By Samuel Strait, Reporter at Large – March 2, 2021 As the more obvious aspects of cultural and societal differences have emerged in the past twenty years or so, there are multiple states, mostly blue, that have rural parts of their states clamoring for separation. As urban populations have become more needy for government control, smaller rural populations chafe at the high cost of new regulation, and liberal policies being enacted to the point of near rebellion. Closed out from any significant representation to combat such change foisted on them by liberal governments, many states with substantial rural and conservative populations are turning towards secession from what they consider as intolerable situations. While five counties in eastern Oregon have garnered the current news cycle as potential candidates to join Idaho, there are similar movements in New York, Illinois, Colorado (both eastern and western), Washington, Oregon, and our more familiar effort in California. The reasons for the surge in interest has long stemmed from the idea that poorer and rural counties do not feel that State Governments in what appears mostly blue states, have their best interests at heart. It has become more clearly evident in the past year as Covid-19 caused enormous economic disruption in those rural parts of the states where the Pandemic effected them in a very different way from urban population centers. On the west coast in particular, State Governments have been dominated by near one party rule for some time, causing a sharp decline in the quality of life for the entire three states. All of which has created a significant decline in the population due to high taxation and decidedly liberal policy making. While the State of Jefferson has figured prominently in Northern California for some time, the effort of five counties in eastern Oregon to join with Idaho, more politically compatible, has caught on with the ultimate goal of enlisting eighteen more counties to join in the effort. This would leave the liberal remaining portion of Oregon to thirteen counties. Proponents of the measure feel that rural counties are outraged by the laws coming out of the Oregon Legislature that threaten their way of life. Mostly conservative counties, these new laws in Oregon alarm residents and threaten livelihoods, industry, our wallet, our gun rights, and our values. As Oregon has turned more liberal, in some cases out doing its southern neighbor, the counties feel mostly ignored and increasingly alienated. Efforts have been made to vote liberal representatives out, but the population number continue to be against any change. While there are obvious benefits to both Oregon and Idaho, it still would require approval from both the State and the Federal governments, at this point a long shot. Not only would ultimate approval be necessary, but likely the Oregon government would loath the lost revenue from the seceding counties. The political ramifications would be relatively minor, Republican eastern Oregon would join, for the most part more conservative and Republican Idaho. The remainder of liberal Oregon would be free to destroy itself through its current progressive mind set. Of course progressive Oregon couldn't possibly let that happen, because it may precipitate an even greater urge for many states to split rural part from urban part, permanently disrupting the balancing act in the Senate and House of Representatives towards a conservative majority. Just think, two republican Senators from upstate New York, from southern Illinois, from eastern Colorado, from western Colorado, from eastern Washington, from eastern Oregon, and from Northern California. Fourteen new Republican Senators, horrors for Democrats.