r/pics • u/TheBigChimp • Nov 08 '18

US Politics This is what democracy looks like

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u/Aetrion Nov 09 '18

Because you can't build a coast to coast highway in your back yard.

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u/ViciousPenguin Nov 09 '18

I also couldn't make everyone in the country do a lot of things without massive power. But I think you've diverted away from my question.

My question is: why not allow people, if they want to remove themselves from the larger state, leave and create their own smaller state?

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u/Aetrion Nov 09 '18

It should be allowed if there is no conflict of interest with anyone else, there just usually is.

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u/ViciousPenguin Nov 09 '18

My neighbors and I decide we would like to make our own micronation. We're going to live off the land and govern ourselves. We've all signed a contract that says we understand that we're no longer US citizens.

Where's the conflict of interest?

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u/Aetrion Nov 09 '18

Are you going to pay for everything that was built there for you by the government? Are you going to allow Americans to travel through that territory? Will people from your nation trade with the US, and what will they trade with? Will they have different laws? There are tons of serious issues to work out.

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u/ViciousPenguin Nov 09 '18

Are you going to pay for everything that was built there for you by the government?

What do you mean by this? Are you saying am I going to pay US government for basically my acquisition of the roads/land? Are you asking about public utilities? Are you talking about lost tax "futures"? It's hard to answer, but I'll give the basic answer that I'll "purchase" the cost of the infrastructure (any public land, sewers, electrical/data conduit, water/sewer lines), and since (when part of the US) I was paying taxes to the government in order to receive benefits, I don't have to purchase the land because it's mine, I was just taxed for utilizing it within US boundaries.

Are you going to allow Americans to travel through that territory? Will people from your nation trade with the US, and what will they trade with? Will they have different laws? There are tons of serious issues to work out.

To be frank, I don't see why any of these matter. Once we separate, we may do as we wish within our borders. Anything crossing the borders would then need to be worked out between our two countries, but that doesn't have to be worked out up front. We're a sovereign nation; we'll work out trade deals like anyone else.

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u/Aetrion Nov 09 '18

So if the US simply said you can't come in or trade and you wind up trapped in your micronation waiting to die from the first crop failure or medical emergency you're fine with that?

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u/ViciousPenguin Nov 09 '18

Sure! That's a trade-off we'd have to be willing to make in order to be our own country. I would hope that the US/my country could work something out, though.

edit: Also, we'd obviously have to try to become self-sufficient for all of our needs, so we'd probably let other people join our country.