MCCAMMON — Buck Hedges has no illusions when it comes to his signing a petition for Idaho to secede from the United States at the White House’s website.
“I don’t think Idaho will secede. I don’t think any of the states will,” he said. “All our federal government has to do is say, ‘O.K., you can secede, but you don’t get any money for roads or anything else.’ They can make it difficult on us economically.”
But signing the petition, as more than 6,000 others have, is a way for Hedges to further register his disdain for the direction he sees the country headed in currently.
“It’s just a way for people to express their dissatisfaction,” he said. “I think a lot of people are upset at the way the government is extending it’s reach into everything. There are a lot of people who would rather be on their own and just want to be left alone.”
Idaho is not the only state for which a petition to secede from the union exists. Petitions for all 50 states can be found at www.whitehouse.gov/petitions, and were created in the wake of a highly contested presidential election.
Through its “We the People” program, the administration of U.S. Pres. Barack Obama has provided an avenue for citizens to petition the federal government. A petition is given one month to reach 25,000 signatures. Should it reach that threshold, it will be sent to appropriate policy officials who will issue an official response.
Petitions for several states, including Texas and Florida, have well exceeded the 25,000 signatures. Idaho’s petition stood at more than 6,300 signatures as of Sunday evening, needing nearly 18,700 to solicit an official response.
Darrell Dougherty, who lives in Pocatello, said Monday that he plans to sign the petition as well. He was only awaiting e-mail verification that he was registered at the White House’s website, www.whitehouse.gov, so that he could sign the petition.
Like Hedges, Dougherty doesn’t believe the petition will result in Idaho’s secession.
“The reason I want to sign the petition is to bring attention to the fact that things are not going right,” he said. “It’s more of a protest than it is a desire for it to happen.”
Dougherty’s concern is a liberal government that is prohibiting the return of industry to the U.S. and with it, a vibrant economy. He also believes the federal government’s current path will lead to economic collapse.
“We are borrowing 40 cents of every dollar we spend and the federal government cannot be sustained much longer doing that,” he said.
Growing the economy means getting back to the roots that once made it strong, manufacturing, mining and agriculture. Until the federal government gets out of the way and allows those industries to grow relatively unabated, Dougherty sees little hope.
Hedges, 40, describes himself as a conservative Christian who is currently registered as a Republican.
“I am registered as a Republican because as a party, they happen to be more in line with my values,” Hedges said. “Should that change, I won’t be a Republican anymore. But I am definitely a conservative.”
Again, Hedges says he doesn’t think Idaho will ever secede, that he doesn’t even think it’s economically possible at this stage. But he also believes a lot of people share his views, concerned over the direction the U.S. is headed.
“That’s why doomsday preppers are getting more popular,” he said. “That’s why gun sales are up. They don’t know what is going to happen, but they don’t like the direction it’s going in.”
(5) comments
I am watching PBS, Independent lens.
This is a good program ot watch on why we are in a mess. I listened to an Idaho Falls talk radio disparaging the President. I can only say the reasoning is naive and people are not doing their homework.
The Program n Park Avenue: Money, Power and the American Dream. Gibney contends that America’s richest citizens have “rigged the game in their favor,” and created unprecedented inequality in the United States.
The Tea Party, ALEC (Legislation like the Luna Laws and written by Corporations, Cato and Heritage, all quoted by Republicans "Conservatives" are being run by the Koch Brothers,
Not sure how many times this program will run, but it ran today at 1PM.
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/park-avenue/film.html
Thank goodness for PBS.
Over 20 years ago, I volunteered as a worker for the Republican Party. I thought I could meet my neighbors, local politicians, and learn about politics. I was right, I walked the street door to door passing out flyers with sitting Congressmen (one of the 435), I had conversations across my kitchen table with future Congressmen, and had a one-on-one for 20 minutes in a school classroom at at meet the candidates day with a Future Governor.
I held meetings at my home for the primaries, and everyone, when asked what their main political belief was the answer was "Conservative". When I asked each one, what a Conservative meant, the answer were numerous, but mostly, disliked government, disliked taxes, disliked "law" that did not align with their lot in life. But, they did like a Strong military,(as long as their kids were not serving), dislike paying taxes, liked roads and police protedtion (except when they were told something they did was against the law), liked camp grounds (not restrictive rules), liked public lands, thought the government was too intrusive, but usually, if they were self employed, prior to turning age 65 got their 40 quarters in to qualify for Social Security and Medicare (griped when the SS check was not much).
