Channel 2 News is reporting on a fascinating movement that some have talked about in the past, but no one has successfully enacted upon. Now the movement appears to be gaining new ground.
We all know that being the second largest city in New York can be a drag. The interests of NYC and Downstate NY don’t mesh with the interests of Upstate NY, and now activist groups are calling out for an actual separation. The group has launched a website, which promotes Upstate and Downstate as autonomous regions. The secession actions that the separatists are gunning for are as follows:
Our Secession plan calls for establishing a more republican form of government than total democracy NYS currently has which allows Downstate state to rule upstate, while upstate can occasionally block things downstate wishes to enact. We would form Two Autonomous Regions the New Amsterdam Region (upstate) and the New York Region (downstate) alongside a token state government to comply with the US Constitution. The token NYS government that remains would have about the same power as the Queen of England! Because we are forming regions not a new state or moving counties between states; Congress can be legally bypassed. If NYS Legislature fails to act, this plan also has the option to bypass the NYS Legislature; because every twenty years the people of NYS get to vote on whether to hold a NY State Constitutional Convention. If we vote YES on the NYS Convention, Delegates are elected for the Convention the following November. The Convention can then submit an amendment to divide NY State into regions with token state government directly to the voters. The next time the Convention vote will be held is Nov 2017. Our autonomous regions method is more likely to succeed!
To learn more about this movement, visit this website, or join the conversation on Facebook. See blog. See petition.
NYS Political Committee – Divide New York State Caucus Inc.