Virginia

[Oysterback]

Speakout: Should Carroll County be Part of a New State? - Government - Westminster, MD Patch

If you think Carroll County should break away from the state of Maryland and form a new state with four other Western Maryland counties, you're not alone. In fact a Facebook page, Western Maryland: A New State Initiative, has been created to get the ball rolling.

The Western Maryland: A New State Initiative Facebook page "is for discussion on forming a new state from the five western counties of Maryland," according to the site. The proposed new state would include Garrett, Allegany, Washington, Frederick, and Carroll County.

Maybe it would be easier to just keep Western Maryland, Southern Maryland, and the Eastern Shore, and kick Baltimore, Columbia and the suburbs of DC out!
Let THEM form their own state, and we keep Maryland.

 

[kwillia]

Gas at an Exxon in Richmond, VA yesterday... $3.14 a gallon.

 

[Oysterback]

Is the creation of new states from portions of existing ones any different than the gerrymandering of new Congressional districts within a state?
Perhaps the addition of 2 US Senators from a newly created rural state would upset the current balance of power.

Are the current state borders sacred?
Why can't they change to more closely reflect their citizens?

 

[Gilligan]

But on the other hand, I hope it works because I'd like to see the a mass exodus of these wingers that have moved to my state.

Taking their money with them and leaving you....your very own Detroit. Rinse. Wash. Repeat.

 

[mamatutu]

Is the creation of new states from portions of existing ones any different than the gerrymandering of new Congressional districts within a state?
Perhaps the addition of 2 US Senators from a newly created rural state would upset the current balance of power.

Are the current state borders sacred?
Why can't they change to more closely reflect their citizens?

You make a very interesting point. The last voting district rezoning was so blatant it would be laughable, if it wasn't so frustrating, and downright disgusting. Attaching some of the Eastern Shore and Western MD to Baltimore, for example. How's that for in your face; politicians can do anything they want crap!!!

 

[DipStick]

How hard would it be for most of St Marys county to secede from MD, and become part of VA?

I would think VA would love to have us, with PAX and all the contractors that support it... we need to leave and leave the rest of the state holding the bag before all the jobs leave MD and we're left holding the bag

I live in Virginia and love it here but it's not roses over here either.

 

[DipStick]

You make a very interesting point. The last voting district rezoning was so blatant it would be laughable, if it wasn't so frustrating, and downright disgusting. Attaching some of the Eastern Shore and Western MD to Baltimore, for example. How's that for in your face; politicians can do anything they want crap!!!

Maryland isn't the only state to gerrymander districts either.

Virginia politics can be just as dirty as Maryland politics - if not more so. I don't care if you're a Republican or a Democrat - EVERYONE should welcome debate and want to do things in the open in a way that's transparent and allows for the public to reach out to their elected officials.

 

[BigBlue]

I live in Virginia and love it here but it's not roses over here either.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh don't let them know that . we want these cry babies gone, the sooner they leave the better it will be for all of Maryland.

 

[DipStick]

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh don't let them know that . we want these cry babies gone, the sooner they leave the better it will be for all of Maryland.

The Fiscal Conservatives and Libertarians are welcome down here. The religious extremists and the bigots can stay up there though. We're already all stocked up on crazy down here.

 

[itsbob]

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh don't let them know that . we want these cry babies gone, the sooner they leave the better it will be for all of Maryland.

I'd love to see how you'd support 50% of the state population on 25% of the revenue..

31 new taxes wouldn't even be a good start for what O'Malley would do to you.

 

[Gilligan]

Maryland isn't the only state to gerrymander districts either.

Your very lame attempt to employ the failed rhetorical device known as the "moral equivalence" notwithstanding, you apparently miss the point that the EXTENT of the gerrrymandering in Maryland is breathtaking enough in its scope to have placed Maryland at or near the top of the list of examples for "worst gerrymandered districts in the entire US", year after year.

 

[Oysterback]

More discussion about state creation from Northern California...

The board room and hallway were packed with supporters to the point of standing-room only during yesterday's meeting. Baird appeared first before the board to summarize the reasons for the resolution.
"There are several troubling developments which have led us to this point in our political discourse," Baird said. "Not the least of which is the increasing deafness overcoming Sacramento with regard to the politics aimed at rural California, and Siskiyou County in particular."
He mentioned fire taxes, dam removal "closed-door" discussions, the suction-dredge mining ban, the spotted owl controversy, the many new laws regarding gun control, poor forest management due to environmental extremists and California's legislative urbanites, "who do not share our problems and who have little or no empathy toward us as fellow citizens," as problems faced by Siskiyou County due to its inclusion within the state of California.
"Why must the environment of Siskiyou County be allowed to degrade into an unimaginable morass of regulatory failure because state agencies enter into agreements with groups who have no understanding of the environment which they pretend to save?" asked Baird.

Jefferson call to start over - News - Siskiyou Daily News, Yreka, CA - Yreka, CA

 

[Oysterback]

There was an editorial today in the Washington Times about the Western Maryland statehood effort.

