At a time when people are coming to the United States, [and people want to leave the United States] Harold Thomas of the Ohio Republic was willing to talk with the Alvarez Galloso News Hour about an Independent Ohio. I will now welcome a fellow Buckeye to the News Hour.1. What are the reasons for an Independent Ohio, and

2. Why has the Federal Government failed in Ohio?

The Federal Government has failed in Ohio for the same reasons it has failed everywhere else. It has completely lost sight of its purpose as stated in the Preamble to the United States Constitution: “to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.”

The Constitution itself established the “more perfect union”. Since the time of President Lincoln, the Federal Government has been working on consolidating that union into a unitary state, governed by Washington with the States being mere administrative units of the National Government.

The Federal Government, with the help at times of the Supreme Court have perverted justice in many ways, most recently through the detainment of suspected terrorists without habeas corpus or any right of trial whatsoever. We have become a society in which every grievance has to be litigated in the courts, giving an unfair advantage to the rich and the corporation over ordinary individuals. The Federal Government’s failure to rationally address the issue of Mexican immigration is another perversion of justice.

As to domestic tranquility, we have a nation that lives in fear of violent crime caused by people whose lives have no meaning, who feel no hope for a better life. Our institutions: government, education, corporations – even churches — have enlarged beyond any human scale. People who cannot influence their immediate surroundings lose all hope for their own future. The problem is, we expect government to provide a supportive community. Government can enforce rules, and it can (inefficiently) give money away; but it cannot provide love or guidance the way friends and neighbors can; but friends and neighbors frequently cannot help without fearing governmental harassment.

Provide for the common defense? Osama bin Laden has been at large for six years since 9-11, and we cannot secure our own borders from illegal immigration. America’s military is so busy trying to radically change ancient societies in the Middle East that it lacks the resources to carry out anything that resembles true defense.

To promote the general welfare, we have to first develop an abstract concept called the “public interest”. That is, we must determine what most benefits society as a whole; not just certain interests. Lobbying is a reality, and it will never completely go away, but without a broader vision, our elected officials will never become more than referees for competing interests.

The blessings of liberty are fast eroding all around us. A culture of “political correctness” prevents us from speaking our minds, and too often, prevents us from even learning the truth. Electronic surveillance has eroded our Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches and seizures. Rules and regulations designed for application across an entire continent stifle creative solutions to social problems. Citizenship in the community, once considered an essential attribute to a free society, is now socially discouraged. The States, once considered sovereign, are now forced to pay for unfunded Federal mandates, and to pay arbitrary fines for failing to comply with Federal regulations on Federal timetables (Ohio has experienced this several times when failing to meet Federally-imposed deadlines for the implementation of computer systems for social services).

As Americans, we have struggled with the alternatives. Form a lobby for greater states’ rights? Would the mainstream media even give such a lobby the time of day? Could such a lobby raise enough money for Congressional and Presidential campaigns to overcome those whose interests lie in consolidation?

Form a new political party? We have the Libertarians, and have tried on several occasions to raise viable third-party candidates for President; but again, the money required to build a viable campaign requires such movements either to dilute their goals for the sake of contributions, or to let themselves remain unheard. Even if a third-party candidate could be elected President, he would still have to work with a hostile Congress consisting almost entirely of Democrats and Republicans. Further, election laws in most States, including Ohio, are rigged against any political party other than the Democratic and Republican Parties.

Start a revolution? To revolt against the military might of the world’s remaining superpower sounds rather suicidal to me.

So what is left? A determination by the people to pursue, nonviolently and within the rule of law, the right to peaceably leave the Union, one that was asserted without Federal opposition by five States in their ratifications of the United States Constitution1; that was recognized by the Federal Government itself at the beginning of the Civil War (in the failure of Congress to outlaw secession outright); and which is inherent in the law of contracts – that any contract voluntarily adhered to can (subject to appropriate notice and following procedures) be dissolved.

We cannot possibly raise enough money to buy back the government, nor enough force to overcome the police and the military. Our only option is to build such a strong moral position that our opposition will collapse of its own weight, just as the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia collapsed in 1991.

3. What does Ohio have or could do in order to sustain itself in preparation for independence?

The most important thing the government and people of Ohio can do to prepare us for independence is to begin thinking like an independent state. We recognize that Federal funds come from the pockets of our own people. We pursue policies to encourage community-based solutions to social problems. We resist further encroachments of Federal authority on the rights of the States and of the people, as Gov. Strickland in December did with the children’s health insurance benefit.

We also begin to think of the economy as local, not global, by purchasing items based as much on quality and local manufacture as on price alone. We eat at the corner restaurant instead of McDonald’s, and buy at the farmer’s market or locally-owned supermarket instead of Wal-Mart.

We become aware of, and promote, our own culture. Our culture will turn a seceded State into a nation in its own right.

4. What has been the response of the people of Ohio to the concept of an Independent Ohio?

I have been surprised by the lack of hostility to the idea. Most think it is highly impractical; and being a native to this State, you know how Ohioans value practicality over just about everything else. Therefore, I would describe my fellow Ohioans’ reaction to be deep skepticism; however, see my answer to question 8.

