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I think most states would do just fine if they were divorced from DC; but would they "thrive"? By what standard?
The only states that would "thrive" are the ones that are actively being held back by the Federal government. It's hard to really know how much that factors in until a separation actually happens.
The separated states would presumably set up their own central banks and start printing money - unless they wanted to go into some Euro-style common currency.
Arizona, Nevada and Utah for same reasons as Colorado, parched land/limited rainfall.
Maybe - New Hampshire, Maryland, Kentucky, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and Idaho
Not Likely - Dakotas, Montana, Alaska, and Hawaii Alaska big fossil fuel reserves, lots of coast line for fishing, lots of migrating animals to hunt but farming is problematic.
Would get invaded by/merge with other states - Maine, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, West Virginia, South Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Wyoming
Maybe - New Hampshire, Maryland, Kentucky, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and Idaho
Not Likely - Dakotas, Montana, Alaska, and Hawaii
Would get invaded by/merge with other states - Maine, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, West Virginia, South Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Wyoming
The two bolded above should be Not Likely imo. Utah and Nevada are two of the driest states in the nation. Both states already have water woes.
Arizona, Nevada and Utah for same reasons as Colorado, parched land/limited rainfall.
Maybe - New Hampshire, Maryland, Kentucky, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and Idaho
Not Likely - Dakotas, Montana, Alaska, and Hawaii Alaska big fossil fuel reserves, lots of coast line for fishing, lots of migrating animals to hunt but farming is problematic.
Would get invaded by/merge with other states - Maine, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, West Virginia, South Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Wyoming
ROFLMAO. Might wanna take a look at a map sometime. The North Platte, South Platte, Arkansas, Colorado, Rio Grande, and Canadian Rivers all start in Colorado. We just turn off the spigot and all the downstream states (Nebraska, Oklahoma, Kansas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, and Nevada) are f'd. Colorado also has a fairly robust ag sector. I believe Weld County is a Top 10 ag producing county in the entire country.
If Delaware became their own country, it would rank 109th in the world, just ahead of Cyprus, a developed first-world nation. We live in a blessed country. Every single state would fare well in the world economy.
The US spends more $ a year on their car washes than the entire GDP of Angola. Sometimes I think we take a lot for granted.
Turning off the spigot is a bit self defeating, though. It not only makes irritable neighbors, but it hurts a lot of related areas like fish resources. Ecological damage inflicted would cause a lot of bad PR. Such a move would require a massive reason behind it and a lot of media/firepower to go along with it. The state most likely to do something like this is Georgia, where draining too much from the Chattahoochee will cause severe damage to Florida ecology (going way too far would threaten the functionality of a nuclear power plant in Alabama).
One of the big questions in such a scenario is how shipping and trade would be handled. It could very much make a drastic change in the agricultural and land use in each state. Another thing to note is how states would adapt their governments to adjust to their new found sovereignty. Mass amendments vs new constitution would have massive differences. Some states have a lot more to gain with the required Constitutional reform than others.
Ohio just seems like the trickle down beneficiary of industry happening east of them, while Michigan has a huge coastline and arguably a world class city and metro area.
Michigan's huge coastline won't do it much good if it has to ask permission from NY to connect to the Atlantic Ocean.
If Delaware became their own country, it would rank 109th in the world, just ahead of Cyprus, a developed first-world nation. We live in a blessed country. Every single state would fare well in the world economy.
The US spends more $ a year on their car washes than the entire GDP of Angola. Sometimes I think we take a lot for granted.
But if Delaware became independent, could she even defend herself? From even say Maryland?
Way back in the 1600s, Maryland claimed the lands that would become Delaware and actually sent in a force to take it. A stern warning from the Governor of New York and a reminder that it was New York that had the alliance with the Iroquois (everyone was afraid of the Iroquois at the time) made Maryland reconsider.
I mention this because everyone on this thread seems to assume that relations between the 50 states and the territories would be peaceful. And they would most likely be, at least for a time. But in the past, especially in the colonial era, some of the states had boundary disputes and even intrigued and fought small battles against each other.
If the 50 states remain democracies, then the smaller states like Delaware would probably remain safe. But nothing is guaranteed in the long run. And even now in the Pacific, Alaska and Hawaii are exposed to outside predation.
I don't think any state would thrive. The international stage is much different from the national stage. It's one of those things were the sum is greater than the parts. If I had to pick which states have the better odds then I would go with
Best Chance:
California
Texas
Decent Chance:
Alaska
Florida
New York
Washington State
When you look at thriving countries, you notice most will have a combination of good governance, sea access, strategic location, service oriented economy with some manufacturing capacity. Helps to have some natural resources as well. It's difficult to predict the governance ,but Cali and Texas would check most of the list. We put a lot on agriculture output, but it's really not that important to a thriving economy. India has the most arable land on the plant and it's not thriving. Singapore has little if any and it has a higher GDP per capita than the U.S.
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