Happy Secession Day! Or otherwise known as Independence Day.

The entire independence movement and the war that ensued from the American colonists is a fascinating subject. There are a lot of elements that come in to play, so I find myself critical of virtually all sides in some manner.

When you look at King George III, he was a rather peaceful and lenient guy when you compare him to many dictators throughout history. Even when you compare him to most politicians in countries with democratic elections, King George III seems rather benign.

Taxes were incredibly low by today’s standards. It is difficult to get an exact rate because it was mostly a combination of excise taxes and tariffs. But most colonists were probably paying around 1 or 2 percent in terms of their total income. Even if it was higher than this, it is a far cry from the 20% or more that the federal government extracts from us today in one form or another.

In terms of taxation, I would love to go back to the days of the American colonists under George III. Today we are stuck with income taxes, payroll taxes, business taxes, various excise taxes and tariffs, plus all of the inflation and debt.

In that sense, maybe the colonists were better off living under one tyrant three thousand miles away as opposed to three thousand tyrants one mile away (as stated in the movie The Patriot).

This isn’t to excuse the actions of George III. His policies were rather benign as compared to what we have today, but he was still a thug for starting a war. And yes, he is the one who started it. He should have allowed the colonists to secede peacefully. He should have let them go without a fight.

And secession is exactly what it was. You can call it whatever you want, but it doesn’t negate the fact that the colonists seceded from Great Britain. Yet many who never question the independence of the colonists will call you a traitor, a racist, an extremist, and many other things if you suggest that a state be able to secede from the United States.

By the way, the United States is now thought of as one entity. But back in the day, you would say that the United States were a confederation of states. In today’s world, the U.S. is thought of as one entity (singular). Back then, the United States were multiple entities (plural).

If the states had remained under the Articles of Confederation, things would likely be much better today with a lot more liberty. Instead, we have the Constitution, which greatly centralized power. It is ironic that those who tend to love liberty the most are the ones who most revere the Constitution.

If the politicians in Washington DC actually followed the document, then we would certainly be much better off. But this doesn’t change the fact that the Constitution handed over a lot more power to the politicians, which has exploded over time. The national government was weak under the Articles, which is much better for liberty. And the Constitution has been little help, especially in the last century, in terms of limiting government power.

With the voters of the United Kingdom recently voting to leave the European Union, this was a vote for secession. It was their own declaration of independence. Hopefully nobody will start a war with them. I think there will be heavy-handed tactics, but I don’t expect an outright war.

Now that the Brexit has happened, some American libertarians (and even a few non-libertarians) are wondering if some states could do the same in seceding from Washington DC. Will there be a Texit (Texas exit) or something of that sort?

While I like the talk of the idea, I am realistic in the fact that things would have to get a lot worse before that would happen. The two main reasons that we will not see a state secede any time soon is Medicare and Social Security. Right there, there would be too many voters opposed to the idea because they want to collect their “benefits”.

If there ever is a major default with these two programs, then maybe the idea will be entertained more. The less people have to lose, the more likely they are to support a secessionist movement.

The other thing we have to consider is that the culture in the U.S. is far more similar than in Europe. I know there are certainly differences between Texas and New Jersey, but they are fewer than amongst the European countries. And in the U.S., we have a common language. There may be a few cities where Spanish dominates, but for the most part, English is the accepted language.

If people want to talk about state secession though, I welcome the conversation. Maybe it will get more people accustomed to the idea without thinking it is completely crazy.

There will be major problems ahead for the U.S. government, especially when it comes to the debt and unfunded liabilities. When things get worse, more people will be open to new ideas, or at least new to them.

In the meantime, celebrate your Independence Day, even though you live in a mass surveillance state and you have to fork over about half of your money. At least we have freedom of speech, at least for the most part, so you should take advantage of it where you can. This doesn’t mean being rude to people or shouting them down. It just means gently exposing people to the ideas of liberty, especially those who may be open to them.

And be sure to take advantage of the freedom that you do have and occasionally enjoy the pleasures in life. What is the point of fighting for freedom if you never get to experience any of it? And nobody wants to be around someone else who is constantly complaining.