The new states' rights cry can be heard at many tea party rallies. Even Texas Gov. Rick Perry has at one time raised the banner. During his last and record-setting run for re-election he told a tea party rally that secession was not out of the question. He later backed off that remark. He also is invoking states' rights when he threatens to refuse any federal money for Medicaid. He also has softened that stance of late.
States' rights is also a favorite phrase in the battle of immigration reform. States such as Arizona, Oklahoma and, unfortunately, a growing number of others claim that passing get-tough immigration laws is the right of the states.
Technically, the federal government is responsible for immigration enforcement, not the states. Members of Congress ought to be the ones getting the heat from the anti-immigration crowd. Many in that group, however, also happen to believe that the federal government already has too much power, so they aren't likely to relinquish their devotion to laws that blame a powerless minority for everything that has gone wrong in their lives.
So, here we are, 150 years after the biggest "states' rights" fight. I don't really expect a serious secession movement, although I shudder to think what would happen if Texas really did secede. Would Oklahoma, with its love-hate relationship with Texas, be far behind?
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