The more I think about things, and how well stuff works in other countries, i believe it’s due to the sheer size and demographic makeup of the country. I often times wonder if it would be better managed with more of an EU style system where certain standards are core across all states and then leave each country to truly govern themselves.
I’m fairly certain this was the original goal when the country was founded and the idea of states rights, but at some it feels like things got flipped on their heads.
(Note, this is probably more of a rant and I know there are definitely things that would not work as well in that situation, but part of me wonders if it’d be a better solution than what we’re stuck with right now)
It wouldn’t last. Think of the Futurama quote about Friends: “Why does Ross, the largest friend, not just eat the others?”. Ignoring what we would have to do with all the nuclear weapons and federal waste, the neighboring states would simply expand to consume their lesser brethren. Cascadia might arise from California, Oregon, and Washington — but the damage that the Second United States This Time Keeping Slavery would do to the surrounding area would be untold. Not worth it IMO.
And go on to cannibalize the “independent” states of the mountain west. Like, Utah isn’t operating as an independent territory. They don’t even have enough water rights to exist as they stand.
They might, or they might let it die on the vine along with Idaho and Montana and Nevada. Also, water “rights” probably won’t matter much in the case of a dissolution like this.