Hawaii and Vermont are interesting cases; I'd say Hawaii would have a much better shot at pulling it off, and unlike Vermont it already has a significant secessionist tendency today, though both states have been independent nations in the past (Vermont only briefly and marginally).
I think Vermont might suffer a great deal from independence, since crossing the US border is increasingly a pain. Hawaii's tourist trade produces a lot of income for the state that could remain almost undisturbed if it were independent--crossing national borders is no big deal on an overseas vacation--but on the other hand a lot of the trade is from the mainland US and could be choked off by US/Cuba-style economic sanctions.
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Date: 2006-10-01 03:39 pm (UTC)I think Vermont might suffer a great deal from independence, since crossing the US border is increasingly a pain. Hawaii's tourist trade produces a lot of income for the state that could remain almost undisturbed if it were independent--crossing national borders is no big deal on an overseas vacation--but on the other hand a lot of the trade is from the mainland US and could be choked off by US/Cuba-style economic sanctions.