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.
Okay, a couple people want Cali to break up...I don't see why their opinions should have any more weight than the voters in Cali.
Let them try and get the signatures, and if they get them put it on the ballot.
Other states are around that large, why shouldn't they be broken up as well? Is there a limit now to how big states can get?
I'm guessing the other states are okay with their size. A part of Colorado is interested in breaking off, too. If I lived in upstate NY, I'd want to break away from the NYC area.
Has anyone ever read Bill Bishop's book: The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America Is Tearing Us Apart ? It's about how politically and socially, more people are looking to live with people who think just like they do and what that means to the country as a whole. Me (a conservative) and the libs in my book discussion group really liked it.
I'm a CA native and a would laugh at this but I've been down this same road so many time with so many people over so many years it's hard to even fake it anymore. haaaa.h...
Nope. Can't do it. And it will never happen. And nobody really wants it to except in their fantasies where they can draw a line to keep "their kind" in and "others" out. But the fascination with CA from out of staters never fails to amaze.
In this instance, I would look to California as a leader for other large land area states if they made it actually happen.
The will of the people of California and the will of the people within the proposed new boundaries should be respected. That said, a move of this nature, which would affect representation in the Senate, is of federal/national significance and I support the current law that requires a Congressional sign-off. Honestly, I don't get why so many people consider state or even national boundaries to be sacrosanct and unchangeable - many of these boundaries were drawn centuries ago and different boundaries may better serve the population in these areas; proposed new states or boundary changes should be discussed on that basis, rather than the basis of dismissal prompted by an irrational attachment to the status quo.
It's certainly conceivable that 38 million is bigger than what is optimal for a state's governance or even a country's governance and development. As size increases central government becomes more remote, less responsive to many of the parts of a large heterogeneous state, and management becomes more difficult and buried in bureaucracy. Conversely, decentralization creates units of government that are less remote, more responsive and more homogenous, and management becomes less difficult. Once you reach a certain point, however, inefficiency and complexity start to creep in and overwhelm the other advantages, and the whole government may become dependent on just one primary industry for revenue. The economic and political success of small countries compared to large ones, though, suggests that you only need 1 million, at most, to avoid these disadvantages. For units of government within a single country, the number is even lower. Swiss Cantons, with an average population of only 300 000, work very well. Most of California's metropolitan areas have more than 1 million, though, and any new state should encompass at least one metropolitan area. Units of government that encompass one city tend to work pretty well, since a big city is a whole economy in miniature.
Dividing California into six states would yield an average population of 6 million a piece, which is rather average as far as U.S. states go. Consider that the nine best run states in the country have an average population of just 1.6 million, and you can see that breaking up large states isn't as crazy as it sounds at first.
I myself think that it might be expedient for California to take advantage of federalism, in that a state has the legal right to organize itself internally any way it pleases*. California could create a new state constitution that would transfer the vast store of state powers to smaller units, such as counties or regions, i.e. states within a state, leaving the state government as a confederal shell which would meet its constitutional obligations, guarantee basic rights to its citizens, certify elections, etc. Such a plan would effectively break up the state into many autonomous units while still showing a single face for federal and inter-state purposes. Better yet, it would not require the approval of Congress, and it wouldn't change Congressional representation.
However, if one still wishes to break up the state, the new red states could be counterbalanced by the simultaneous creation of new blue states, perhaps a breakup of New York or the admission of DC or Puerto Rico as states.
*No state has taken advantage of this rule to its furthest extent, but it's not as crazy as it sounds at first, considering the wide variation in county vs. state powers both presently and in the past, that most of Alaska isn't even subdivided into county equivalents, and that county governments have essentially been abolished in much of New England.
I don't think California will let it happen , they have driven so much business out of the state that there is too few left to pay taxes to fund all those on welfare.
You do know California is the largest GDP state and about a 1/3 larger GDP than Texas, right? You act like California is some welfare state when it is actually the other way around.
Section. 3.New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.
It would be great for the people of California because it would give them more voice in government and allow the different sections of the State to gain the representation that they now lack.
The problem is it does nothing to profit corporations or to enhance government power, so it does not have a chance of happening.
It would be great for the people of California because it would give them more voice in government and allow the different sections of the State to gain the representation that they now lack.
The problem is it does nothing to profit corporations or to enhance government power, so it does not have a chance of happening.
Breaking up California is a bad idea. Why not break up Texas! That state is much larger and the large and growing Hispanic population is marginalized due to ingrained state politics that make sure the districts are gerrymandered...
I am a California resident. Wouldn't bother me in the least if we were broken up into two states. Liberal California and Conservative California. I'd be living in the conservative one even though it would be the smallest of the two states due to most of California being the land of the fruits and nuts.
And you'd be living amongst those fruits and nuts. I'm sure a majority of Californians wouldn't miss you one bit.
Breaking up California is a bad idea. Why not break up Texas! That state is much larger and the large and growing Hispanic population is marginalized due to ingrained state politics that make sure the districts are gerrymandered...
California has many areas which are not currently represented by either State or Federal Government.
The people of conservative areas such as San Diego, Riverside, and Orange counties live under the repression of a liberal State government which is indifferent to their desires as the recent gun control legislation proves.
In addition the entire area of California would receive more representation on the Federal Level by the inclusion of the additional Senator that would be appointed for the additional States.
The result would be better representation for more people. Only someone who had the desire to repress his fellow citizens would be against it.
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.
