New Jersey Residents Secede

From Tom's River to join Lavallette:

Residents on the block say they only turned to secession after failing to have their needs met through regular channels. They shay they've complained for years about snow plowing and irregular garbage pick-up, complaints they say were ignored.

Lavallette Mayor Walter La Cicero says he's happy to have new constituents.

"We're gonna get a substantial amount of tax revenue from that, and we will not have to hire anybody to provide the services that are gonna be necessary here," La Cicero says.

But Toms River Mayor Tom Kelaher says that lack of resources are not the real reason the residents want out. He says homeowners just want to take advantage of Lavallette's lower tax rates.

"One of the people said that his taxes would go down a couple thousand dollars if they're in Lavallette," Kelaher says. "That's really not a valid reason for granting the relief hey got in this case."

Oh, yes it is. The desire itself supplies the validity of the reason. The Declaration of Independence says that all government derives its just powers from the consent of the governed. The lack of consent thereby renders the government illegitimate. The argument against individual freedom is the same as the argument against state sovereignty.