# Kick a state out of the Union. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 2, 2012, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kick-a-state-out-of-the-union/639704 "2012-11-02T21:06:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2012, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kick-a-state-out-of-the-union/639704/81 "2012-11-04T22:30:44Z")
> [@TnTangent](#): > > No facial hair now, though I did sport a goatee for a few months in college. Hmmm…were you working on any physics experiments about four years ago that went horribly wrong, or perhaps participating in one of **Skald the Rhymer** ’s hypotheticals? If so, we might be in trouble… Well, I do have a degree in physics and, in fact, _ **I** _ have a goatee! Mwuaaa ha haaaa! ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2012, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kick-a-state-out-of-the-union/639704/82 "2012-11-04T23:49:09Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Delaware. Who’d miss it? Credit card companies? ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kick-a-state-out-of-the-union/639704/83 "2012-11-05T00:31:43Z")
Hawaii, because it is like, WAY out there in the middle of nowhere; all of the other states can be easily visited by land (although Alaska is also separated from the lower 48; how many other countries are split up like the U.S., and while we are at it, might as well split Michigan into two states). ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kick-a-state-out-of-the-union/639704/84 "2012-11-05T01:06:37Z")
> [@Michael63129](#): > > Hawaii, because it is like, WAY out there in the middle of nowhere; all of the other states can be easily visited by land (although Alaska is also separated from the lower 48; how many other countries are split up like the U.S., and while we are at it, might as well split Michigan into two states). And Tennessee into 3. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kick-a-state-out-of-the-union/639704/85 "2012-11-05T01:08:57Z")
> [@Palo\_Verde](#): > > Who wants Mississippi? I mean really, what does it add? Mississippi gives all of us in Alabama a reason to feel better about ourselves. ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kick-a-state-out-of-the-union/639704/86 "2012-11-05T02:07:24Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > And Tennessee into 3. Why Tennessee? I mentioned Michigan because it is physically separated by Lake Michigan; many other states (e.g. along the Mississippi and Ohio) are bounded by rivers, which is a much less obvious separation. ETA: A close look at a [map](http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Michigan_in_United_States.svg&page=1) also shows a small speck of Michigan separated by Lake Superior, which is closer to Canada or Minnesota than the rest of Michigan. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kick-a-state-out-of-the-union/639704/87 "2012-11-05T10:58:40Z")
> [@Michael63129](#): > > Why Tennessee? I mentioned Michigan because it is physically separated by Lake Michigan; many other states (e.g. along the Mississippi and Ohio) are bounded by rivers, which is a much less obvious separation. > > ETA: A close look at a [map](http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Michigan_in_United_States.svg&page=1) also shows a small speck of Michigan separated by Lake Superior, which is closer to Canada or Minnesota than the rest of Michigan. Several rivers have been dammed in Tennessee to form long lakes which are pretty wide in places…just wide enough that, on some maps, the state really does look a bit like three separate pieces. I assume that’s what the poster meant. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kick-a-state-out-of-the-union/639704/88 "2012-11-05T14:47:59Z")
> [@Michael63129](#): > > how many other countries are split up like the U.S. There’s Angola, Brunei, Kiribati, Malaysia, Russia, and the UK, off the top of my head. > [@Michael63129](#): > > A close look at a [map](http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Michigan_in_United_States.svg&page=1) also shows a small speck of Michigan separated by Lake Superior, which is closer to Canada or Minnesota than the rest of Michigan. That’s Isle Royale, which is geologically the same as Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula lying parallel to it. It’s quite interesting geology, actually. A continental rift started to open between the two of them, then changed its mind and quit, leaving a gap between the two pieces of land. The ground between them slumped down and filled up with Lake Superior. That’s why both places have produced copper since prehistoric times. It’s in the same strata with a big groove down the middle filled with the lake, and the edges on either side tilted up, making ridges. So, scientifically speaking, Isle Royale _does_ belong in Michigan. ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kick-a-state-out-of-the-union/639704/89 "2012-11-05T14:59:16Z")
