Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
California doesn't import water. All our water comes from sources in the state or along it's border. People point to the Colorado River as imported water, but the Colorado forms the Eastern Border of SoCal. California has senior rights to that water, as negotiated in compacts between the Colorado River states and the country of Mexico. It would be similar to the relationship Texas has with the Rio Grande (which is also shared by treaty with Colorado, New Mexico, and the country of Mexico) or any of the various Mississippi River states which border that river.
Yes only 4% of our water is from a source shared with other states and as you said, we own water rights there(Colorado River)
There is no such thing as "South Virginia", and the part of Virginia which would be defined as that would not just assuredly encompass everything south of Charlottesville...
The best way to answer this question is to think about what would/will be the allegiances if/when the nation breaks apart and subdivides...
Due to all kinds of political, economical, social, and cultural ties, if/when this happens, the vast majority of Virginia would side with wherever DC is at. The vast majority of Virginians dont even view themselves as "Dixie" today...
I’d personally disagree with the premise of many replies:
Being a successful nation state doesn’t require self sufficiency in any particular good (Britain isn’t self sufficient in food and hasn’t been since the late 1800s. The US won the Cold War while being a massive energy importer). Also.. rant alert : I really don’t see why “Food” is somehow a magical good that non agricultural states need to go around thanking ag ones for making, it’s just the same as every other good: People in a capitalist economy producing goods and selling said goods to the highest bidder.
I’m particularly confused at the comment that New England leaving the US would change in anyway the “outflow of wealth” generated via paying for energy: New England isn’t getting its current energy bills subsidized by the rest of the country, they're paying for it. That would not change. As an aside, through I don’t anyone has said this (though I was about to before disagreeing with myself ) I also don’t think access to oceans should matter much in a region as stable and friendly as North America (Switzerland and Austria appear to be fine).
So... back to the word subsidizing... I think one way to get the answer to this is to look at net transfers from the federal government (the amount said region gets net of what it pays in taxes). I think that’s going to point to the North East being a very good candidate for successful stand alone nation.
I say all of the above from the Midwest (albeit Chicago which itself would also be a good candidate for gaining by ditching the federal fiscal structure).
Last edited by ebitdadada; 09-14-2019 at 04:44 PM..
It's not fair to put New England up against CA and TX. The North East (NE, NY, NJ, PA) as a region (about the same size and population of CA and TX) could def be its own nation. CA would need to import water. yes, they have water rights to the Colorado now, but that's because it's a state. it may change if it became its own nation. TX would do well.
Not so fast... the majority of southern states are more dependent on federal tax dollars than average. States like Mississippi, Kentucky, and Alabama would drag down high flyers like Georgia and North Carolina.
New England would stand a better chance at being independent since they are not as reliant on the federal government for funding.
Another hole in the countries need to be food self-sufficient idea is that just because New England is part of the United States that doesn't mean that it magically has better access to food produced in California than if it left the United States and signed a free trade agreement. Prices would be unlikely to change much and having a country that is centered around one single very large city with other smaller cities is not that uncommon. In many ways New England would resemble England where London is by far the largest city with much smaller cities scattered throughout the rest of the country.
Also without US Federal farm policies in effect in New England there would likely be a change in the subsidies provided to farms that would focus on increasing the number of farms for food production throughout the region and based on policies that the states themselves promote would likely focus on subsidies that would encourage small local farms in contrast to current federal subsidies that support and encourage large mega-farms.
I think the largest stumbling block to New England becoming its own country without including NY and NJ is that it would lead to major issues for southern CT and the New York City region as a whole and would cause major changes to that regions structure. I think the best option would actually be for the Northeast as a whole meaning Delaware (because it is in the Philly MSA), Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and New England to all secede and become a country together because it would avoid issues of splitting major metro areas between countries for the most part.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
: I really don’t see why “Food” is somehow a magical good that non agricultural states need to go around thanking ag ones for making, it’s just the same as every other good: People in a capitalist economy producing goods and selling said goods to the highest bidder. 
