The political and cultural divide in the U.S. became more evident this week as voters in five counties in eastern Oregon gave the go-ahead for their local representatives to consider making their counties part of the state of Idaho. They join two other counties that had earlier voted to secede from leftist Oregon to more conservative Idaho.
The effort to move as many as 22 counties in rural Oregon to Idaho is spearheaded by Citizens for Greater Idaho, according to Fox News.
“The Oregon/Idaho border was established 161 years ago and is now outdated,” the Greater Idaho website says. “It makes no sense in its current location because it doesn’t match the location of the cultural divide in Oregon.”
And the group invites parts of southeastern Washington and northeastern California – areas more conservative than their state’s dominant political culture – to join them as well.
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Idaho Gov. Brad Little, a Republican, says he supports the measure but cautions there’s a long way to go to make it a reality.
“I understand why many people want to be Idahoans,” Little said in a statement, according to FOX 12. “They’re looking at Idaho fondly because of our strong economy, regulatory atmosphere, and our values. Still, the decision to change Idaho and Oregon’s borders would need to go through both states’ legislatures and the U.S. Congress for approval. There’s a lot that needs to happen before the border is within the realm of possibility.”
According to the Greater Idaho website, there are good reasons for rural Oregon to want to join Idaho, including lower taxes, the fact that Idaho allows forest management to ward off destructive wildfires, and in an obvious reference to the last summer’s unchecked violence and looting in Portland, it states “Idaho enforces the law.” Oregon, it declares, does not. “Oregon refuses to protect citizens from criminals, rioters, wildfire arsonists, illegals, and the homeless, but then infringes your right to defend your family with firearms.”
It’s also good for the leftists of the greater Willamette Valley, the website touts. No more tax subsidies for these rural counties, and no more gridlock in the super-majority Democratic state legislature where the only way Republicans can resist the flood of left-wing proposals is to walk out to deny a quorum for a vote.
“This election proves that rural Oregon wants out of Oregon,” Greater Idaho’s, Mike McCarter, said in a statement to The Oregonian. “If Oregon really believes in liberal values such as self-determination, the Legislature won’t hold our counties captive against our will. If we’re allowed to vote for which government officials we want, we should be allowed to vote for which government we want as well.”
Seceding to Idaho is a very long shot for these rural Oregon counties. But with their votes this week, the movement gained a little more momentum toward that goal.
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