If Texas seceded.

[One_Tycoon]

On a somewhat related note, does anyone know where Texas ranks in education?

Texas on a small scale is the way the entire U.S. should be. Lots of jobs, most of them for a lot less money (as it should be) as a result... but at least the standard of living is so much lower that you get your bang for your buck, despite not having a Minimum 9 dollar an hour wage that some want now.

Their education is irrelevant. You should get your education somewhere else and then bring your skills over there anyway. The places with the top Universities are terrible anyway... mostly due to their State Govt. (New York, Connecticut ). Those places are a good place for snob academics and financial ponzi schemers who want to live off of the system and the producers who make things happen and grow the real economy.

The Koch Brothers were smart in privatizing their Koch Industries company and not having it go public.

[JoeKickAss]

Wow this thread is dumb. Does OP not know that Exxon is moving it's HQ to the Houston area?

[Coyotefury]

I found this article:

No doubt Texas’s desire to break free is a source of amusement inside a White House that has mastered the art of belittling the opinions of its challengers, but there is one not-so-small problem here: Texas could pull it off.

Here’s why:

–Resources. Texas currently sits on one-quarter of the nation’s oil reserves and one-third of the nation’s natural gas reserves. Even more, fully 95% of the country receives its oil and gas courtesy of pipelines that originate within Texas. This is what one might call leverage.

–The Texas Economy. This is well documented but worth repeating. In the last decade, even with the Great Recession, Texas has expanded by one million jobs. One million. That’s more than every other state … combined. Because of its friendly business climate, Texas is home to more Fortune 500 companies than anywhere else. If Texas were its own country, it would have the thirteenth-highest GDP in the world, just behind Canada and Russia. Or think about it this way: For every dollar Texas taxpayers send to Washington, they currently get only about 80 cents back. Theoretically, they could transfer those funds to the state’s coffers and still give every Texan a 20 percent tax cut.

–Utilities. Texas is the only state with its own power grid. Developed over the course of the last 100 years, the Texas grid covers the majority of the state and is fully state controlled. Translation: Texans could rest assured that the federal government doesn’t have the power — literally — to turn off their lights.

–Defense. While no match for Uncle Sam’s firepower, Texas does have a significant defense presence, namely in the Texas State Guard (which answers only to the governor), the Texas National Guard, the Air Guard and the legendary Texas Rangers. Texas is also home to two of the nation’s largest military bases — Fort Hood and Fort Bliss — and being able to control those two installations is nothing to sniff at. But let’s not forget the firepower of the citizenry itself. There’s a reason burglars don’t waste their time in Texas.

–History. Texas has done this before. Twice, actually. First in 1836, when it seceded from Mexico and became an independent country. Second in 1861, when it joined the Confederacy. And while the South did lose the Civil War, it didn’t lose it in Texas. In fact, by the end of 1864, the North didn’t have one square foot of Texas soil under its control despite many attempts. Even a full month after Robert E. Lee surrendered at the Appomattox Court House, Texas was still fighting. Texans love their state and they love a fight. That is a lethal combination.

[One_Tycoon]

I found this article:

No doubt Texas’s desire to break free is a source of amusement inside a White House that has mastered the art of belittling the opinions of its challengers, but there is one not-so-small problem here: Texas could pull it off.

Here’s why:

–Resources. Texas currently sits on one-quarter of the nation’s oil reserves and one-third of the nation’s natural gas reserves. Even more, fully 95% of the country receives its oil and gas courtesy of pipelines that originate within Texas. This is what one might call leverage.

–The Texas Economy. This is well documented but worth repeating. In the last decade, even with the Great Recession, Texas has expanded by one million jobs. One million. That’s more than every other state … combined. Because of its friendly business climate, Texas is home to more Fortune 500 companies than anywhere else. If Texas were its own country, it would have the thirteenth-highest GDP in the world, just behind Canada and Russia. Or think about it this way: For every dollar Texas taxpayers send to Washington, they currently get only about 80 cents back. Theoretically, they could transfer those funds to the state’s coffers and still give every Texan a 20 percent tax cut.

