State of Texas FAQ

Some Frequently Asked Questions About Texas

Q-1. Does Texas have the right to secede?

A. No... but yes, not explicitly. There is no verbiage in the Texas Constitution, the US Constitution, or the Texas Annexation Agreement that expressly grants the State of Texas the right to secede from the Union. However, the US Constitution is silent on the issue, neither prohibiting it or allowing it, for any state. With that in mind, the 10th Amendment to the US Constitution expressly reserves ALL POWERS not granted to the federal government, to the states. So, by virtue of the fact that the US Constitution does not expressly prohibit secession, nor does it expressly give the federal government the power to prevent a state from seceding, ALL states have the right to secede. Think of secession like a divorce. The parties are going their separate ways through a declaration from one of the parties, that they no longer wish to remain in the marriage. This is all it takes to secede: a state congressional declaration.

Q-2. Can Texas be broken up into 5 states?

A. Yes. The Annexation agreement that resulted in Texas becoming a state in 1845 allows Texas to be broken up into 5 total states. Hmmm... maybe we don't need to secede. If we broke up into 5 states we would have 5 times the influence in the US Senate.

Q-3. Are people getting arrested for being involved with secession groups?

A. No, at least not yet. Free speech rights and the right to peacefully assemble (so long as we still have them) give any Texan the right to attend secession meetings, to talk about secession, to support secession, to oppose secession, to write about secession, etc. etc. without fear of prosecution.

Q-4. If I want to find out more on this subject, where do I look?

A. There are a number of web sites that have information about secession and about various groups that are involved with the secession movement. You can visit a few of them here:

Texas Secede

United Republic of Texas

Texas Nationalist

Texas Constitution 2000

Republic of Texas

What you will read on these sites varies from simple information about Texas, to a full blown declaration that Texas is an independent nation, unlawfully tricked into becoming a state. You are encouraged to maintain a rational thought process when reading information from any site touting the Texas Secession Movement.

Q-5. Didn't the US Supreme Court rule that Texas could not secede?

A. No. You're thinking about Texas v White, a landmark US Supreme Court case that resulted in a majority opinion that, when Texas seceded from the Union in 1861 to join the Confederacy to fight for states rights, it never really seceded. This case does not address the state's right to secede.

Q-6. Interesting statistics about the State of Texas

» Texas has no state income tax, corporate tax, or capital gains tax.
» Texas has a balanced budget every year (it's in the Constitution, a document that Texans actually use). Note: the Texas legislature is allowed to pass a budget that includes more spending than projected revenue, but only if funds from a perpetual slush fund are utilized to make up the shortfall.
» The State of Texas has no deficit spending (see the note about the balanced budget)

The State of Texas is #1 in the production of:

» Cattle and beef
» Sheep and wool
» Watermelons (yes, watermelons)
» Cotton
» Oil
» Natural Gas
» Wind power generation (more than the next 3 states combined)
As one can easily see, the abundance of products produced in the State of Texas creates a huge balance of trade surplus in favor of Texas. This surplus translates into lower taxes and greater prosperity for the people living and working in Texas.

Not only is Texas #1 in so many product areas, the state also has these accomplishments:

» #1 in Job Creation
» #1 in online transparency
» #1 in Fortune 500 company headquarters (65)
» #1 in population growth (based on percentage)
» Voted the best state in which to do business (again)
» 3 of the ten largest US cities are in Texas
» #1 in acres of farm land

If Texas were to become a country, it would be the 10th largest in the world in land mass and the 12th largest economy in the world, just ahead of Mexico. It is currently 5th in the word in oil and gas production. As an independent country, Texas would have the freedom to gain an even larger share of the global energy markets.

Texas has its own electrical power grid called ERCOT. There are 3 major power grids in the United States, and ERCOT is the most advanced power grid in the country.

Texas is home to the largest inland sea port in the world.