Resolved: Texas would best serve its interest by seceding from the Union

C1: Civil War1) The US will not let Texas leave peacefully; global history proves that secession results in violence. Look to the violence as India fought for independence from Britain, Algeria from France. Precedent in the U.S. establishes that the federal government will use force to preserve the Union- President Jackson declared the right to do so and the Civil War set the standard for how secession is to be handled. In response to secession petitions, the Obama White house clearly says secession is not an option and references the precedent of the Civil War [1]. 2) Texas would lose a Civil War. Any military capability of Texas exists within a military complex controlled by the federal government- this includes the chain of command, contracts for manufacturing of military equipment, communications infrastructure. Foreign allies of the U.S. would side with the federal government- the fed is the reliable ally and the one most likely to win. Texas secession would be Texas vs. the world.3) Even if Texas won the Civil War, the massive casualties and economic damage would vastly outweigh any benefits of independence.4) Civil War would cripple Texas’ economy. The two largest sectors of the Texas economy are oil and defense contracting [2]. Withdrawal of federal funding will cripple defense contracting. Companies like AECOM and Lockheed Martin have long ties to the federal government and will pull out of Texas. Oil revenue will be massively disrupted as companies rely on oil infrastructure spread throughout the Gulf for refining and processing. 80% of U.S. refineries are outside of Texas [3] and 2/3 of U.S. oil reserves are outside of Texas [2]- oil companies will side with the U.S.C2: Hegemony1) Texas secession would be a global signal that the U.S. doesn’t have its house in order, causing irreparable damage to perception of U.S. power.2) Every economic strength that Pro lists for Texas is an economic asset lost by the U.S. The loss of Texas would be a devastating economic blow to the U.S., resulting in loss of economic primacy.3) Civil War would be a massive economic and military drag on the U.S. and would cripple our ability to project power. U.S. Civil War would parallel the dissolution of the USSR and herald the permanent destruction of U.S. Hegemony.4) U.S. Hegemony is key to global stability- we keep conflicts in check around the globe: e.g. conflict between N. and S. Korea and balancing Iran at the Strait of Hormuz. Global instability makes the world a more dangerous place for everyone, including Texas. 5) Heg is also key to fighting terrorism. The U.S. has crippled Al-Qaeda, killed Bin Laden, and pushed the Taliban out of Afghanistan [4]. In a multipolar world, Pakistan would not have allowed the extensive infringement of the sanctity of borders that the U.S. exercises with drone raids and the Bin Laden mission- US clout was key. The Mexican border makes Texas especially vulnerable to terrorist attacks.C3: Economy1) Cross apply that Civil War cripples Texas economy.2) Secession would lead to a U.S. trade war as the U.S. implements protectionist policies. The heavy overlap of Texas economic sectors with the U.S. coupled with U.S. backlash would lead to disruptive trade policy. Texas also would be ineligible for “Buy American” infrastructure policies. Companies like ExxonMobil with critical economic interests in both the U.S. and Texas would be swayed by U.S. policies to prefer the U.S.3) Federal dollars are key to Texas economy- NASA creates 46k jobs in Texas [5] and defense spending is the second largest economic sector in Texas [2]. Federal stimulus money was crucial to solving Texas’ budget crisis in 2010, showing that current fiscal policy relies on the federal government [6]. Texas Gov. Perry even admits the FEMA is critical to his state and Texas is especially prone to wildfire emergencies [7].4) Even if Texas could offset federal funding with domestic funds, secession would massively disrupt these sectors. Texas would need time to write policies to fund military bases, reqrite contracts with private companies like Haliburton, replace federal education loans, and replace FEMA. In the interim, individuals who depend on this funding would likely follow the U.S. federal dollars and leave Texas- resulting in a brain drain on the labor force.5) If Pro is right an U.S. is on the road to economic collapse, then secession is pointless because U.S. failure will drag Texas down with it. Experts say if the U.S. economy collapses the global market will collapse with it [8]. The financial crisis of 2008 proves that the global market follows the behavior of the U.S. [9] Texas secession is then a moot point.Pro’s Case:Economy:1) Cross apply all my economy arguments that shows how secession hurts both U.S. and the Texas economy.2) Secession precludes any possibility of the U.S. solving its debt crisis- since Texas is a massive economic asset, secession makes U.S. economic failure inevitable. Its try or die- either Texas stays and fights for the success of the union or Texas secedes and guarantees U.S. and global economic failure.3) Private sector models prove that carrying debt is good practice, and the U.S. debt to income ratio compares favorably to many major companies. Debt is used to invest in development that leads to future profits. This is what major companies like IBM do- take on debt now to invest in future opportunities. The U.S. carries debt to fund infrastructure projects, maintain Hegemony, and protect human capital. Debt is not a cause for concern.Culture:1) The impacts of economy and security are infinitely more important than cultural uniformity.2) This whole argument is a joke. Secession won’t mean Democrats cease to exist in Texas, Texas is massively heterogeneous due to proximity with Mexico and a large Hispanic population, Texas conservative culture is shared by many “red states,” etc.Ability to Secede:1) Cross-apply all my Civil War and Heg arguments. Any existing military infrastructure will be absorbed by the U.S.2) These arguments link into my Hegemony arguments- they just prove how key Texas is to the survival of the Union.3) The population/economy of scale argument is without warrant. Pro points out the three countries with the largest populations also are the strongest global economies and seems to think this shows why large populations are bad.4) The economy of scale argument has no impact and no way to evaluate. The large U.S. population preserves Hegemony, which vastly outweighs.Underview: Security comes first in evaluating the best interest of Texas. War and global instability puts the lives of Texans at risk, outweighing any economic risks. Additionally, wars hurt the economy by disrupting trade, draining resources, and causing uncertainty. Texas may be a great state, but the Union is greater than the sum of its parts. A Texas secession would lock both the U.S. and Texas in a downward spiral resulting the destruction of both. The loss of the security found in the united front of 50 states vastly outweighs any other considerations.[1] https://petitions.whitehouse.gov...[2] http://en.wikipedia.org...[3] http://en.wikipedia.org...[4] http://www.theatlantic.com...[5] http://www.nasa.gov...[6] http://money.cnn.com...[7] http://blog.chron.com...[8] http://www.businessinsider.com...[9] http://en.wikipedia.org... [10] http://usatoday30.usatoday.com...