Jeff Deist discusses the idea that the best path forward for America may be some kind of peaceful breakup. He reminds us that America has never truly been one country, the way that, for instance, many small European nations are—and indeed the United States was never really supposed to be a single unified monolith. With such a diversity of culture over such a huge geographical area, a federal government was meant to serve a very limited purpose while leaving most decisions up to the individual states. Deist and Scott see today’s culture war as a symptom of an unhealthy and unconstitutional growth of executive and federal power, which turns every national political debate into a fight for absolute control. Deist hopes that we can find an answer to America’s division in the form of decentralization or peaceful secession before it comes to any kind of open ciil war—an outcome that nobody wants to see.

Discussed on the show:

• “When Will Americans Realize They Aren’t ‘One Nation’?” (The Libertarian Institute)
• Nullification: How to Resist Federal Tyranny in the 21st Century

Jeff Deist is president of the Mises Institute, where he serves as a writer, public speaker, and advocate for property, markets, and civil society. He previously worked as a longtime advisor and chief of staff to Congressman Ron Paul, for whom he wrote hundreds of articles and speeches. Follow him on Twitter @jeffdeist.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; and Listen and Think Audio.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download