I was born and raised in the city.

Some might call me a “city boy,” but I’ve never really taken a liking to the phrase, mainly because I think it’s presumptuous. When I think of a “city boy” in that context, I see a stereotype of a highly-educated snob, afraid of getting his hands dirty and avoiding physical labor at all costs.

Sure, at this very moment I’m sitting at a desk typing away with a cup of coffee rather than plowing a field, but does this mean I’m unable or unwilling to do so? I don’t think so.

Last week, five Colorado counties passed a measure taking steps toward seceding from the state in an attempt to add a 51st star on the flag.

The rationale behind the move? Citizens in the counties have argued that their voice in the Colorado state government has been neglected and that the direction the state is heading does not reflect their community’s values.

At first, I was alarmed by these rural communities’ desperation, assuming they did not have enough representation for their local population. However, after looking further into the size and scope of the issues, I was disappointed to learn that the whole issue yet again boiled down to partisanship.

In an Associated Press article, county secession leaders stated that issues involving recreational marijuana use and a new Colorado law banning firearm magazines from holding more than 15 rounds were some motivating factors for creating a new state. One man said the new gun laws affected his ability to protect his animals from predators and that state officials in Boulder could never understand.

I really don’t see these as rational reasons for creating an entirely new state. I could maybe understand secession if the counties’ infrastructure was in jeopardy due to state neglect, but that isn’t the case. Smoking marijuana isn’t going to affect your crops, and if you can’t hit a coyote attacking your livestock with 15 shots, what you need is practice, not more bullets.

The reality of this situation is that these five counties are comprised of 29,200 people … a tiny fraction of Colorado’s 45.2 million. While their voices and votes should be heard, they can’t take precedence over the rest of the state. Drawing a new border makes the assumption that everyone in these communities thinks the same, and the rest of Colorado thinks differently. Furthermore, it produces an example for the rest of the country that says, “Let’s just run away from our problems rather than work together.” It seems like the ultimate form of gerrymandering.

Rural and urban communities rely on each other to create a healthy balance of ideas in government and a strong, well-rounded economy. Communication must go both ways, and while I don’t think this secession will ever happen, members of these communities can be happy that they made a commotion loud enough to jolt their state government into listening more closely.

In the end, they also need to realize that just because one political party is momentarily the majority, it doesn’t give them the right to quit. It’s like two players walking off the court at halftime to go start another game because they don’t like the current 35 – 17 (current Democrat-Republican ratio in the Colorado Senate) score.

The best bet for these communities is continuing to communicate in order not to close themselves off, but to be open to the “city folk.” Inviting legislators and city dwellers into their communities may be fruitful in fostering better dialogue and understanding each other’s concerns.

Once they step out of their own communities and into others, maybe these “city” and “farm” boys will surprise each other.

Alex Goering can be reached at goer8777@stthomas.edu.