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title: "[A repost, but perhaps more relevant now.] In my view, most of…"
date: 2016-11-09
source: facebook
type: Archer T. Ships updated his status.
---

# [A repost, but perhaps more relevant now.] In my view, most of…

*November 9, 2016 · Facebook*

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\[A repost, but perhaps more relevant now.\]\
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In my view, most of humanity would be happier if there were a widely respected mechanism to secede.\
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Among democracy\'s great virtues is that it tends to encourage peaceful succession,the peaceful transfer of power from one generation of leaders to another.\
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Prior to democracy\'s emergence, succession was often accompanied by war and violence, as various factions struggled for control. At a minimum, it was hard to do long-term planning, as you could not be certain what rules the new regime would implement.\
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With the spread of democratic institutions, succession became much more peaceful and predictable.\
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However, democracy in the US has many flaws. The US Federal government is far too large and distant, and subject to too little oversight.\
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When was the last time you felt you had any influence over what happens in Washington? Or even Sacramento?\
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US style democracy satisfies the demands of only the broadest coalitions. As a result, everyone must suffer to some degree under laws they believe oppressive, enforced by people they hate, and paid by taxes they resent.\
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For example, who among us would devote a quarter of every tax dollar to finance our current war machine?\
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But is it so surprising that our government is dysfunctional? We\'re currently trying to run a country of 350+ million people, with rules devised for a country of 3 million.\
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It\'s remarkable that things work as well as they do.\
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What if we had system for secession as widely respected as our mechanism for succession? What if we could gradually, peacefully divide up the country into smaller, more manageable countries?\
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Doing so would have many advantages:\
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\* At a smaller scale, it would be more possible for citizens to provide better oversight over our government.\
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\* We would not have to fight as much for power with those with values very different than our own. There would be fewer laws imposed upon us that we find pernicious.\
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\* Macro-parasites\--those who game the system to siphon resources for their own benefit\--would be easier to fight.\
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\* It\'d be easier to achieve common goals, if most of the people in your country shared them.\
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\* It\'d encourage much more experimentation in governance, potentially leading to improved ways of getting along with each other.\
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In my view, the right to secede, should be viewed as fundamental as the other rights we enjoy\--freedom of association, freedom of religion, freedom of exit, and the right to vote (among others).\
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However, we\'re still in the medieval stage when it comes to secession. There is no widely recognized ruleset for peaceful succession. As a result, secession only happens haphazardly, when a large enough group becomes unhappy enough and has sufficient power, to break off, and wage war, if necessary, to defend their secession.\
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What do y\'all think? If you agree with my analysis, what do you think that ruleset should be? How do you think we should go about deriving it? Implementing it?\
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#secession\
#seasteading
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