Maryland is a state so midnight blue that five counties in the westernmost part of the state want to peel away to become the 51st state. Well, why not? Some dreamers in the nation’s capital want to convert the District of Columbia into New Columbia. They have to get into a long line. Barack Obama once imagined that he was already president of 57 states (and later imagined that Charleston, S.C., and Jacksonville, Fla., were on the Gulf of Mexico), so geography has become fungible.
The five unhappy counties in Maryland cite irreconcilable political differences and want a divorce from Maryland and its reflexive liberalism. They would become a real Free State — free from the oppressive tax and regulatory regime in Annapolis and the Democrat-dominated General Assembly and Gov. Martin O'Malley, a Democrat.

EDITORIAL: A scramble for statehood - Washington Times

 

[BadGirl]

Check out today's article in The Washington Post, talking about Western Maryland seceding from the state:

Western Maryland secessionists seek to sever ties with the liberal Free State - The Washington Post

By Michael S. Rosenwald, Published: September 8

The push by 50 western Virginia counties to secede in 1863, forming West Virginia at the height of the Civil War, was led by a charismatic store-clerk-turned-lawyer who famously urged his supporters: “Cut the knot now! Cut it now! Apply the knife.”

West Virginia was the last state to break off from another. Now, 150 years later, a 49-year-old information technology consultant wants to apply the knife to Maryland’s five western counties. “The people are the sovereign,” says Scott Strzelczyk, leader of the fledgling Western Maryland Initiative, and the western sovereigns are fed up with Annapolis’s liberal majority, elected by the state’s other sovereigns.

blah, blah, blah.......

 

[GURPS]

Same here. I've already started preliminary searches.

don't you already do a lot of work in Rockville ? area

easy enough to commute across the American Legion ... or if you are far enough out Point of Rocks and come down 270 or through Poolsville .. etc

 

[stgislander]

Check out today's article in The Washington Post, talking about Western Maryland seceding from the state:

Western Maryland secessionists seek to sever ties with the liberal Free State - The Washington Post

By Michael S. Rosenwald, Published: September 8

The push by 50 western Virginia counties to secede in 1863, forming West Virginia at the height of the Civil War, was led by a charismatic store-clerk-turned-lawyer who famously urged his supporters: “Cut the knot now! Cut it now! Apply the knife.”

West Virginia was the last state to break off from another. Now, 150 years later, a 49-year-old information technology consultant wants to apply the knife to Maryland’s five western counties. “The people are the sovereign,” says Scott Strzelczyk, leader of the fledgling Western Maryland Initiative, and the western sovereigns are fed up with Annapolis’s liberal majority, elected by the state’s other sovereigns.

blah, blah, blah.......

Based on the reader comments, why would any of those "enlightened" readers of the WaPo want to keep Western Maryland in the state. Nobody lives there but drunken racist inbred hillbillies. Wouldn't Maryland be better off if they just cut them loose?

 

[itsbob]

Based on the reader comments, why would any of those "enlightened" readers of the WaPo want to keep Western Maryland in the state. Nobody lives there but drunken racist inbred hillbillies. Wouldn't Maryland be better off if they just cut them loose?

How can we "connect" to Western MD and join them without the inclusion of any of the central MD deadzone??

Makes you wonder if it DID happen, would Hoyer come with us or find another Liberal area to "lead"..

 

[stgislander]

How can we "connect" to Western MD and join them without the inclusion of any of the central MD deadzone??

Makes you wonder if it DID happen, would Hoyer come with us or find another Liberal area to "lead"..

Hah!!! He would stand a snowball's chance of being elected dog catcher in WMd.

 

[stgislander]

Check out today's article in The Washington Post, talking about Western Maryland seceding from the state:

Western Maryland secessionists seek to sever ties with the liberal Free State - The Washington Post

By Michael S. Rosenwald, Published: September 8

The push by 50 western Virginia counties to secede in 1863, forming West Virginia at the height of the Civil War, was led by a charismatic store-clerk-turned-lawyer who famously urged his supporters: “Cut the knot now! Cut it now! Apply the knife.”

West Virginia was the last state to break off from another. Now, 150 years later, a 49-year-old information technology consultant wants to apply the knife to Maryland’s five western counties. “The people are the sovereign,” says Scott Strzelczyk, leader of the fledgling Western Maryland Initiative, and the western sovereigns are fed up with Annapolis’s liberal majority, elected by the state’s other sovereigns.

blah, blah, blah.......

Actually I seem to remember that there was a time when Jefferson and Berkeley Counties in the WV panhandle wanted to return to Virginia. Congress forcibly annexed those counties (along with Morgan Co.) into the new state of West Virginia specifically to protect the B&O Railroad mainline. The mainline runs through those three counties before crossing back into MD.

That is enough of a history lesson for today.

 

[Lurk]

There is always the precedent of two regions for the state of Michigan (without even invoking the scattered islands of Hawaii or the two widespread archipelagos in Alaska) to make a case for separated regions for West Maryland. Might want to spend a little time on the name if that happens, however.