A group of Oregon residents want their rural counties to be absorbed by Idaho, to throw off the control Portland exerts on a very different area of the state. Two counties have already voiced majority support for the idea in ballot initiatives.
The latest step for the organizations Move Oregon’s Border and Citizens for a Greater Idaho, was to present the idea to House and Senate committees in the Idaho legislature.The former house speaker of Oregon, who lives in one of the counties that want out, joined the movement’s leader to help pitch the plan.
In order to move the border, both Oregon and Idaho legislatures would have to approve the plan, as would the US Congress. Even the groups’ leaders admit that’s a long shot, but said, “When the 13 colonies got together, it was a long shot.”
And that spirit of freedom is what the movement wants to capture— escaping what they see as a tyrannical state government which does not represent the interests of the rural sections of the state.
What this means:
Don’t count on this movement becoming a reality. But what’s interesting is that the reorganization of political jurisdictions is being taken more seriously. The Idaho legislature’s willingness to consider it certainly lends the movement some credibility.
Plenty of groups around the world are fighting for more political autonomy and independence from centralized governments that do not represent them.
If just one of these long shot groups has its way, the precedent could lead to a domino effect. – READ MORE
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