So Texas Gov. Rick Perry, as you might have seen, says his state has the right to secede.

As noted earlier today, we fought a war over whether such a “right” exists. And the result of that war was: No.

But, the more I think about it, the more I think Texas should be permitted to secede, if it wants to.

I mean, my wife has family there, and I’ve been to San Antonio twice in the past decade; nice place, and I dig the Lone Star beer. Maybe they could import it; I’m sure Texas could stand fine on its own, or maybe join in a new confederacy with the likes of Mississippi, or other southern states that think Republicans are still the answer.

But secession, of course, involves renouncing all federal money and aid to your state. Texas would have to start paying for all its own border patrols. I’m sure they’d be a lot more ruthless than we have to be now - but Texas taxpayers would have to foot that bill. Not the rest of us in the U.S.

Texas got $110 million in federal aid after Hurricane Ike devastated the Galveston area. Next hurricane? Sorry, Lone Star State - you’re on your own.

Indeed, here we see that federal funds make up a full 30 percent of the Texas budget - and, upon secession, Texas can kiss all of that money goodbye. Medicaid, Title I funding for school, school lunch programs, welfare, bridges, roads - Texas taxpayers would now be on the hook for it. All of it.

But since the rationale for Texas’ secession would be too much taxation - we realize Texas taxpayers wouldn’t pay for this. The poor and the kids could suck it up. Roads? Don’t tread on me!

Conservatives would get their Darwinian society, all right. It’d be quite the place, don’t you think?

Let ‘em go. And see how long they stay gone before either begging to come back - or imploding.