5. How did the concept for an Independent Ohio get established?

I began thinking about it in 1989, when it occurred to me that Federal funds were nothing more than our taxpayer dollars sent to Washington and returned at a discount (that is, reduced by the costs of administering the programs that spend them). In the past, Ohio has been a donor state in most respects, sending more to Washington than it ever got back. In recent years, Ohio has broken even; but I am convinced that government could be run much more efficiently – even given the new responsibilities of national defense, foreign policy, and some regulatory tasks – if we could run it our own way, without Federal oversight.

My other major concern, as I discussed earlier, was the loss of human scale. We have lost the ability as individuals to influence our own communities. I like to point out that with independence, each Ohioan will have 26 times more influence over their national government.

6. What would Ohio do in terms of immigration and citizenship when it becomes independent?

Some negotiation of the specific terms of Ohio’s independence will have to be negotiated with the United States, including determination of Ohio’s share of Federal assets, and of the Federal debt. Ohioans who wish to remain citizens of the United States must be allowed to retain that citizenship, and should receive a payment to assist with moving expenses out of the Republic.

Ohio will have a challenge to establish effective border controls, since our boundaries with Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Michigan are arbitrary lines on a mostly flat surface; but that challenge is not unique (think of Canada’s boundary with the United States). Ohio, having always had a diverse society, will likely provide a liberal policy for legal immigration; but will enforce rigorously its laws against illegal immigration.

If I read popular sentiment in this State correctly, we will insist that literacy in the English language be a prerequisite for citizenship in the Republic.

7. What could an Ohio Republic offer to the people of Ohio and the World?

To the people of Ohio, the Republic offers a fresh start – one that begins with the premise that men and women are indeed created equal, and entitled to the same opportunity to build their own lives. We offer the opportunity to regain control of our own government, possibly to lower taxes and make them fairer; and to enable our cultural values to influence our community life (for example, by allowing some communities to heavily restrict adult entertainment and gambling, and allowing others that want them to have them). We offer a government that understands taxes to be an extortion forced on the people and their enterprises. Consequently, it will often act as an information broker between communities in place of regulation; and in place of tax-funded foreign aid, will perform the same function between Ohio charitable organizations and recipients in other countries.

To the world, the Ohio Republic offers its friendship and trade. We will seek trading relationships in order to strengthen our economy and employment. Of course, we expect that our trading partners will operate on the same assumptions. The Ohio Republic will greet the prospect of membership in international organizations and alliances with a healthy skepticism – one that asks how such memberships benefit us, and how they enable us to act as more responsible citizens of the world. What we will not offer is a military relationship – our armed forces are to be used exclusively for self-defense.

8. The Ohio Republic at the present time is a one man movement, what is the possibility of converting it into a movement that could compete against the established powers in Ohio?

If the Presidential election is like a 100-yard dash, the move to independence will be more like the marathon. If the trend toward greater Federal control continues as it has been over the last thirty years, a crisis of some kind will alert the people of Ohio to the need to defend their liberties. At that time, the movement will take hold. I expect that growth will occur very slowly until that crisis occurs.

9. There has been talk about privatizing the Ohio Turnpike, would that happen under a Ohio Republic?

Since the Ohio Turnpike was financed with State-issued bonds, the General Assembly is free to deal with it as it wishes, whether or not Ohio becomes independent. The proposal was included as part of J. Kenneth Blackwell’s campaign for Governor in 2006, and as far as I know, has not been discussed in the last year.

10. Would an Ohio Republic be a Centralized Government or would there be a Swiss Like Confederation?

This may depend on how the independence movement is organized. Historically, every State has been a unitary government (that is, the counties and other subdivisions are merely administrative units of the State, even though they may have their own elected officials); however, I would like to see the counties gain greater autonomy as part of a general decentralization. In other words, I do not want a ruling bureaucracy from Washington to be replaced with a ruling bureaucracy from Columbus.

To achieve this, we will need to decentralize the independence movement as much as possible, and educate its members in the advantages of greater decentralization, so that political pressure may be built up after independence to continue the decentralization process. I doubt that we could decentralize to the point of a Swiss confederation (desirable as that would be); but one more like that of Canada might be attainable.

11. Were there any other movements for an Independent Ohio years before you proposed it or was this your original idea?

This was my original idea.

12. Has there been any movements to establish a cultural identity within Ohio? Your book about the African Ohioan Paul Lawrence Dunbar has been interesting and I would not mind asking you questions about the book in another article.

I did not write a book on Paul Laurence Dunbar. The reference to him is to a poem that was published as a Christmas greeting in the Ohio Republic. We have one institution that works to maintain an Ohio cultural identity: the Ohioana Memorial Library (www.ohioana.org), founded in 1929 by Ohio’s First Lady Martha Kinney Cooper to recognize the achievements of Ohio writers, artists, and musicians; to maintain a library of their work, and to serve as an educational resource on Ohio culture. The Library is located next to the State Library in Columbus.

For me, it was a pleasure to talk with Harold Thomas and the Ohio Republic. It is hoped that one day, Ohio can show the way to Independence. While it will take time, it appears that time will eventually be on the side of an Ohio Republic. As I am finishing this interview, I have just received word that Santa Cruz in Bolivia is taking steps to ending its union with Bolivia. While that will be discussed in another programme, this is proof of what was written in the Declaration of Independence concerning the dissolution of bonds.

I would like to wishe my readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.