Texas Secession Petition Attracts More Than 112,000 Signatures

The petition was begun soon after Obama’s re-election. Many Americans apparently feel so strongly about Obama’s planned direction for the country that they would like their states to withdraw from the Union entirely. While Texas is far from the only state with a secession petition on the White House site, its petition currently bears the largest number of signatures. 

The Texas petition states: “Given that the state of Texas maintains a balanced budget and is the 15th largest economy in the world, it is practically feasible for Texas to withdraw from the Union, and to do so would protect its citizens' standard of living and re-secure their rights and liberties in accordance with the original ideas and beliefs of our Founding Fathers which are no longer being reflected by the federal government.”

Although the petition has been popular among certain segments of Texas’ population, Gov. Rick Perry has counseled that secession is an impractical route to take.

“Gov. Perry believes in the greatness of our Union, and nothing should be done to change it,” reads a statement emailed to the Dallas Morning News from the governor's office. “But he also shares the frustrations many Americans have with our federal government. Now more than ever our country needs strong leadership from states like Texas, that are making tough decisions to live within their means, keep taxes low, and provide opportunities to job creators so their citizens can provide for their families and prosper. We cannot allow Washington’s tax-and-spend, one-size-fits-all mindset to jeopardize our children’s future, undermine our personal liberties, and drive our nation down a dangerous path to greater dependence of government.”

It is worth noting that while 112,720 signatures may sound like a lot, Texas has a population of about 25.67 million, meaning about one-third of 1 percent of Texans have signed the petition.

At the same time that many Texans are looking to secede from the U.S., some residents of two Texas cities, Austin and El Paso, are looking to secede from the state. Residents of both cities believe they have very little in common with the Texas citizens who are seeking to secede from the U.S. 

In the case of El Paso, HispanicBusiness.com reported the petition reads, in part: ”El Paso is tired of being a second-class city within Texas. El Paso has little in common with the rest of Texas. Its demographics are more similar to New Mexico. El Paso is also proud to be part of the United States and wants no part of a state whom publicly contemplates secession from our great nation.”