A few days ago, Texas governor Rick Perry attended an anti-tax “tea party” in Austin and said that he could imagine a world in which Texans decided to secede from the union. A poll released Friday indicated that 18 percent of Texans would support leaving the United States if called upon to decide today.

In Perry’s defense, he didn’t actually say Texas should strike out on its own. He just said he thought it might someday come to that. But when the governor of one of the nation’s largest states even talks about secession, it’s a little bit scary.

The thing is, not everything Perry said that day was so divorced from reality. He railed against high taxes and an overbearing, bureaucratic government. A lot of people would agree with him.

But the divisive rhetoric of secession is bad for all of America, including Texas. In 1789 our forefathers agreed to settle their differences by ballot rather than blood. Since then, momentous disagreements have been solved peacefully.

In order to form a more perfect union, we as Americans recognize that sometimes we must forego our narrow interests for the good of the country. Majority rule isn’t perfect, but it’s better than all the alternatives.

In 1861, 11 states tried to leave the country because a presidential election went against them; the bloodiest war in our nation’s history followed. From that crucible of destruction, emerged our current understanding of a truly United States of America. We are one people and we will remain so as long as we remain free. Our differences pale in comparison to the great strength we derive from our union.

The governor of Texas was elected to represent the interests of Texans to the best of his ability. By bringing the word secession into the national spotlight, Rick Perry legitimized those who would tear us apart in a futile culture war. We all take pride in what Americans share, from Alaska to Massachusetts, to Texas to California. We should accept no less from those we elect to serve us.

-Nathaniel French

Opinion editor