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On Saturday, the White House responded to a group of the “We the People” petitions, regarding states wanting to secede from the union, that have been posted on the petitions page of the White House governmental web site.
Since President Barack Obama was reelected on Nov. 6, 2012, all 50 states in the United States of America have had petitions posted which request that the state be allowed to part from the union known as the United States. The last of the petitions was posted on Nov. 14 which was only some five weeks after the presidential election. By far, most of the states’ petitions were quite successful in terms of receiving signatures from citizens of the land. Early on, Texas was the leader in garnering signatures and made headlines throughout Nov. and Dec. of last year as the number of signatures on the petition involving the Lone Star State reached astronomical levels.
In the response to a group of the petitions, the White House has spoken via a statement from Jon Carson who is the Director of the Office of Public Engagement.
Carson states in his response titled “Our States Remain United:
Our States Remain United
Thank you for using the White House's online petitions platform to participate in your government.
In a nation of 300 million people -- each with their own set of deeply-held beliefs -- democracy can be noisy and controversial. And that's a good thing. Free and open debate is what makes this country work, and many people around the world risk their lives every day for the liberties we often take for granted.
But as much as we value a healthy debate, we don't let that debate tear us apart.
Our founding fathers established the Constitution of the United States "in order to form a more perfect union" through the hard and frustrating but necessary work of self-government. They enshrined in that document the right to change our national government through the power of the ballot -- a right that generations of Americans have fought to secure for all. But they did not provide a right to walk away from it. As President Abraham Lincoln explained in his first inaugural address in 1861, "in contemplation of universal law and of the Constitution the Union of these States is perpetual." In the years that followed, more than 600,000 Americans died in a long and bloody civil war that vindicated the principle that the Constitution establishes a permanent union between the States. And shortly after the Civil War ended, the Supreme Court confirmed that "[t]he Constitution, in all its provisions, looks to an indestructible Union composed of indestructible States."
Although the founders established a perpetual union, they also provided for a government that is, as President Lincoln would later describe it, "of the people, by the people, and for the people" -- all of the people. Participation in, and engagement with, government is the cornerstone of our democracy. And because every American who wants to participate deserves a government that is accessible and responsive, the Obama Administration has created a host of new tools and channels to connect concerned citizens with White House. In fact, one of the most exciting aspects of the We the People platform is a chance to engage directly with our most outspoken critics.
So let's be clear: No one disputes that our country faces big challenges, and the recent election followed a vigorous debate about how they should be addressed. As President Obama said the night he won re-election, "We may have battled fiercely, but it's only because we love this country deeply and we care so strongly about its future."
Whether it's figuring out how to strengthen our economy, reduce our deficit in a responsible way, or protect our country, we will need to work together -- and hear from one another -- in order to find the best way to move forward. I hope you'll take a few minutes to learn more about the President’s ideas and share ideas and share more of your own.
Therefore, the White House’s response to the petitions expressing a desire to secede from the union has been written off the nation’s growing “to-do” list of 2013. Somehow, deep down, it is sincerely believed that we knew that would be the response all along. Yet, the petitions are believed, by many, to have served their purpose of letting the President of the United States, Barack Obama, and his administration in the White House in Washington, D.C. know of a discontent nation at this time in our nation’s historic development.
The White House web page's petition page, entitled "We the People", is open to the public for initiating and signing petitions to the White House. By its rules, the White House responds to petitions which reach a 25,000 signature threshold.
Since President Barack Obama was reelected on Nov. 6, 2012, all 50 states in the United States of America have had petitions posted which request that the state be allowed to part from the union known as the United States. The last of the petitions was posted on Nov. 14 which was only some five weeks after the presidential election. By far, most of the states’ petitions were quite successful in terms of receiving signatures from citizens of the land. Early on, Texas was the leader in garnering signatures and made headlines throughout Nov. and Dec. of last year as the number of signatures on the petition involving the Lone Star State reached astronomical levels.
In the response to a group of the petitions, the White House has spoken via a statement from Jon Carson who is the Director of the Office of Public Engagement.
Carson states in his response titled “Our States Remain United:
Our States Remain United
Thank you for using the White House's online petitions platform to participate in your government.
In a nation of 300 million people -- each with their own set of deeply-held beliefs -- democracy can be noisy and controversial. And that's a good thing. Free and open debate is what makes this country work, and many people around the world risk their lives every day for the liberties we often take for granted.
But as much as we value a healthy debate, we don't let that debate tear us apart.
Our founding fathers established the Constitution of the United States "in order to form a more perfect union" through the hard and frustrating but necessary work of self-government. They enshrined in that document the right to change our national government through the power of the ballot -- a right that generations of Americans have fought to secure for all. But they did not provide a right to walk away from it. As President Abraham Lincoln explained in his first inaugural address in 1861, "in contemplation of universal law and of the Constitution the Union of these States is perpetual." In the years that followed, more than 600,000 Americans died in a long and bloody civil war that vindicated the principle that the Constitution establishes a permanent union between the States. And shortly after the Civil War ended, the Supreme Court confirmed that "[t]he Constitution, in all its provisions, looks to an indestructible Union composed of indestructible States."
Although the founders established a perpetual union, they also provided for a government that is, as President Lincoln would later describe it, "of the people, by the people, and for the people" -- all of the people. Participation in, and engagement with, government is the cornerstone of our democracy. And because every American who wants to participate deserves a government that is accessible and responsive, the Obama Administration has created a host of new tools and channels to connect concerned citizens with White House. In fact, one of the most exciting aspects of the We the People platform is a chance to engage directly with our most outspoken critics.
So let's be clear: No one disputes that our country faces big challenges, and the recent election followed a vigorous debate about how they should be addressed. As President Obama said the night he won re-election, "We may have battled fiercely, but it's only because we love this country deeply and we care so strongly about its future."
Whether it's figuring out how to strengthen our economy, reduce our deficit in a responsible way, or protect our country, we will need to work together -- and hear from one another -- in order to find the best way to move forward. I hope you'll take a few minutes to learn more about the President’s ideas and share ideas and share more of your own.
Therefore, the White House’s response to the petitions expressing a desire to secede from the union has been written off the nation’s growing “to-do” list of 2013. Somehow, deep down, it is sincerely believed that we knew that would be the response all along. Yet, the petitions are believed, by many, to have served their purpose of letting the President of the United States, Barack Obama, and his administration in the White House in Washington, D.C. know of a discontent nation at this time in our nation’s historic development.
The White House web page's petition page, entitled "We the People", is open to the public for initiating and signing petitions to the White House. By its rules, the White House responds to petitions which reach a 25,000 signature threshold.
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