A study in Florida’s sustainability as an independent nation.
Almost a third of voters in a 2018 Rasmussen poll say a civil war may be brewing in the United States.
Amid widespread political polarization on issues like immigration and the recent public confrontations of Trump administration officials, 34 percent of probable U.S. voters surveyed said “it’s likely the United States will experience a civil war sometime in the next 5 years.”
The FLS offers a better solution through independence.
Even though the government, established by the Articles of Confederation agreed to in 1778, was styled “The United States of America” was a joint venture for the new sovereign states for common purposes. The powers of government remained firmly lodged in the legislatures of the 13 States.
While the Articles of Confederation may have appeared to be weak as an instrument of national union, there were good reasons why it went no further. In each of the newly sovereign states, the people had just adopted constitutions for the governance of their state. Their desire for self-government as forcefully and simply expressed by a soldier who had been in the battle of Lexington and Concord. When later interviewed by John Adams was asked “What was the matter? What did you mean going into the fight?” The soldier responded, “What we meant in going for those redcoats was this, we had always governed ourselves and always meant to. They didn’t mean we should.”
After successfully fighting to preserve the broad right of self-government, which they had enjoyed since Jamestown, the people of each state were not about to give up the power to govern themselves to any other legislative body. Unfortunately, the servant government they created, as a result of their sacrifice so many years ago, has today become an oppressive master.
A Pew research study concluded that TRUST in government is at a historic low with only 17% of people trusting the federal government most or all of the time. Gallup polls show 73% are somewhat or very dissatisfied with the state of the Union and 56% saying government has way too much power. Take the 2020 elections and the recent radical actions of the Biden Administration and you have to conclude the lack of faith in Washington is palpable and cannot be fixed!
What would lead Americans, including our fellow Floridians to have such a pessimistic outlook the Washington machine? A confiscatory federal taxation system enforced through prison or death is certainly no favorite among our people. Even the so called “Fair Tax” would do nothing to curb a bloated out of control government. The money our state collects through various taxes and surrenders to the federal government is used to enslave us with little or no benefit to our state. One example is, in 2010, for every dollar the State of Florida sent to the federal government she received only 99 cents in return. On a personal level that is over $7500 for the almost 21.6 million citizens of our great state. We Floridians shovel money into a collective pot and allow the 2.5 million un-elected bureaucrats, if we beg hard enough, to send it back. The worst part being, as if we hadn’t the intelligence to provide for our own state’s needs, we are then told where our money is to be spent. Is this freedom?
We say NO THANK YOU! Let us keep our money and spend it as we Floridians see fit.
Not only is our money not safe but even our traditional, conservative votes are diluted by liberal “blue states” forcing the tyranny of the majority upon us on issues such as abortion, gun control, unconventional or immoral marriage, legal and illegal immigration and foreign policy just to name a few.
Florida has no voice in Washington, DC to resist these and other usurpations of her sovereignty since the passage of the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Through its embassy in DC, the Republic of Zimbabwe actually has more representation than the State of Florida, which has become nothing more than a taxable province used to facilitate the feeding of Washington’s foreign and domestic boondoggles.
The corruption and intrusions of the federal government are legion with 440 federal agencies and 180,000 pages of red tape and regulations, to outline them here would take volumes. However, there is no need. A large and growing number of Americans already know the system is broken and cannot be reformed.
At one time we lived under a system in which there were three safeguards to our liberty. This tripod of security included nullification, interposition and secession. Somewhere along the way nullification and interposition were rendered useless leaving SECESSION as our only means of recourse.
Can Floridians survive as an independent nation? Where would we rank among the other nations?
The numbers show we can live happily without Federal tax dollars. Florida, in 2019, had an estimated Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of 1.106 trillion dollars. This puts Florida at a favorable ranking of 17th above such nations as Belgium, Switzerland and the insanely wealthy Saudi Arabia. Florida’s economic strength would make for a viable independent nation.
Size or Population are not limiting factors, with a land mass of roughly 58560 sq. miles, and 21.6 million people, it is larger than many western nations like Austria, Ireland, Switzerland, Norway and the Netherlands just to name a few. Compare Iceland’s population (2021) of only 353,000 and you can see safety and sovereignty don’t depend on size and population.
As for national security, Florida has one of the country’s largest Guard organizations containing infantry, artillery, cavalry, air defense, engineering, communications and intelligence units, special forces as well as transport and reconnaissance helicopter units. All the necessary components to perform as an independent army. The Florida air Guard also contains air to air combat aircraft as well as medium lift transport which can operate out of any of the state’s 19 military airfields.
If Florida felt the need to increase the size of her military, her large population pool would easily allow her to do so. Following the U.S. model of only 4.2 active-duty troops per 1000 citizens, in 2020, she would boast an armed force of over 90,000 military personnel. Using the Swiss model of 29 troops per 1000 she would have a formidable 623,000 personnel, more than Canada, Australia, Germany, Italy, Greece, Finland just to name a few all well under 200,000 troops respectively.
When it comes to industry most people only think of Florida in terms of tourism and citrus but also possesses a strong, skilled and competent manufacturing workforce. Florida supports over 20,000 manufacturing establishments producing over 380,000 high wage jobs producing, for example, computer and electronic products, transportation equipment, metal fabrication, machinery, mineral products, chemicals, plastic and rubber products, furniture, food and the list goes on and on.
Florida is rich in agricultural resources aiding her in self- sustainability. It produces 25% of the worlds phosphorous 90% of such is geared toward the manufacture of fertilizers used in the production of food and fiber products. Phosphates are also an important element in the making of livestock feed, vitamin supplements, soft drinks, toothpaste, light bulbs as well as flame resistant fabrics and optical glass. Florida also leads the continent in the production of masonry cement, peat, sand, crushed stone and clays.
With our year-round growing season and over 47,000 working farms, Florida is able to produce 280 crops which account for a 104 billion dollar impact on the economy. Florida conducts agricultural trade with over 100 countries worldwide generating (as of 2017) 7.4 billion in cash receipts annually. Raising over 914,000 head of beef calves a year, Florida’s livestock industry including beef, poultry, eggs, and milk accounted for record gross receipts of over 1.75 billion dollars. Florida could not only easily feed herself as an independent nation; she is helping feed the world.
Florida’s aerospace and aviation industry is defined by 2000+ related companies employing nearly 83,000 workers with exports totaling 7.4 billion. Our state hosts close to one third of worldwide commercial space activity and its defense industry is among the largest in the U.S. building everything from satellites and next generation air defense systems to body armor and armored vehicles.
As you can see, Florida possesses all the critical resources that are necessary to prosper as an independent republic. Reinstating our separation from the Washington leviathan unquestionably opens the door to greater liberty and prosperity for the people of Florida.
The only remaining question is…….
What are we waiting for?