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On Tuesday, I wrote about how there was a move afoot to create the 51st state by basically cutting Illinois off from Chicago. It’s an interesting plan, though not one I see likely to happen.

However, that doesn’t mean it’s not being taken seriously.

County board members passed a referendum question which will go on the 2020 ballot. It asks if people support separating the rest of the state from Cook County.

It asks this: “Shall Effingham County coordinate discussions with the remaining 101 Counties of the State of Illinois, with the exception of Cook County, regarding the possibility of forming a new state and ultimately seeking admission to the Federal Union as the 51st State, pursuant to the provisions of the United States Constitution?”

The referendum proposal passed 7 to 2, which tells you where the county board stands.

Now, let’s say the bulk of the counties pass similar measures and discussions take place. Is there a way this may happen?

Well, yeah. Anything’s possible. I don’t think it’s likely, but right now the idea is far enough down the road that we don’t need to worry too much. By the time this passes and enough discussion takes place, the political landscape could be very different.

Americans could well be sick of the Democrats and their shenanigans in the House, granting control back over to the GOP. Should enough counties sign on with something like this, it’s entirely possible that a Republican Congress would back it as well. If that happens, it’s a win for the rest of Illinois.

After all, they’d finally be free of the insanity that passes for policy thanks to Chicago’s oversized influence on the state’s lawmaking. Frankly, Illinois is a prime example of why we have an electoral college at the national level. The last thing I want is for a handful of urban centers having an outsized influence on our national politics as well.

Of course, that’s why some of these nimrods want to repeal it.

I’m skeptical that the Illinois measure will fly, but that’s not to imply that I want it to fail. I desperately want to be wrong on this, to see it sail through without a problem and to see Chicago and his suburbs form one state while the freedom-loving parts of Illinois can be rid of that troublesome town. It would especially be nice for gun enthusiasts to be rid of the shackles of gun control basically handed down from Cook County.

After all, as noted in Tuesday’s post, gun control is a major driver behind this effort, and I applaud these counties for stepping up and refusing to be the Windy City’s doormat.

Frankly, I’d like to see this happen in a lot of states where a handful of urban centers control the politics to such a degree. Shuffle them off to their own slice of hell, make them support themselves, and the rest can go on living life without those urban centers telling them what the more rural areas really need.