Bull ****. Texas doesn't have any one "by the balls" because the US can last a whole lot longer without Texas than Texas can with sanctions imposed.
And the same thing you describe happening would happen anyway if Texas left the US, so it would be a losing situation for the US to allow Texas to leave anyway.
Show me which Fortune 500 companies would support Texas secession from the US first. Not just those that are based in Texas, but actually would support a secession. Evidence of this support please.
They're already in Texas. Show you evidence of the status quo? Tell you what, since you're making the assertion, why don't you show me evidence that these companies would leave, and that they would have the means to do so, and I'll await your reply.
If you don't think cutting off one tenth of the Fortune 500 would tank the stock market, that's on you.
If you don't think millions of Anericans depend on the stock market for retirement income, that's on you.
If you don't think American presidents have Wall Street backers who depend on a healthy stock market, that's on you
If you don't think Texas resources like defense contractors, semiconductor makers and oil giants are essential to the U.S. Economy, that's on you.
If you think the American president, who is elected by all these people who would be harmed, would do whatever he could to avoid such repercussions, that's on you as well.
As far as I'm concerned, these things are unarguable.
And to say you can "outlast" Texas is wrong as well. It's not in Americas character to "outlast" anyone. We're an instant gratification culture. We don't have it in our character to scrape by for a cause, we want our SUV's and our flat screens and our cheeseburgers. That's who we are.
Texas, on the other hand, would be struggling for independence. A man fighting for his home turf is going to outlast, outfight, and out-will anyone trying to do harm from the outside.