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First Brexit, Now Texit?
Pop-culture is in love with their snappy mashups for the next greatest fling like “Brangelina”, “Kimye” and “Tomkat”. Falling in step, the world couldn’t resist the urge to mash up Britain’s messy EU break up, dubbing it “Brexit,” giving it kind of a fun, quirky feel one would expect with “Bennifer.” Normally, more aloof to the external world, Texans joined the fray leading up to the Brexit vote by attempting their own political exit blend with “Texit.” It’s actually kind of cute.
Photo: Pixabay
Contrary to popular belief, Texans don’t leap up, grab their guns, and run to the nearest militia line every time they hear the words “exit” or “independence.” While self-sufficiency and pride is a staple of Texas culture, it does not mean that the itchy trigger finger and high noon showdowns portrayed in Hollywood spaghetti westerns is reality. Obviously, the fact that Texans have reportedly tried to lobby for secession measures a handful of times, in just as many years, without any other state really taking a sniff at it, doesn’t mean we would do it. Think of it this way, it’s kind of like going to Best Buy and staring at that 75” flat screen TV you know you can’t afford, it is nice to think about having nice things, but in reality, probably not in the cards. After all, it wouldn’t really happen, right?
Maybe it’s time to evaluate the pros and cons of a potential Texit.
Pro: Texas is Big. Real Big.
Texas is big folks, real freaking big. Covering 268, 596 square miles, Texas boasts the second largest area in the country, second only to Alaska, which let’s face it, is basically uninhabitable. Considering Texans like to be the biggest and the best at everything, independence would make us the undisputed largest state to ever secede in the country, leaving the second place non-sense comfortably in the rear-view mirror.
Within our borders we have access to nearly every important natural resource needed to sustain a healthy population.
1. Texas would currently possess the 10th largest economy in the world.
2. Texans possess 825, 957 gun permits, and own an estimated 51 million firearms.
3. Texas has the 14th largest beef population in the world, greater than 43 other states’ people population.
4. Texas has over 130 million acres of farmland, and 248,000 farms.
5. Texas is first in wind energy capacity and biodiesel production.
Pro: Food
Photo: Flickr/ Arnold Gatilao
Texas is renowned for its food. Whether it’s Tex-Mex (another ideal Texas mashup) or fine dining, there is food here for everyone. Where does all of that food come from?
Texas is a leading producer of cotton, beef, seeds for planting, tree nuts, rice, milk, wheat, fresh fruits, corn, sugar, and other fresh vegetables. Our vast landscapes and geographical regions provide farmers and ranchers a plethora of options for successful growth and development of agriculture.
Con: Food
Unfortunately, the Texas love affair with food can lead to some hefty health issues (pun intended). Texas proudly plays host to tens of thousands of fast-food restaurants and countless other less “healthy” eating options, which in part, have led to an alarming 66% of Texas adults who are overweight or obese.
I guess there is something to be said for having too much of a good thing.
Pro: Football
Photo: Pixabay
The truth is, you aren’t a real Texan if you don’t watch a little football every year. Football has rapidly become the most played sport in America, hosting over a million boys, and yes, girls throughout the country every year. It should be no surprise that Texas leads the nation in high school football players. Texas is also home to some of the biggest and brightest professional, college and high school football stars, as well as the biggest and brightest stadiums at every level.
Con: Immigration
Texas is already awesome, but let’s face it, if we became our own country, there would be no way to stop the droves of American immigrants wanting to get into our country. In 2014 alone over 530,000 people moved to Texas from other states. The problem is most of those people are moving from California, and Californians are just weird.
Con: The Austin Problem
Photo: Pixabay
For the most part, most Texans agree on many things, but then there’s Austin. Yeah, yeah, we’ve all heard it, “keep Austin weird,” but really, do you have to be so weird? Seriously, they might as well be from California.
Since Austin is the capital of Texas, it is hard to imagine they don’t come along for the Texit ride, but maybe there’s a way to “pull a Vatican”, and kind of make them their own thing, within the Texit thing. That way they’re here, but not really “here.” We could still enjoy, the music, movies and food, without having to outright claim them as our own.
After all of this back and forth, there is no doubt some New Englander out there is crinkling their nose and wincing every time they see a reference to “Texit.” Just imagine them, sitting out by the lake, in their wide-brim hats, sunglasses and long-sleeve “summer shirts”, sipping their Long Island Ice tea and nibbling at their caviar exasperated at our dirty expanses and red meats, wondering to themselves what the world has come to (with all do respect to our countrymen from the north).
The truth is, this is Texas. We were built on the spirit of hard work, dirt under our nails, and a do it yourself kind of grit and grind that many states no longer remember. No, it’s not always pretty, but Texit or not, it doesn’t get much better than this.