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Sometimes state lines have to be newly defined. If the Mississippi changes course, a state line that used to be an uncontested river becomes dry land, and neighboring farmers encroach on that land. It may take decades of negotiations before that line is agreed upon.
The world is not logical. It's hard enough trying to place geographic squares on a sphere. Geography will always have weird spots. And people hate arbitrary borders. As others have said here, just look at Europe or Quebec or the modern Middle East.
Not to mention, if you do change a border based on geographic aesthetics instead of politics/culture, what are you going to do when the geography inevitably changes again? Rivers will always change course. Rising sea levels will do who knows what. Should we update our borders every ten to twenty years to appease Mother Nature's whims?
Everyone in that county on Medicaid would need to re-apply
Things banned in one state are free in another. What do you do there?
Decades of local court cases based on State Supreme Court rulings suddenly become in flux. How are local administrators supposed to know canon of law in their new jurisdiction?
Sales and property taxes differ - massive tax collection headaches.
Parents wanting their kids to go to University of Virginia now have to settle for West Virginia University.
Every document put out by a county has to be rewritten to make sure it aligns with the new state's regulations.
It's much harder than it seems.
This
can you imagine living in a free State like Nevada on Lake Tahoe and waking up to find out you are an instant felon with firearms AND all your taxes shot up.
Rivers will always change course. Rising sea levels will do who knows what. Should we update our borders every ten to twenty years to appease Mother Nature's whims?
Yes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 1AngryTaxPayer
This
can you imagine living in a free State like Nevada on Lake Tahoe and waking up to find out you are an instant felon with firearms AND all your taxes shot up.
I wasn't talking about the CA/NV border. That one is fine, and it probably will be for a long time because it's so dry and near the crest of a mountain range.
The Texas Constitution does not allow for consolidated city-counties, such as S.F. Houston has a slight problem with the Westside reaching North Fort Bend County. The Harris/Fort Bend county line divides the South Katy area in half and goes through entire subdivisions platted without regard to the county line.
Even if the Cinco Ranch area is annexed into Houston, the constitution and laws require that some services be provided by the county, such as elections administration and jury selection. If your house is on the county line, you probably still have problems remaining with property tax assessment, voting registration, and jury duty despite being annexed by the city. But police and fire protection will eventually be unified by HPD and HFD after a few years.
I would suggest a minor revision; that the county line be redrawn only to include subdivision lots wholly in one county! The state has been lax in enforcing the border creating a situation that confuses residents and the bureaucracy that provides services.
I wasn't talking about the CA/NV border. That one is fine, and it probably will be for a long time because it's so dry and near the crest of a mountain range.
Then here's another. Yuma AZ and Winterhaven. Same scenario and it's got rivers that criss cross it. Someone in Yuma could have their lives drastically altered by being included as Winterhaven. As in you could be instantly a felon by the stroke of a pen. Same with areas of Illinois and New Jersey.
Then here's another. Yuma AZ and Winterhaven. Same scenario and it's got rivers that criss cross it. Someone in Yuma could have their lives drastically altered by being included as Winterhaven. As in you could be instantly a felon by the stroke of a pen. Same with areas of Illinois and New Jersey.
It's important to think about reality. This sort of change (which I don't think is very plausible) would involve a long transition period before laws changed.
The town of Needles, Calif. is over 200 miles from its county seat in (Riverside or San Bernardino?) and feels like a neglected stepchild. Most people in Needles want to join Arizona (which also has far cheaper taxes and much cheaper gasoline).
40% of residents of the furthest west tip of Maryland would like to join West Virginia. They are Republicans, and are tired of being taxed to subsidize the dysfunctional schools, city jail, courts, stadiums, bus and rail systems of far-off Baltimore City. They would also be able to enroll in nearby WVA Morgantown at in-state tuition rates.
Greensville County, Virginia, makes no sense. It's so very small, and extends only a few miles away from the county seat, Emporia. It would be more sensible to transfer the western half of Sussex or Isle of Wight Counties onto Greensville County, so the sheriff and county services of the town of Emporia could patrol and serve that area much more conveniently.
The southwest tip of Virginia (Cumberland Gap) is closer to the state capitals of SIX other states than it is to its own state capital of Richmond.
Give El Paso to New Mexico. It's the only place in TX that's in the Mountain Time Zone.
Juneau, (the capital of Alaska) is extremely out of the way in one corner of the state, it can only reached by airplane or ship, and its airport, hemmed in by mountains, is very awkward to takeoff and land in.
The city limits of St. Louis, MO should be expanded out, but the state Constitution prohibits it.
Everyone in that county on Medicaid would need to re-apply
Things banned in one state are free in another. What do you do there?
Decades of local court cases based on State Supreme Court rulings suddenly become in flux. How are local administrators supposed to know canon of law in their new jurisdiction?
Sales and property taxes differ - massive tax collection headaches.
Parents wanting their kids to go to University of Virginia now have to settle for West Virginia University.
Every document put out by a county has to be rewritten to make sure it aligns with the new state's regulations.
It's much harder than it seems.
This. When people mention these changes, they don't have a CLUE what the ramifications are.
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