Dave Weigel posted this funny article about the man who started the Alabama petition to secede on the White House's misguided "We The People" site. The man, Derrick Belcher, used to own a topless car wash before it got shut down by government officials for being in violation of obscenity laws. After Obama got reelected Belcher decided enough was enough and started the petition to secede.
What's interesting is that his, supposedly profitable, topless car wash business was actually shut down for being in violation of an Alabama state law. He really shouldn't have any beef with the feds at all! In fact, starting a car wash business requires navigating a series of state and local regulations. Car washes can't be placed in most locations because of local land use laws. Furthermore, you would likely need a state permit to open a car wash because of laws about discharging wastewater. There are, of course, applicable federal regulations, I'm sure the EPA says something about how you dispose of your wastewater and there are federal employment laws and such. But, in general, a lot of laws and regulations are state and local. At the same time its easier to just say "big government", blame Obama, and petition to secede.
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