Advocacy For a ‘National Divorce’ Heats Up Again

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) is no shrinking wallflower. Elected in 2020 as a MAGA Republican, she has been an outspoke conspiracy advocate and a lightening rod for controversy. It is doubtful she has ever been accused of holding back and hardly a frontrunner for any award given for tact and diplomacy.

Most recently, at the State of the Union Speech given by President Joe Biden, she rose to her feet on the floor of the House of Representatives and led a significant number of Republicans who booed and jeered the President  when he claimed that the GOP wished to slash programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.  She took it one step further by cupping her hands to her mouth to heckle the president with taunts of “Liar!”

Arguably the Republicans had a point in challenging the president on his wild accusation. Yet, call me an old fashioned prude if you must, but rising to one’s feet on the venerable floor of the House of Representatives in a tacky white furry Cruella de Ville coat to heckle the president is a bit over the top.

Subsequent to her SOTU speech display, Greene garnered more attention when she called for a National Divorce in a tweet on President’s Day. She wrote:

“We need to separate by red states and blue states and shrink the federal government. Everyone I talk to says this. From the sick and disgusting woke culture issues shoved down our throats to the Democrat’s traitorous America Last policies, we are done.”

Predictably, the tweet met with consternation and ridicule from the mainstream media and other elements of the American Left. Yet, it wasn’t only the Left that derided Greene’s call for a Red/Blue split into two separate nations. Many Republicans voiced their opposition to a notion of a national divorce and some even came from the more right-leaning elements of the party.

Steve Bannon, one-time chief political strategist in the Trump White House said:

“If there’s anything that I am one million percent opposed to its this entire concept We’re at war right now. We’re at war with the administrative state, the secular paganism of the Gaia movement, the climate change movement, we’re being sucked into a third world war on the Eurasian landmass…..We have never had a bigger inflection point in all of human history. We don’t have the time, or luxury, for sideshows.”

Wilfred Reilly, writing in the right-leaning National Review, penned:

“This is one of the worst and least logical ideas of all time and should be called out as such.”

As logistically, practically, and strategically preposterous a national separation sounds, there is evidently significant sentiment among the American public to consider such a move. In the wake of Greene’s tweet and follow-up doubling down on her thoughts, in addition to the subsequent commentary both pro and con in the media, Rasmussen Reports conducted a poll which showed that more than a third of us support the sentiments of Rep. Greene advocating for a parting of the ways for an ideologically divided America. 34% of those polled favor a national divorce with 57% being opposed and the balance undecided. 47% of Republicans were in favor contrasted by 26% of Democrats.

Subsequent to the U.S. Civil War, the Supreme Court ruled in Texas v. White (1869) that formal secession from the United States is in fact unconstitutional, so indeed the prospect of a legal separation is moot. Short of another bloody civil war the United States will remain as one. And while not being in favor of cleaving the nation in two myself, one can certainly venture a guess, if not fantasize over how a national divorce and an establishment of two separate nations might play out. Let’s consider the following thought experiment that will establish two nations based purely on ideological grounds.

I will leave the naming of the two countries entirely up to its new citizens. For now, let’s call them Left and Right. For geographic simplicity the Mississippi River will serve as the boundary of the two new nations and citizens will be allowed a reasonable amount of time to relocate to their new desired homeland. Once again for geographic simplicity, Nation Right will be found east of the Mississippi and Nation Left will be found west of the great river. Both nations will begin with the same U.S. Constitution adopted in 1789 but will be free to interpret it as they see fit–which, quite frankly, has undoubtedly been a primary source of the ideological polarization bringing us to this moment.

The creation of the two new nations will be based upon, but not limited to, the following issues. While not every citizen will be enamored of each and every position taken by their fledgling nation, there should be enough there to at least make every citizen more content and comfortable than they presently are as they take up with like-minded souls.

While each of the below issues are incredibly far more complex than a simple sentence or two can explain, these sentences will form the basis for the policies and philosophies of each nation…

Income Tax

Left Nation
The present U.S. Tax code will be employed. However, a more progressive scale will be created modeled after the percentages used just prior to the Kennedy Administration where top marginal income tax rates were above 90%. A sizeable number of lower income individuals will pay no income tax.

Right Nation
Right Nation will employ a flat income tax and all deductions will be eliminated. No one will be exempted from the flat income tax.

National Budget

Left Nation
Deficit spending will be allowed and year to year debt can accrue without limit in order to pay for the expenses of the nation. Extending the debt limit will be automatic and no vote of the national legislature will be required.  

Right Nation
A Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution will be one of the first orders of business for the new government.

Energy

Left Nation
The nation will continue to import fossil fuels from other countries; however, exploration and development of such fuel reserves will be made illegal in Left Nation. Investment will be made in developing energy sources such as solar panels and windmills. Following California’s lead, all fossil-fuel powered engines will be phased out and made illegal within ten years of the founding of Left Nation.

Right Nation
The nation will explore for fossil fuels on shore and off. The use of coal and nuclear energy will be promoted and a goal of energy independence from other countries will be adopted.

