It all kinda reminds me of that teenager living at home who doesn't want to obey their parent's rules anymore. They get this grand idea that moving out and having their own place would be a non-stop party, or a bed of roses.
A teenager moving out needs enough money for a down payment and the first month's rent, along with any utility deposits. They're going to need furniture, kitchen wares, appliances, and other household supplies- can they afford to buy that? What about the cost of insurance- home, health, auto? What if there's an emergency? Or their car breaks down? Etc.
They think that striking out on their own would be a great adventure! But, I wonder if, like that deluded teenager, they've actually thought about what the changes would be?
I'll give you some of what others have said, and then conclude with my own questions for these "pioneers".
Did you know that there was a time where for 25 days in 1846 there was a California secession? The Historical secession of 1846 according to wikipedia:
The California Republic was an unrecognized breakaway state that, for twenty-five days in 1846, militarily controlled the area to the north of the San Francisco Bay in the present-day state of California.This historical secession was not from America, but from Mexico, and it started a war.
In June 1846, a number of American immigrants in Alta California rebelled against the Mexican department's government. The immigrants had not been allowed to buy or rent land and had been threatened with expulsion from California because they had entered without official permission. Mexican officials were concerned about a coming war with the United States coupled with the growing influx of Americans into California. The rebellion was soon overtaken by the beginning of the Mexican–American War.
How about the next attempt as secession by the Southern states? Again, it started a war- the Civil War. Could this be the beginning of the next war between the states on American soil?
There have been many people who have written on this topic, and much speculation has been had over it. Should it be secession or should they split the state in two, dividing the more liberal coastal area from the more conservative parts?
In the article California Shouldn't Secede From The US by National Review, they suggest splitting the state into two.
Let the sprawling, diverse state divide up into two or more states to ease tensions between farmers and coastal types, defuse the war of ideology between Left and Right, and allow more policy experimentation, Efforts to divide California into more manageable and homogeneous parts are as old as the Bear Flag that was raised over the state capitol at statehood in 1850. When I was a legislative staffer in Sacramento in 1980, a state assemblyman named Stan Statham had a serious proposal that attracted bipartisan support. He recognized that California’s people (now 40 million) would be better served if its competing constituencies had more in common.And, a 2011 article by the Los Angeles' Times says there's been more than 220 attempts to split California into two separate states, and all have failed.
Accusing Sacramento of pillaging local governments to feed its runaway spending and left-wing policies, a Riverside County politician is proposing a solution: He wants 13 mostly inland, conservative counties to break away to form a separate state of "South California.''I guess there would be a lot less headache from splitting in two- like the teenager moves into the garage. There isn't much that changes and some of the expenditures would be relatively small.
However, there is a movement that has been gathering signatures for a secession- Yes California.
We're not trying a 1860s breakaway," Louis Marinelli, president of Yes California, told The Los Angeles Times in 2015."We're talking about California being recognized as a nation within a nation, like Scotland in the United Kingdom. We feel California is more than just a state.Yes California has some key points that they make and they think that they in a good position if it happens, but they have a lot of uncertainty, noted by Business Insider.
Carl Cannon at The Orange County Register brought up a few good points. He touches on who would be citizens of this new country, and whether they would have dual citizenship with the United States. He comments on the ripple effect it would have in politics. He, also, brings up their water predicament:
The Golden State would soon turn Golden Brown, too, and that isn’t a reference to California President-in-waiting Jerry Brown. I’m talking water rights, specifically the Colorado River. Already, a Denver utility is planning a huge expansion of Gross Reservoir in Boulder County. Wyoming has similar plans afoot, too, in a Colorado River tributary and officials in Nevada and Arizona covet more Colorado River water, too.
Under Calexit, the interstate compact that apportions Colorado River water would be the subject of treaty negotiations between two sovereign nations, one of which has the water, and the other which wants it. Keeping the lush Imperial Valley from turning into another Death Valley could cost trillions.
