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Wisconsin Republicans Want The State To Secede

by Lulu Chang

Until very recently, Wisconsin's proudest political movement may have been Paul Ryan and his penchant for cutting government funding from various programs, including education, health, and research. But last month, Wisconsin Republicans passed a resolution that affirmed Wisconsin's right to secede from the United States of America, outdoing Paul Ryan in their extremism. This resolution was passed in only one of the eight regional caucuses, but earlier in April, the entire state got behind the idea.

That's right: The Wisconsin GOP has decided to "support legislation that upholds Wisconsin's right, under extreme circumstances, to secede."

According to the Journal Sentinel, many of Wisconsin's Republicans are frustrated by the hand of Big Government, and the Obama administration's constant meddling in state and local affairs, including healthcare and education. For the Wisconsin GOP, secession seems to be the next logical step, and is one that they believe would be lauded by the Founding Fathers of the United States.

Of course, if they were to secede, it doesn't seem that the Founding Fathers' opinions would matter so much.

Now that the resolution has passed, the next step will be for the party to vote on its action at the upcoming state convention, to be held May 2—May 4. This resolution is far from the first strange piece of legislation to be proposed by Republicans in Wisconsin.

In 2012, state Republicans told a Tea Party group that they would back a bill to arrest any federal officials who try to implement Obamacare in Wisconsin. As Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield), one of the backers of the bill, told the Journal Sentinel: "Just because Obama was re-elected does not mean he's above the constitution." Because attempting to provide healthcare for all the citizens in your country makes you a dictator, apparently.

The secession bill is not without its naysayers. Wisconsin's Republican governor, for one, said in a press conference:

I don't think that one aligns with where most Republican officials are in the state of Wisconsin — certainly not with me.
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Additionally, Dan Feyen, chairman of the GOP in the district from which the secession resolution first originated, expressed his disapproval for the bill, noting that its major issue was that "it did not deal with the 'true enemy.'" Which is to say: Democrats.

Joe Fadness, executive director of the state Republican Party, also chimed in to say that the state of Wisconsin does not support secession. Which doesn't seem to be in sync with what many other state Republicans are saying. Surprise: The GOP still has cracks.

As bizarre as it may sound, Wisconsin's secession movement has substantial precedent. In 2012, following Obama's re-election, Wisconsin joined over 20 states that filed petitions demanding that the federal government allow them to secede. Wisconsin alone had 5,000 signatures on its petition, which comprised about 20 percent of the entire petition's goal of 25,000 signees.

Recently, an increasing number of conservatives have suggested that the United States is becoming less and less legitimate as a nation. Last week, Sean Hammity of Fox News expressed his support for Cliven Bundy, a Nevada rancher who says that “I don’t recognize [the] United States Government as even existing.” This incendiary comment came after a nearly violent conflict with the federal government, who has tried for years to stop Bundy from allowing his cattle to graze on federal land.

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When the government began removing Bundy's cattle, Bundy rallied the support of right-wing conservatives. He managed to solicit the support of right-wing militia members, who arrived in Nevada to "'provide armed response' to federal officials seeking to enforce the court order."

So if Wisconsin manages to become the first state to make good on its attempts to leave the United States of America, there could be a few others that might follow in Wisconsin's footsteps — leaving America not so united after all.