Health Care

Left Nation
A move to a single payer (government) “Medicare for all” system for all citizens will be completed with the basis being what has become known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or “Obamacare.”

Right Nation
A free market system is planned. Citizens will choose whether to own a health insurance policy or not and will be allowed to shop for health insurance plans across state lines. Safety nets for indigent and/or elderly will be in place with programs resembling Medicaid and Medicare. Stricter oversight will be given to fraud perpetrated by both patient and health care practitioner for these government programs.

Welfare

Left Nation
Other programs outside of health care such as Food Stamps and Aid to Families with Dependent Children shall continue and be expanded. There will be no limitations to the extent of time one may avail themselves to a social welfare program. There shall be no requirement to work while being dependent upon these government safety nets. Additional benefits will be provided to families currently receiving benefits as more children are added to the family.

Unemployment Insurance benefits will be provided without limit and there shall be no need to prove a search for employment continues while collecting this benefit.

Right Nation
Safety nets for those in need will be provided. Requirements to work for those able to do so will be initiated while receiving any government benefit. There will be no increased benefit for families currently receiving government benefits if another child is added to the family.

Unemployment Insurance benefits will be provided. Strict oversight will be initiated in that benefit recipients must provide documentation that a job search continues while receiving this benefit.

Abortion

Left Nation
A right to an abortion at any stage during a pregnancy will rest with the mother and the mother alone.

Right Nation
Abortion will be illegal unless the physical health of the mother is in jeopardy.

Social Security

Left Nation
Social Security will continue as before. No changes to retirement age eligibility. When desired, the Social Security Trust Fund may go into deficit for anticipated payments to future retirees in order to pay for regular national budgetary costs.

Right Nation
Social Security will continue. However, retirement age eligibility will rise as national life expectancy rises. Additionally, citizens will be allowed to privately invest a portion of the funds earmarked for the Social Security Trust fund in pre-approved and relatively conservative investment vehicles. The Social Security Trust Fund can never be raided to balance the regular national budget.

Diversity and Affirmative Action

Left Nation
A new Cabinet position will be created led by the Secretary of Diversity. Laws will be created that will mandate that all hiring in both the public and private sector, and admissions to both public and private schools will be based upon the prevailing percentages of various sub-groups living in Left Nation. Diversity will be achieved by race, gender, age, religion (or lack thereof), national origin, sexual orientation, and any other conceivable demographic. While merit will still be considered, it will be of secondary importance to fulfilling the mandates of diversity laws.

Right Nation
While diversity will be celebrated in Right Nation, it cannot be used as a basis for employment or admissions to educational institutions. Discrimination based upon aforementioned diversity demographics will be illegal, yet merit will be the primary factor for hiring and school admissions.

Labor Unions

Left Nation
Labor Unions and collective bargaining will be encouraged, if not mandated at every level of employment; both public and private. Employees will not be allowed to opt out of the Union if a Union has already been established at the workplace.

Right Nation
Labor Unions will be allowed with an open vote of employees. With a union present, employees will still be allowed to opt out of contribution to and participation in said Union. Unions will not be permitted for public sector employment.

First Amendment

Left Nation
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution will remain intact with the following change. Where heretofore the phrase “separation of church and state” was nowhere found in the U.S. Constitution, it will now be inserted, and the concept of Freedom of Religion will be changed to a Freedom of or from Religion.

Right Nation
No changes to this amendment. The language contained therein will be strictly followed. The “establishment clause” will prevail but not be over-interpreted.

Second Amendment

Left Nation
The Second Amendment will be removed from the Constitution, and it shall become illegal for any non-government person to own or carry a firearm.

Right Nation
The Second Amendment will itself be amended to clearly state that law abiding citizens shall be allowed to own firearms.

National Defense

Left Nation
Left Nation will provide for a small armed force to defend itself. It will not maintain a military presence in other parts of the world. Left Nation will defer to the United Nations (headquarters will be relocated to San Francisco) for international peacekeeping and military actions.

Right Nation
Right Nation will retain a formidable armed forces and will maintain a military presence throughout the world to protect its interests abroad.

Immigration

Left Nation
Immigration policy will have oversight by the Secretary of Diversity. Any undocumented resident will be immediately granted citizenship to be afforded all the rights and benefits available in Left Nation.

Right Nation
Immigration will be welcome in Right Nation, but under tight guidelines. Undocumented residents will be deemed illegal. Illegal residents will not be provided any of the rights and benefits afforded to citizens of Right Nation and a concerted effort will be made to return illegal residents from whence they came.

**Most Important** A well-guarded physical barrier will be placed along the Mississippi River (the previously agreed upon border of Right and Left Nations) in order to stem the anticipated flow of illegal aliens seeking a better life in Right Nation.

So, is this what Rep. Greene had in mind for the national divorce? Who knows? Yet, as mentioned earlier it was sure fun if not cathartic to fantasize over the prospect.

Have any other proposals for Left and Right Nations? Let’s hear ‘em.