I picked Texas. You may build a wall once we are kicked out too. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kick-a-state-out-of-the-union/639704/90 "2012-11-05T15:01:17Z")
I didn’t pick Texas, but if Texas got kicked out; I might just move back there. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kick-a-state-out-of-the-union/639704/91 "2012-11-05T15:06:59Z")
If I had two votes, I would vote for Texas twice. Am I right (or Amarillo)? ---
**Author:** ![MegaBee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@MegaBee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaBee)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kick-a-state-out-of-the-union/639704/92 "2012-11-05T15:13:18Z")
Bye-bye, Ohio! ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kick-a-state-out-of-the-union/639704/93 "2012-11-05T16:02:54Z")
Mississippi; it has tons of negatives obesity and being the poorest state are the two big ones and out of the states that are a general drag on the country it’s the only one I couldn’t come up with any positives for. As for the people picking N. Dakota I’d kick out South Dakota first at least the Wiliston basin is up in the North which is one of our largest oil reserves. ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kick-a-state-out-of-the-union/639704/94 "2012-11-05T20:34:52Z")
Only one? Not FAIRRRRRR!!! ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kick-a-state-out-of-the-union/639704/95 "2012-11-06T00:32:37Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > And Tennessee into 3. > [@Michael63129](#): > > Why Tennessee? I mentioned Michigan because it is physically separated by Lake Michigan; many other states (e.g. along the Mississippi and Ohio) are bounded by rivers, which is a much less obvious separation. > > ETA: A close look at a [map](http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Michigan_in_United_States.svg&page=1) also shows a small speck of Michigan separated by Lake Superior, which is closer to Canada or Minnesota than the rest of Michigan. > [@JKellyMap](#): > > Several rivers have been dammed in Tennessee to form long lakes which are pretty wide in places…just wide enough that, on some maps, the state really does look a bit like three separate pieces. > > I assume that’s what the poster meant. Not at all. I was talking economincs & geography. West Tennessee–cotton, tobacco. Mass, large scale agriculture on the bottom-lands. Area dominated by Memphis. East Tennessee–mountains, mining & manufacturing, with timbering & pig farming thrown in. Lowest proportion of African-Americans in the State. Middle Tennessee–more universities than the other two combined. Music industry. Historically, the State’s interests have been split. And administering a long, skinny state has transit problems. At least break off the East into Franklin. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kick-a-state-out-of-the-union/639704/96 "2012-11-06T00:43:16Z")
> [@Speak\_to\_me\_Maddie](#): > > I like Robert Ferrignos idea of ejecting Nevada, making it a basically a lawless state where Americans can go have all the hedonistic pleasures denied them in the own country. You didn’t get the memo? ---
**Author:** ![DrumBum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e79b87/32.png) [@DrumBum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrumBum)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kick-a-state-out-of-the-union/639704/97 "2012-11-06T12:20:42Z")
I picked Connecticut simply because I could never spell it in grammar school. :mad: Massachusetts is a close second for the same reason. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kick-a-state-out-of-the-union/639704/98 "2012-11-06T12:27:19Z")
Idaho. We can let all the survivalist types move there first, cut them loose, then invade and see how well all their plans to stand up to the government forces work out for them. I would also consider Arizona, just because it would be funny for them to be on the other side of the fence. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kick-a-state-out-of-the-union/639704/99 "2012-11-06T13:06:36Z")
Texas, because of all the states where confederate feelings still bubble right under the surface, it’s the one that won’t slip straight down into hellish conditions. I’m a lover, not a hater. Also, the other ‘confederate’ states would get to see how bad it really is without federal infrastructure. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kick-a-state-out-of-the-union/639704/100 "2012-11-06T13:43:30Z")
> [@Moonlitherial](#): > > Kick out Hawaii. A good percentage of your population already thinks it’s a foreign country. Honestly, autonomy for Hawaii (perhaps in a “Commonwealth” arrangement weaker than the one we have with Puerto Rico, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands) wouldn’t be a bad idea for many reasons. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kick-a-state-out-of-the-union/639704.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kick-a-state-out-of-the-union/639704.md?page=6)