Irresponsible, dangerous

Secession is like a bad penny. It keeps turning up every few years, promoted by the most angry fringe of the Texas Republican Party.

Well, here we go again. Fredericksburg Republican Rep. Kyle Biedermann has announced plans to file a bill in Austin calling for a referendum on Texas’ statehood.

First, it’s illegal. That much has been proven by Texas itself. In 1869, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a case called Texas v. White that the U.S. Constitution provides no legal means of exit for member states. States aren’t members of the union until they change their mind. They are part of a bond the court called “indestructible” and the Pledge of Allegiance calls “indivisible.”

Even if we ignore the law and adopt this unpatriotic plan, there are other problems here. Secession would be massively expensive. If it were to become a nation, Texas would have to establish its own military, its own citizenship and immigration laws, not to mention new taxes. If Biedermann’s fancy were to become reality, it would almost certainly mean a Texas income tax.

Talk of secession is irresponsible at any time. But just weeks after insurrectionists stormed the Capitol in Washington, the timing couldn’t be worse.

If Biedermann doesn’t want to be an American any more, that’s his right. If he’s more comfortable in a place like California where endless referendums have crippled progress, Southwest Airlines is booking flights. But none of those are good reasons for Texas to leave the United States.