From Article 50 to the Great Repeal Bill, Brexit is providing an ironic blueprint for a state to leave the United States of America. The rumblings are growing louder in California, Texas, South Carolina, Colorado and other states to go it alone. With meaningful reform of the bloated federal government seemingly insurmountable, to avoid a catastrophe like the Civil War, America might look to Brexit for a step-by-step guide to an orderly division.
The first step is Article 50. In 2009, the European Union voted to enact Article 50, which contains a brief but certain process for a member country to leave the EU. It contains a method to notify the EU governing body and a 2-year negotiation period to settle the details. Although the US constitution does not specify that once ratified by a state there is no withdrawal, there is currently no express provision for a state to withdraw from the Union. Step one is to pass a constitutional amendment with provisions similar to Article 50. The mood is ripe in America, on both the left and the right, and the people at large would likely support a brief and reasonable amendment like Article 50. It would be Amendment 28 to the US Constitution, so let’s call it that.
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