dell (Austin) will not risk loosing their government contracts either. NASA? hasta. BAE Systems? Bye Bye BAEbee.

So not only did the corporate tax base vanish, so did everyones jobs. Now you have unemployment on a massive scale that would eclipse the Great Depression. How will these people earn a living now?

That's not even to take into consideration the economic sanctions that the US Gov't will impose in order to quell and force Texas to rejoin the union. Foreign trade will come to a halt. I guarantee you will see a mass exodus of business leave Texas for US soil if secession becomes a reality.

The point is that the business to business economy is intertwined with the US economy, not just within the Texas borders or purely export. Yes, the economy is large and vibrant - but it will not be if Texas secedes. The tax base will evaporate faster than water hitting a hot tin roof and Texas will be one of the smallest economies in the world virtually overnight.

Like I said before - once people realize that its going to hit them in the pocketbook it'll fall on their face.

Actually, it would depend on our corporate tax rate. If you cut it below the US' (easy because the US has the highest tax rate in the world) and thinking that those companies would leave because of a risk of losing their federal contracts....do you think no foreign companies hold federal contracts? I can pull a list if you like.

And you expand the tax base by making EVERYONE contribute. I don't care if you earn a $1.00 a year or 2 billion, you all pay x rate. And mandating that everyone serves at least 2 years in the Army or other national guard, solves our defense problems. Or do you think the US will be so upset with us that they won't buy our oil?

[ceyko]

Texas economy in world terms

According to U.S. Department of Commerce estimates, Texas’s GDP (gross domestic product) was $1.14 trillion. And that ranks Texas as the world’s 14th largest economy in 2009.

http://econpost.com/texaseconomy/tex...-ranking-world

Impressive, but none of it would apply if Texas separates.

It would not be anywhere near as good for a long time. Most of the companies I visit, I think enough of their employees would leave Texas for those business to crumble. He'll you lose 2 IT guys and you're screwed, much less accounting, HR and all that stuff.

In short, Texas would have nothing to offer the average American for awhile. Freedom? What about the majority of people who live in homes with postage sized yards? Would the state government still operate, that supplies water/sewage to all those places and the companies?

I'd imagine it would have to be a whole new government, because otherwise you're still stuck with the cancer. Schools? Will those be maintained?

Will you try to seize all the US military assets or just let all of them leave? (That would piss off a lot of people trying to hold those assets)

The prisons? Just burn them all down? Let everyone go?

I'm of the opinion that if you don't clear out the existing leadership for the state when this happens, it may as well not even happen. When you do wash out that government, everything else goes to shit and that's when people leave along with their companies, tax money and all that.

I think the US is better off trying to right all these wrongs together and when that fails revolt as a country - if that ever happens.

[YALE]

Actually, it would depend on our corporate tax rate. If you cut it below the US' (easy because the US has the highest tax rate in the world) and thinking that those companies would leave because of a risk of losing their federal contracts....do you think no foreign companies hold federal contracts? I can pull a list if you like.

And you expand the tax base by making EVERYONE contribute. I don't care if you earn a $1.00 a year or 2 billion, you all pay x rate. And mandating that everyone serves at least 2 years in the Army or other national guard, solves our defense problems. Or do you think the US will be so upset with us that they won't buy our oil?

Which would be in addition to whatever they were already paying for their US operations, if they have facilities outside Texas.