Off-topic Blog Entry: Succession of Chicago Metropolitan Area



So let's do a "what-if". What if the Chicagoland area broke off from the state of Illinois? For the purpose of this discussion, we will call the new territory Chicagoland. There are a couple things that would have to be considered: 1. It can't just become a new state. 2. Funds paid into the state up to this point would be lost to the New Illinois.

So what are the options? #calexit is an example of how it could be done. California succession is a topic that is trending on social media as a result of the Trump election. Part of the reason for this is one of Trumps 100 day objectives: "cancel all federal funding to Sanctuary Cities". Succession was brought up previously, but never had enough teeth. A referendum is proposed to be voted on in 2019. If California succeeds, it would become it's own country independent from the US.

You may have heard the same rumblings a while ago from Texas, but it also never had teeth. But California doesn't have to become an independent country, they just have to succeed from the Union. They could join another country and become part of that government system.

So what about Chicagoland? What if Chicagoland exited the Union and became an independent country or joined California as a new country?

What if Chicagoland became a fragmented province of Canada? Alaska is a fragmented part of the US on the other side of Canada, so why not? Chicagoland has a GDP of around $610B making it 3rd in the US and higher than the countries of Sweden, Poland and Norway. Canada's GDP is around $1,785B and it would move Canada's GDP up past Russia, Italy, India and Brazil.

Would the rest of Illinois want to break off Chicagoland? Yes. Governor Rauner wants the downstate of Illinois to succeed from Chicagoland. But politically, there would be impacts.

Why can't it become a new state? It is about constitutional statehood.According to Article IV, Section 3 of the United States Constitution, calving off a new state is a complicated process that requires the assent of the state legislature and of Congress:

New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.

 Spinning off a new state will give the Congress two new Republican senate seats that Illinois had Democrats in, but as a new state, it would also create two new Democrat senate seats. Basically, Chicagoland would lose out on that advantage.

This post is just a way for me to churn through a what-if moment. But you have to wonder whether or not the US is going to start separating from itself as a result...again... as a result of the most recent election. Will you start seeing hashtags for #ChicaGo?

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