Desperate California Could Split Into 4 States
 

WTF :helpme

The clock is ticking on California, which must slash its way out of a $21 billion deficit in order to stave off default (that is, if Uncle Sam doesn't extend the state a TARP bailout before then).

While the problem is serious, the state's uber-democratic system is broken beyond repair. It's truly a failed state, in the classic political science sense of the term. If it were its own country, the US would be consulting with the UN and NATO about establishing a presence and supervising elections.

So the state needs radical help, and a bailout will only make things worse.

But theoretically the state is salvageable, argues Breakingviews, if only because the state could both afford higher taxes and reduce state spending. Spending is far from bare-bones levels, and state employees are extremely well paid.

But Breakingviews actually proposes a much more radical solution, which is breaking California up into 4 distinct states (seriously). Think of it like good bank/bad bank, but for states.

Actually it's a little different. The idea is not that this will solve the state's financial problems, but that it will split it into four coherent political units, which would be:

* San Diego/Orange County/Inland Empire (socially conservative, Hispanic, heavily military)
* Greater LA (Hollywood and Hispanics, very liberal)
* San Francisco/Silicon Valley (Liberal, but very dynamic and market oriented)
* Central (Conservative, Kansas-like)

This is a political scientist's late night fantasy and doing this might actually solve some political problems, but in the end it wouldn't work.

The first state to go would be Greater LA. You see, the Hollywood liberal types may love to support government spending and immigration, but the moment the entire burden fell on them to support the rest of the population they'd scream bloody murder. You know they would. And it's probably a gloss-over to just say that the San Diego state would be solidly "conservative" just because there's a lot of military and socially conservative Hispanics there. There'd be huge public support tensions over spending and government safety nets.

Beyond that, national Republicans would never go for this, since you'd essentially be creating three new Democratic states (it sounds like Central would probably be Republican), giving Democrats permanent dominance in the US Senate.
Read on

sure split it up so it can be 4 failures instead of one :thumbsup

:1orglaugh it will be a mess not to mention a new flag

Never happen..US Govt won't let it happen...:2 cents:

Why does that leave out the actual real northern California (above Sacramento)? Or shall we assume it is included in Central?

Also what is sort of funny, there has been talks very decades about Northern CA wanting to remove Central and Southern CA. Never would happen but economically it would be perfectly fine.

they won't even let the SF Valley break off from Los Angeles, never going to happen...

OK what about further North? Say Yuba city, Ukiah, Mendocino, Truckee, on up?

I always find it fascinating how different northern and southern California are.

yeah right people said bush would not get a second term and guess what he did :disgust

OMG! :1orglaugh:1orglaugh

If all the stars/Hollywood idiots would donate a few million to their state, the deficit would be gone.

Oddly it seems most people on GFY have no clue and they often think San Francisco or perhaps maybe Sacramento is northern CA.

Really?
There are that many starts that they could donate several billions just to get the state through this year?
What about next year, or the year after that?

LOL. I know what you mean. Those are central! Northern California is beautiful.

I'm always curious to see how much money guys like Sean Penn, Matt Damon, Tim Robbins, etc. end up paying in taxes every year. I can't imagine their business/financial managers let them simply pay taxes straight up...

That is some pretty fuck up

Part of the reason it's in a financial straightjacket is because of Prop 13.

Arnie's approval ratings, and this budget situation, are pretty much the same as when Gray Davis was recalled.

California is pretty much ungovernable it seems, between the property tax laws, overloaded ballot-initiative process, and the fact that it takes a supermajority to pass a budget or a tax increase.

The best executive in the world couldn't run that state under those constraints.

Well that and add in almost anyone who can pay minimum wage and or get volunteers to annoy people at stores or any other place where there are lots of people, can get very stupid shit up for vote. Toss in that if someone does something even slightly unpopular to whatever special interest and their are instant talks of strikes and potential recalls. Then water heavily with people that want everything but will not pay for anything and you nailed it.

Cali is doomed. Why not make all the Hollywood stars pay their rightful share of taxes?

let them legalize pot and tax it, problem solved, coz those fuckers smoke a lot :)

their income is dropping weekly, movie industry is doomed

I live in Northern California, just north of Sacramento. Whenever I say I live in California everyone assumes I'm in SoCal. It's beautiful here. No traffic, nice weather, no smog, no crime. Nice.

I blame this on the tubes.

That's what I was referring to when I said "overloaded ballot-initiative process.

People are like that everywhere, not just CA.

as silly as people may think this sounds the tubes torrents and pirate sites etc will cost cali billions, people dont understand nothing until the disaster is in full swing

Shh, the entertainment and porn industry are tax exempt in CA and contribute nothing to the economy. The state treats them and everyone in them like most other states treat churches. :winkwink:

Personally it is not ugly yet. Sure the state is upside money wise. Just wait for the draught to really kick in this year. Aside from agricultural issues which will slam the state hard, it will be very interesting once the fires hit (slides latter in the year). Though it would be interesting to see how the state handles it. Since often it is the very same areas burning each year.

Uh... :error

http://www.examiner.com/x-6449-NY-En...ooming-in-2009

Guess the price of making a movie never goes up either.

Do I need to remind you what he said?

So are you saying the movie industry is doomed because the price of making a movie is rapidly increasing on a weekly basis? Because their income is surely not dropping weekly...

No I am saying you can not just look at this years box office versus last years as a single indicator of if they are making more money or not.

...but if box offices records are being set each month then it is safe to assume their income is not dropping weekly and that the industry is not "doomed" at least for the foreseeable future :2 cents:

:1orglaugh:1orglaugh

Personally I feel the movie industry is fairly safe for now.
TV is another issue and those actors and such are being fucked in the ass weekly so we can put Joe the plumber or nextdoor Nancy on some fake ass 30-60 minute show playing tic tac toe or something.

You do realize this was one guy's idea he wrote for an OPed piece not not a actual proposal by someone that actually works for the government

Really?
Ya I think we all realize that it is nothing more than a pipe dream at most. Though I still am all for cutting off Central and Southern CA. They just would never let us go. That would be like asking a parasite to leave its host.

It's simple economics. Reality TV is way more profitable because it is much cheaper to produce, there are not the SAG complications and people watch it. Definitely sucks to be a TV actor...

I know it is sick but this one makes me hungry.

Actually according to the Constitution it CAN happen. West Virginia used to be part of Virginia until 1863.

Why would the US government care? It's not like they are seceding from the US. If the people of California want it( and it would only happen if they really want it to happen since it takes 2/3 vote) then the US would be stupid to not let it happen. Ok republicans would want it to happen because they keeping losing California in presidential elections and those 55 electoral votes all go the the Democrat candidate. That's 1/5 of what you need to win. By breaking California up into 4 pieces the GOP has a chance of winning 1 of those parts thus increasing their EV count and decreasing the democrats EV count. The dems would be stupid to not let it happen because any Dem candidate that said no would NOT win California in a presidential election. You don't tell at least 2/3 of a state to fuck off and expect them to vote for you.