Guest Post by Martin Armstrong
The severity of the migrant crisis may be new to those who do not live on a bordering state. Yet Texas has been grappling with this issue for years, resulting in countless calls for a secession from the United States or “Texit.” How would Texas manage as an independent nation?
Size and Population
Texas would be the 39th largest nation by land mass. Texas encompasses 268,596 sq. miles, roughly the size of France, and is larger than many developed nations including the United Kingdom. Texas had an estimated population of 30,503,301 as of July 2023, making it the second-most populous state in the United States after California. Texas would be the 50st most populous country in the world.
Economy
Texas has the second-largest economy in the United States behind California. In 2023, the Texas economy exhibited a mix of trends. While the state’s economic growth slowed in Q4, with job growth falling sharply in October and business activity contracting slightly in November, the real GDP for Texas grew at an annual rate of 4.9% in Q2, outpacing the U.S. growth rate of 2.1%. Its real GDP stood at $2.5 trillion in Q3 of 2023. Therefore, Texas is the world’s 8th largest economy.
For context, Russia’s economy was valued at $1.862 trillion in nominal terms and $5.056 trillion in PPP. Texas has a larger economy than Australia, Spain, Italy, and Mexico, to name a few.
Military Power
Texas alone boasts one of the best militaries in the world, with over 115,000 active duty troops. The Texas Military Forces, which include the Texas Army National Guard, Texas Air National Guard, and Texas State Guard, have a total size of 23,200 personnel and a budget of $1.851 billion as of 2023. In addition to the state forces, Texas is also home to about 70,000 U.S. Army personnel, 30,000 Air Force troops, and 8,000 Navy and Marines. Texas is home to 15 military bases and installations distributed across the state, with most of them clustered around San Antonio and Corpus Christi.
Texas has two nuclear power plants. The South Texas Project Electric Generating Station, located southwest of Bay City, Texas, has two Westinghouse Pressurized Water Reactors with a total capacity of 2,700 megawatts. The Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant, located south of Fort Worth, Texas, also has two reactors with a total capacity of 2,300 megawatts. These two plants combined have an installed capacity of more than 5,000 megawatts of electricity and contribute to about 10% of Texas’ total energy generation.
Infrastructure
While not always reliable, Texas has its own power grid, known as the Texas Interconnection. It is an alternating current (AC) power grid managed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), providing power to 90% of the state. Texas Interconnection is one of the three minor grids in the North American power transmission network, and the state has maintained as a separate grid for political reasons. The grid does not cross state lines and is not under federal regulation.
The state features more miles of public roads and freight rail than any other state, with 313,220 miles of public roads and 10,539 miles of freight rail. Additionally, Texas is home to the nation’s top airport for a number of domestic destinations. Texas has a total of 393 airports available for public use, making it the state with the highest number of airports in the United States.
Texas is a major hub for cargo and trade, with its ports moving more cargo than any other state. In 2020, Texas ports handled over 607 million tons of cargo, including 464 million tons of international cargo and 143 million tons of domestic cargo.
Conclusion
Texas could survive as an independent nation. Naturally, the United States would fight tooth and nail to preserve its second-largest economy. Based on the data, Texas has the resources to be an independent nation if permitted to operate independently.
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Add La.-Ms.-Al. and Florida and you have a blockbuster.
Complete control over the GOM and 500 miles of the Atlantic.
Control of the mighty Mississippi and the ability to control exports from the North.
Add the military forces in those 4 additional states and you have quite a force.
Self sufficient in oil-chemicals and year round growing.
The South will rise again.
Rivers, baby. Yeah:
This is an important thread on why you don’t want to leave America when the apocalypse kicks off
https://notthebee.com/article/this-is-an-important-thread-on-why-you-dont-want-to-leave-america-when-the-apocalypse-kicks-off
Sowell has extensively discussed the effect of helpful and unhelpful rivers on societal development.
Plus Great Lakes and coastline and harbors and ports. Very helpful article.
If the choice must be made? Better the devil you know.
Well, we know you, devil.
Vade retro, Satana.
Excellent observations here! Geography is wicked important and the US has the best geography in the world. Europe is pretty good too but Klaus Swabb lives there.
They can’t leave without us north of the Red.
I suspect that Oklahoma would go with Texas.