The people who attended my home meetings used the same terms as Mr Hedges - "Conservative, Choose the Right, Values, Christian. They also demonized "Liberal, Socialism, Left Wing, anyone disabled as a "deadbeat",and expecting the Government to "take care of them".
I remember the young Congressman telling me that "lowering Capital Gains taxes to 15% from 20% would be a good thing". I did not report hardly any Capital Gains as I worked for a Paycheck and most of my friends just worked for a paycheck. She told me "Lowering Capital Gains Taxes will create jobs" That was over 20 years ago, in the last Decade 60,000 manufacturing plants have closed in the USA and Offshored.
I also noticed that wages were pretty flat. We were working longer hours, carrying pagers and not getting paid, and treated pretty poorly. Then I experienced "Downsizing" where they threw older employees "under the bus" - did away with Defined Benefit Pensions(deferred wages from 30 years of working).
I noticed Health Care was increasing by lots of money, mainly out of pocket. The amount out of my pocket for health insurance was doubling every 7 years.
I then read about the Corporate Executiives who normally were paid 40 times employees wages were now paid 400 times (the rest of the world is 40 times except for China about 20 times).
Then we were lied to about Weapons of Mass Destruction, and Bush made a joke about it. Being a Second Generation Veteran, I knew the War in Iraq was not justified. We were lied to. I called up the Republican Party and resigned.
I then started "reading, stopped listening to "Choose the Right" radio and TV, Fox, Limbaugh and other Conservative media. I looked into PBS and NPR, the Social Media, Internet, Internet radio and read a lot of books via Amazon, about 20 a year and I traveled to other countries that had Universal Health Care like Australia.
What became apparent was the "Republican Party had been Highjacked" by Billionaires and Corporations whose only interest was to "feather their nest financially" at the expense of the rest of us.
It took awhile and I regret not finding out sooner. Perhaps our Hospital Stays would not cost $10,000 a day, perhaps the One Million families who declare bankruptcy for medical bills every year would not be possible, two wars put on a Credit Card, Price Fixing of Medical Care, one out of five kids in Poverty, 40% of the GDP going to 1% of the families and Corporations not stealing the pensions of 44 million famlilies over the last 30 years as the Corporate Executives took the money.
Our Government has some basic function, keep us safe (a Strong Military), spend our tax dollars wisely, and make decisions that benefit the majority of Americans.
I agree with Mr Hedges, the military is now Merencary (hired guns and not citizen soldiers), the Tax Dollars are being spent for the benefit of the very Rich and Corporations and not for the majority of us, and decisions and laws are being manipulated by some pretty Super Rich, like the Koch Brothers who fund the Tea Party, ALEC, and the "No Tax Increases for the Rich" with Grover Norquist.
As I share what I know, with some folks like Mr Hedges, most get "Red in the Face" and get mad. When you try to explain how you came to your opinion, they walk away usually labeling me as a "LIberal, Communist, Socialist, Left Winger".
No discussion and not interested.
Well, Snake Oil Salesman have been taking advantage of people who "don't communicate or want to understand", they are pretty easily duped and led down the wrong Path.
If Mr Hedges really wants to get this country on the right track, Stop listening to "Corporate Right Wing Media like the SIx Fox radio and Six Limbaugh radio stations". Start reading books, look at internet web sites and take magazines like the 185 year old "Nation, Progressive" along with Newsweek, Forbes, Fortune, Time, and read.
Then, start talking and listen to someone who you might disagree with, and be willing to learn.
I did, It took a "lot of work" but I found that I have finally found "the truth". I worked in Broadcasting and what is on the Radio and in the TV associated with 'Choose the Right and Conservative "(the only thing Conservative, about a Conservative who sponsors those radio stations are "Conserving the Rich Man's wealth without paying taxes at the expense of the Middle Class and Poor).
A college student pointed me to Internet Radio stations available to listen to on the Internet with "Stephanie Miller, Ed Schultz, Tom Hartmann, Norman Goldman, Current TV, MSNBC, and Free Speech TV.
I still tune in Fox, Limbaugh, and "Choose the Right" but because I have other sources to find the Truth, I only listen for a few minutes until I hear the first mis-information and lie.
I suggest others do the same. Mr Hedges, expand your world and check it out.
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