Chaz sent me these in writing… he has also articulated them on our last video call. He’s active in the NH Dem party and has teamed up with free staters like Matt Simon on pot legalization efforts. He is also someone I treat as sort of my “left conscience”…it was his criticisms of my quested Katrina bill in 2005…that led me to swear off of requesting legislation unless we could re-imburse taxpayers for the 2,000 expense of hearing the bill. He’s the reason we’re doing this now and not 2017.
"Major Premise: Seceding from the USA – especially with no plan at all, would deprive me of my right to my own property and “seeking and obtaining happiness” as described in the NH Constitution. I’m 72 years old and everything I own has been earned by hard physical labor spanning three generations. On the emotional side my family fought in two world wars for the USA – I’ve got a lot of skin in the game.
To summarize my position. Depriving me of my land and property and quality of life based on your ideology, with no regard for the general population and no plan whatsoever is what I regard as an act of tyranny and an act of theft.
Here’s my specific situation–I’m self employed and maintain my own 2 acre property and three buildings. As a matter of fact today marks 37 days in a row without a break–and I’m looking at at least another month flat out with deadlines. But at 72 obviously I can’t sustain this pace. My family has paid into Social Security since its inception. It has paid federal taxes that support Health Care as well. If NH severs it’s ties with the USA I will lose the programs that will allow me to age and die on my own land. That is the theft I just mentioned. NEXIT would throw away all my hard work in the name of what? A narrow concept of Freedom?
And let me ask you about passports. Freedom to travel is very important to me. I will be trapped here because you don’t have a plan. And no the tiny Secretary of States Office cannot possibly cope with the logistics of NEXIT.
In general the libertarian Idea failed in the US after 1776 and made it obvious that human nature means if we want to play football we need referees. It’s that simple. Civilization is important to me, A stable country is important to me just like it is to financial markets. I have asked Libertarians to point to a success story based on their ideology and never get an answer. The Original colonies couldn’t stick to trade agreements. The honor system didn’t work then and it won’t work now simply because humans, more often than not act out of their own self interest. That hasn’t changed between colonial days and now. And consider this – bedlam always leads to a power vacuum. And that situation allows for the worst of us – often the most violent and ruthless of us to grab power. From plutocrats to the Taliban this isn’t my idea of Freedom.
Let me address the notion that moderates, center left and progressives are collectivist with no individuality because of group think. Here’s a bit of my story. At 18 I dropped out of College and went ski bumming in Aspen Solo. I willingly lost my draft deferment ( which was unconstitutional) I rode my motorcycle across country a number of times alone. In my 20’s I was a large pot distributor and smuggler – I counted a lot of cash in an act of defiance and pure capitalism.
I also developed an IV heroin habit from which I recovered 25 years later. I’m a skier and have Climbed to the Summit of Mt Washington alone in winter without another human being around. I can do that because I developed the skills and know how to enjoy that very personal Freedom. I’m a musician and can entertain 100’s of people with just my guitar voice and harmonica. I joined with Free Staters and libertarians in the LOB for a media event that publicly Kicked off Matt Simons project to legalize marijuana. I worked with Matt after that too–we even did music for a play together. I could go on but I hope this dispels any notion about me personally and by extension I hope this exposes the the lack of respect in calling anyone who disagrees with you a Collectivist and a defender of DC. You want to secede from the USA not DC and that’s by definition.
Real individuals spend their precious time creating personal freedoms to add to the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution. Weak individuals waste their time bemoaning the minor sacrifices they may have to make for the greater good. America is now hobbled because people have a perverted sense of Freedom. That’s my personal opinion but it is well founded.
Let me tell you about the emotional patriotic side of remaining part of the American Experiment. I’ve had huge differences with the USA. Viet Nam and drug policy top the list. ( For instance I couldn’t get methadone from my Dr because it was so highly restricted by the fear mongering GOP.) A classmate and friend of mine was killed in Viet Nam. I resisted the draft as I’ve said. I was 18. That wasn’t a helmet law, that wasn’t a call to wear masks or get a shot. That was life or death with constitutional and moral implications.
But I’ve always held the basic ideas of the Founding Fathera in high regard. It’s never been perfect but without it we wouldn’t have any civilized life. Anarchy isn’t civilized. Again we tried it here – States didn’t honor debts. Nothing was stable and dependable enough to sustain business. So we’ve had that experiment. Brexit too is showing what happens when you make drastic changes based on ideology instead of a plan. Trade with Germany is tanking. Where’s the Nationalistic magic in that?
And hoping we’ll all just move to Canada is tyranny too. It violates the spirit of the American Experiment and the NH Constitution. I happen to Love Montreal. My Grandfather on my fathers side immigrated here from Quebec. But my love of Canada is cultural, it isn’t political. It’s rare to see bumper stickers in Montreal – the populace isn’t as fragmented as we are. People are less selfish and aggressive towards one another. And yes they have been more locked down but if you compare their covid curve with ours it means that business and commerce there is returning to normalcy while Americans won’t do what we did with Polio and other horribly diseases because they have fetishized “Freedom.” They also value the arts and have time for culture because they aren’t at each others throats. health care was settled 60 years ago. Imagine how much psychic energy we waste. I believe I could make a better living playing music there than here. And it’s legal for me to do so up there with no red tape at all. But I have no intention of giving up my citizenship here. This is my home and I try to do my part to make it a better place.
Let me finish by asking you some questions. I’ll keep the list short.
What about SS and Medicare and Medicaid. What about NH citizens on those programs?
What about Passports?
What about trade. How will that work?
And on the logistical side what’s your estimated man-hours to make a smooth transition. What will it cost? "