Don’t leave out TN. Some of our folks died at the Alamo helping Texas gain their independence from Mexico
I am not so sure that Texas will be alone. The deep south and Midwest might just go with them. The coasts and the Upper Great Lakes remaining shitholes.
Oh look, Mr. Thumbs down lives in a shit hole state!
I never ever leave my house un-armed.
I wonder how many of us do the same?
The trend seems to be to make an example of those who dare to, though.
That will always be the case…until it isn’t any more. And we all know what THAT looks like, don’t we?
Yep.
Same here Joe. And, a backup piece any time I go into a big city.
i don’t, i take both of them, legs too. sometimes though if my head wasn’t attached i know i’d forget it.
My S.O.P. for decades, in a “shall issue” state, possibly becoming a Constitutional carry state. Not because I need to but because its impossible to predict a “really bad day”. So prepare for the worst, then go live life.
Won’t happen.
…but it could. And it might.
Personally I think you’re right. The nail that stands up gets driven down. It’s the Devil’s Way.
Trim nails like Delaware you hardly need a hammer. Texas is more like one of those landscaping nails used for putting railroad ties together. You’re going to need a big hammer. Texas won’t just sit there either. They would show Dementia Joe their own big hammer.
All part of the plan, Stan.
That’s under the current paradigm. If the FUSA loses a major war, well in order to drive down a nail, you’re going to need a hammer, if the bulk of the active duty military is either dead in the Persian desert, or marched off to Siberia, then it’s Hasta La vista USA.
It’s a thinker all right.
Remember the Alamo?
We got slaughtered. To a man.
Population of Mexico City – 8.8 million
That’s WITH the flood of illegals we get every year and they MAINTAIN that population.
America has a cockroach problem.
Good question whether a Texas secession would trigger a revolt of the Mexicans living there. Texas would be in big trouble with an internal insurrection, an invasion by Mexico and a blockade by FJB’s marxist gov’t.
NOW you’re thinking! This has been a very long time in the making. As the Goblin King said to Gandalf, “Yep. That’ll do it!”
My money is on them fighting for the Republic of Texas. Dementia Joe couldn’t blockade Texas. Our Navy is already overcommitted and Texans could quickly give the Houthis a real lesson in how to build drones and hypersonics. “I clean my gun, and dream of Galveston.”
You might be surprised just how fast the Navy can become UN fucking occupied! They’re floating around out there just LOOKING for a reason to play with their toys! It really don’t matter WHO they kill. They don’t have to look at it anyway.
Seriously…how hard would it be for the US to blockade the Gulf of Mexico? Not fucking very is the answer.
I have little doubt there are Texans who would put up a fight. My point is, who is better positioned to fight a war of attrition? Texas, or Uncle Sam? Like most fuckings, it will NOT be over quickly and NO ONE will enjoy it.
Uncle Sugar would have to be all in, and the Red Chinese would take advantage and grab Taiwan, and probably parts of the Philippines. The Russians would move against Eastern Europe, and the NorKs would make a move as well. And the Middle East would be a total loss. The cost of retaking Texas could very well be the loss of every major US asset and ally from the Rhine to the Midway atoll.
Could all 50 states survive FAR BETTER without the existence of the federal government? 100%. But just to be sure, let’s try it.
Back to the Articles of Confederations
The federal government cannot survive without the states, but the states can survive without the federal government because they created the federal government in the first place.
Texas breaking away, white men dying, mass imprisonments, and at the end, two garbage liberal countries instead of one.
I can see the MIC salivating already
Divide and conquer.
We’re already being conquered
I was born there. Two of my daughters graduated from UT Austin. Although I live in the mountains of NC now, a large part of me shall always regard Texas as my home. Perhaps the new cry will be: “Remember the Border.”
A real border would have kept you out.
Why is that ? Most of my ancestors have been here for over 200 years.
So it would be 108,000 federal troops (assuming none would defect) v. 23,000 state troops (plus any defections, texas rangers, local law enforcement and pissed off citizens). That doesn’t seem promising, although who knows? And this is only within Texas. An interesting analysis would be what Texas’ finances look like if you eliminate federal money entirely on both sides of the ledger. My suspicion is that big money (banks) and big oil are too closely aligned. Why did every local jurisdiction bough to federal tyranny during covid? Because they would cut off the money and the little boys and girls of Big Lake, TX would have no school. This is what happens when you abandon the idea of subsidiarity and local control. Would love to see it though; the commanche’s (enemy of all) rise again.