Where's the aircraft carrier?
Ha ha!
On Friday, the Wyoming House of Representatives advanced a bill to set up a task force to prepare for the total economic and political collapse of the United States. Per the bill, the panel would investigate things like food storage options and metals-based currencies, to be implemented in the event of a major catastrophe.
Then it goes three steps further. An amendment by GOP state rep. Kermit Brown*, calls on the task force to examine "Conditions under which the state of Wyoming should implement a draft, raise a standing army, marine corps, navy and air force and acquire strike aircraft and an aircraft carrier." As Miller explained to the Casper Star-Tribune, "Things happen quickly sometimes."
Let me help out Wyoming Republicans with their little
Jerico fantasy:
1. Wyoming is the smallest state in the union, by population. So it will always be outnumbered. Just something to keep in mind. And about that draft:
The percentage of Wyoming's population classified as youth is projected to decrease from 31.7 percent in 1995 to 27 percent in 2025.
You can always call Blackwater.
2. Navies require oceans. Wyoming doesn't have any, and isn't even near any:
No major navigable rivers, either. But I guess they could figure out a way to plop an aircraft carrier down on Yellowstone Lake. But if you do that, why not just pave over some dirt and call it an airfield?
3. Guess what Marines require? Here's a hint: "M-A-R-I-N-E".
4. Navies and strike aircraft cost money! Yup. A first generation F-16, about the cheapest workhorse warplane, would cost about $25 million a piece. But those are old and being retired. A top-of-the-line newer F-16 cost around $80 million a pop.
Aircraft carriers cost about $4.5 billion.
Wyoming's budget is around $3.2 billion, which means the state could almost buy an aircraft carrier. Or they could get the bones, and then add the runway with the following year's budget. Of course, they could scratch the aircraft carrier and buy 400 top-of-the-line F-16s. That would KICK ASS!
Of course, you need to spend millions more every year just to maintain and operate those aircraft, and that's not even considering the cost of the Wyoming army and marines, or maintaining roads so that this army can move around its various border skirmishes with the countries of Idaho, Utah, Montana, etc. That costs serious money.
Police forces also cost money, assuming they don't decide to impose martial law. There's fire departments, public education (ha ha, as if that would survive!), the judiciary, non-road infrastructure, etc, etc, etc. So ...
5. You'd need an income tax! Yup, Wyoming is one of those rare states with no income tax. And given that it gets $1.11 for every dollar it sends to DC in taxes, keeping those federal tax dollars to itself would still leave an extra 11 percent hole in its budget.
Luckily, America has states like New York, New Jersey and California to subsidize things like aircraft carriers, armies, marines and air forces. Wyoming won't.
That'll be fun—instituting an income tax in the state with the fourth-highest property tax rates in the nation. That'll go well with all those rugged "individualists" who hate government so much they're constantly sucking at its teat. But hey, they'll be getting a navy and marines out of it, so all's cool!
Okay, I like it. Let's do it! Only question, do you really need to wait for the U.S. to implode (which might be never) to pull the trigger?