All those new people — you’d be looking at a population of 100 million — would need drinking water, which would necessitate water desalination plants, fueled most likely by the nuclear power plants the state is now busily decommissioning.
So, are you ready for my questions?
My questions your Government and International relations-
What type of government would they have? President? Prime Minister? Democracy? Republic?
Who would design your flag? Your national anthem? Would you have a pledge to your flag?
How about laws? What would they be? Who would write them? Would there be a constitution? What laws would be kept and what would be tossed? Elections or appointment?
How about their relations with other countries? Would they send out Ambassadors? Build embassies? Who would they chose as allies?
How would you maintain your border? Would you build a wall?
How many refugees would they take in and how would you cover the increased cost?
My questions about your military-
Where will you get your defense from? The National Guard is a local thing, but it's not equipped or trained for a nuclear attack or a hostile invasion- with Russia and North Korea so close, and the threat of war with America gone because you are now an independent country. So, who will join? Will there be a draft, or forced service requirements?
Will you have many branches of service- Army, Navy, Air Force? Who will train, arm, etc? How about CIA, FBI, NSA?
And police? How would this change things for them? Could they carry guns? What would they be willing to do or be able to do without the ability to call in a National Guard?
What if there's a disaster? Would they have their own FEMA ready?
My questions about Citizenship-
Who would qualify as a citizen? How would people leave or move and join? Visas? Green Cards? Dual citizenship? Would people who become citizens of California lose their American Citizenship?
What about people who cross the border illegally? Would they get citizenship?
What would you do about the homeless? Or the US veterans? Would they be welcome to stay? Would they still get benefits for being in the Military?
How about the prisoners in the Federal prisons? Would they be citizens? Would California commute their sentences? How about extradition laws?
My questions about Federally Run Places and Businesses-
What would happen to the things that the federal government maintains- parks, military bases, etc. Would California have to buy these from the US? Who would maintain or pay to convert them?
The Postal Service? You'd have to create your own stamps. Run the service. UPS? FedEx? Shipping anywhere outside of California would be considered international shipment, so what would the rates become?
My questions about Trades and the Economy-
How would this effect the economy? Yes, they grow a lot of the country's food, produce much of our technology, and pretty much rule in the entertainment arena. But, what happens when there's import/export taxes or other fees on these products?
What if people stop buying as freely as they are now because of the cost increase?
My questions about Education-
Where would the money come from to maintain the public school system?
Would you create new Textbooks with California state history as the nations new history? Who would write them? And, where would they be published? Who would pay for this to happen and the distribution of it all?
Would college become free? What about people with federal scholarships? Would they have to leave and go to another college? Would you have your own grants and scholarships?
My questions about Health Care-
Are there enough local doctors, nurses, and specialists? Would they want to stay?
Would everyone get on Medicaid? Or would they make up another type of Health Insurance?How would the health care insurance work for both the patients and the costs of the hospital facilities? How would insurance work for visitors? How about when people go to the hospital, but leave this new country without payment for the procedures done?
My questions about Funding, Taxes, and Money-
Would keeping the taxes owed to the United States in this new country counter the loss of the almost $4 Billion in Federal money they receive yearly?
What happens to people who owe back taxes to the United States government? What would the yearly tax brackets be? What would the corporate taxes be?
And, how about currency? In the United States it is illegal for states to print money. So, they would have to come up with their own monetary system, along with how to print it, disperse it, etc.
And that brings into question the loans that people have. Would house loans have to be bought out by the new country? Or, would they allow international loans?
Just so many questions!
There is now an emergency that they want federal assistance with. There is a dam around the spillway for Lake Oroville that is crumbling. There's talk that California's government knew about the failing dam and ignored it in favor of taking care of other matters.
How were they going to take care of this matter after the secession?
The big problem with all the talk is that people are damaging relationships that will be needed at some time. If we aren't careful, we will follow this example in our personal lives and will find ourselves out on a limb when the proverbial dam of our ignorant bliss erodes and the waters of reality come crashing through our lives!