–Utilities. Texas is the only state with its own power grid. Developed over the course of the last 100 years, the Texas grid covers the majority of the state and is fully state controlled. Translation: Texans could rest assured that the federal government doesn’t have the power — literally — to turn off their lights.

–Defense. While no match for Uncle Sam’s firepower, Texas does have a significant defense presence, namely in the Texas State Guard (which answers only to the governor), the Texas National Guard, the Air Guard and the legendary Texas Rangers. Texas is also home to two of the nation’s largest military bases — Fort Hood and Fort Bliss — and being able to control those two installations is nothing to sniff at. But let’s not forget the firepower of the citizenry itself. There’s a reason burglars don’t waste their time in Texas.

–History. Texas has done this before. Twice, actually. First in 1836, when it seceded from Mexico and became an independent country. Second in 1861, when it joined the Confederacy. And while the South did lose the Civil War, it didn’t lose it in Texas. In fact, by the end of 1864, the North didn’t have one square foot of Texas soil under its control despite many attempts. Even a full month after Robert E. Lee surrendered at the Appomattox Court House, Texas was still fighting. Texans love their state and they love a fight. That is a lethal combination.

Ouch.....

And once their Techy guys from Silicon Valley start moving to their neighboring state because of too high taxes....that's it for California. All they will have left is Hollywood.

[VG_Addict]

What about the Houston Medical Center?

[Coyotefury]

What about the Houston Medical Center?

HOUSTON – Nine Houston hospitals ranked among the best in the nation in the 2012 U.S. News & World Report’s "Best Hospitals" issue.
Methodist, St. Luke’s, Texas Children’s, MD Anderson, the Children’s Cancer Hospital at MD Anderson, Memorial Hermann, Children’s Memorial Hermann, TIRR Memorial Hermann and the Menninger Clinic all ranked nationally in the annual survey.
The Methodist Hospital was named the best in Texas in the rankings, and also ranked nationally in the following specialties: cancer (38), cardiology and heart surgery (12), diabetes and endocrinology (21), ear, nose and throat (33), gastroenterology (18), geriatrics (26), gynecology (20), nephrology (23), neurology and neurosurgery (17), ophthalmology (15), orthopedics (21), pulmonology (26), and urology (29).
St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital ranked nationally in the following specialties: cardiology and heart surgery (6), ear, nose and throat (27), geriatrics (39), neurology and neurosurgery (35), pulmonology (19), diabetes and endocrinology (19), gastroenterology (21), nephrology (48), orthopedics (49), and urology (39).
Texas Children’s Hospital ranked nationally in the following pediatric specialties: cancer (4), cardiology and heart surgery (3), diabetes and endocrinology (14), gastroenterology (4), neonatology (2), nephrology (5), neurology and neurosurgery (5), orthopedics (33), pulmonology (3) and urology (7).
The MD Anderson Cancer Center ranked nationally in the following specialties: cancer (1), ear, nose and throat (5), gynecology (6), and urology (23).
Children’s Cancer Hospital at MD Anderson ranked No. 15 in pediatric cancer.
Memorial Hermann at the Texas Medical Center ranked No. 50 in nephrology, and Children’s Memorial Hermann ranked No. 36 in pediatric gastroenterology and No. 25 in pediatric nephrology.
TIRR Memorial Hermann was the No. 3 hospital in the country for rehabilitation, according to the report.
The Menninger Clinic was ranked as the No. 4 hospital in the U.S. for psychiatric care.
U.S. News & World Report ranks the nation’s hospitals based on reputation, mortality and a group of care-related factors like nursing and technology.
In all, there are more than 4,800 hospitals eligible for the rankings, and only 140 were ranked as one of the nation’s best.

[pixelmademe]

I like the idea of Texas seceeding, would definately fight for it.

[HardAss]

Good ridance, the cartels would take over in a matter of days.

[DeadLikeMe]

The irony of the republican party is that most red states take quite a bit more in federal aid than they pay in federal income taxes...

[squealpiggy]

How do you cut squealpiggy's dick off?

A. Kick his grandpa in the face

B. Kick his dad in the face

C. Kick his 4 year old brother in the face

D. All of the above

I will post the correct answer in 20 minutes

What a ponce.