WA Legislators Want to Create New ‘Eastern Washington’ 51st State
How would you like to be living in a permanent state of "Liberty?" If a bill proposed by several Eastern Washington legislators ever came to fruition, that would be an actual event.
Legislators aren't just trying to create a state budget during this extra legislative session. Republican State Representatives Matt Shea and Bob McCaslin of Spokane Valley and David Taylor of Moxee (near Yakima) have introduced House Joint Memorial 400.
Although the state legislature cannot split Washington in half, nor can the Governor or anyone else, the bill asks Congress and the President to do so.
Their idea is to create a new 51st state, split right down the Cascades, and it would be called "Liberty." Some reports indicate Spokane could be chosen as the new state capitol.
The measure is the result of growing decades of frustration over the fiscally irresponsible and liberal policies coming out of King, Snohomish and Pierce Counties and the legislature. Although some Spokane officials, say KIMA-TV, call it a 'terrible' idea, it actually has shown a surprising amount of popularity.
While most citizens realize it's not likely to happen, at least in our lifetime, some surveys have shown as much as 20-35 percent of strong support for such an idea. This is a surprising number considering how dramatic an event it would be.
The last time Congress created a split state was during the Civil War, when West Virginia wanted to stay with the Union, and therefore Virginia was sub-divided.
This is perhaps the most "serious" proposal for such an idea that has been seen in a number of years.