Why secession is such a tough sell

When I discuss secession to friends and acquaintances, the usual first reaction is that I have completely taken leave of my senses. The objections I encounter happen to be the same as those Thomas Naylor (of the Second Vermont Republic) very effectively addresses in his essay "12 Reasons Why Secession Is Still Such a Tough Sell in Vermont and Elsewhere." All of his reasons and his answers are as valid for Ohio as they are for Vermont -- and some may be more so given Ohio's much larger population and economy.

His concluding point, however, is the most worrisome. He says that Vermonters are complacent (but you could substitute Ohio for Vermont throughout this paragraph).

"Most Vermonters are too fat and happy to ever consider the possibility of actually confronting the American Empire. So ingrained in the Vermont psyche is the myth of Lincoln that our problems will have to become a lot worse before a majority of Vermonters will seriously consider secession as the ultimate form of rejection of a doomed nation. That day may be closer than most imagine.

"When all is said and done, there is but one word to describe why secession is such a tough sell. That word is ignorance."

I will add that Prof. Naylor has written an important new, and appropriately titled, new book on secession. I have not yet had the opportunity to read it; but having read some of his other work, I am sure it will be well worth reading.