242 Comments
User's avatar
⭠ Return to thread
Eva Seifert's avatar

This isn't 1860 when the US wasn't even a hundred years old. It was also a country that most of the advanced countries didn't really consider a big deal. The South could possibly have existed on its own for a few years at least, especially since Britain was willing to help them (cotton being king, of course). But in today's world - nope. BTW, not sure what you mean about SS disappearing - existing recipients would still get their money. The future recipients - nope. And remember, most of the red states need federal money, the blue not so much. Talk is cheap, thinking isn't.

Expand full comment
Terry Hilldale's avatar

Social Security and Medicare are Federal programs. If your state leaves the union, especially on the basis of supposed state sovereignty, it may well be that access to Federal programs is forfeited by the citizens of the new sovereign country.

Expand full comment
Eva Seifert's avatar

You can collect social security if you move out of the country. Medicare has different rules, as doctors have to opt into it.

Expand full comment
Steven Becker's avatar

Under current law, yes. All congress would need to do - and there wouldn't be any TX legislators to stop this - is pass a new law that says payments would cease to anyone in secessionist states.

Hardball? Yes. Would it hurt innocent people who had nothing to do with secession? Again, yes. But any non-violent action should be on the table in such a scenario, and again, it may well be the quickest way to bring would-be secessionists to heel. It's like applying sanctions to a country like Russia. Of course the sanctions hurt the innocents more than the guilty, but it's done to hopefully goad the innocents into encouraging the guilty to change their ways.

Expand full comment
User's avatar
Comment deleted
Jun 30, 2022
Comment deleted
Expand full comment
Terry Hilldale's avatar

Yes and no. My mother had emergency surgery in a foreign country and Medicare covered it even without a previous authorization. I think it may have been because the total cost was a tenth of what it would have been in the US. However, you are correct that according to the CMS booklet Medicare does not cover medical services outside the US.

Expand full comment
Steven Becker's avatar

I don't see any reason why the US government should continue making benefits payments to people who don't want to be part of the US. Continuing payments would be playing too nice and cutting off benefits should be the first thing they do. Would-be secessionists would lose most of their support right quick if that happened. If it was made clear from the get-go that benefits payments would cease, secessionist support among the +50 crowd would be virtually nil. Besides, if a state like Texas actually succeeded in seceding, it's unlikely the federal government would be able to continue borrowing money, anyway, plus tax receipts would be cut significantly due to the economic chaos secession would cause. They'd almost have to stop payments out of simple necessity.

You want to be your own country? Fine, you get to do all of it, the good and the bad, the tough and the easy. You don't get to just "own the libs" by seceding and then let Uncle Sam continue paying your bills.

I also think that any state government that actually tries secession should have their assets frozen that are held outside the state. I'm less sure about private citizens of the state, but certainly any ringleaders should have their assets frozen. There are other things along these lines that should be done as well.

Play hard enough along lines like this and would-be secessionists could be brought to heel without firing a shot and ideally deterred from even considering it in the first place.

Expand full comment
User's avatar
Comment deleted
Jun 30, 2022
Comment deleted
Expand full comment
Eva Seifert's avatar

Maybe, but Queen Victoria supposedly offered help, though the government remained officially neutral. And several British companies did aid the south with money and arms.

Expand full comment