Story highlights David Wheeler: Don't freak out about Brexit; it's not the worst thing. Why not see it as opportunity for UK to become 51st state?

Call it a 'Brentrance,' he says, with many benefits: EU would have 50 states for trade, less regulation, easier travel

Wheeler: Plus, Americans LOVE the British, especially when they talk

David R. Wheeler is a freelance writer and a journalism professor at the University of Tampa. Follow him on Twitter: @David_R_Wheeler. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

(CNN) Can we all just calm down for a second? Can we stop making a tempest in a Twinings teapot? Yes, with the "Brexit" vote, the United Kingdom has voted to leave the European Union. Yes, the British pound lost value as a result of this news. Yes, world markets fell in response to this uncertainty.

But you know what? Currencies rise and fall. Stocks go up and down. This is not a self-inflicted London Blitz. It's not a repeat of the worldwide depression of the 1930s, when Britain's industrial production fell by 16.2 percent. Nor is it a crisis on par with April 10, 1970, when Paul McCartney announced his solo album, signaling the breakup of The Beatles.

David R. Wheeler

Let's understand this moment for what it really is: an opportunity for the United Kingdom to become the 51st state of America.

The EU's loss is our gain. Call it the "Brentrance."

As King George once said (at least in Broadway's Hamilton), "Oceans rise, empires fall / We have seen each other through it all." Isn't it time we joined forces again?

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