What would happen to California if it seceded?

[bgwah]

What do you think would happen to California if it seceded?

Would it still have the main ports to the Pacific, or would they move to Seattle and Portland?

Would it have enough money, if not would they have to raise taxes?

Would all the rich people leave for America?

Would the companies leave for America?

Would other states keep rare water and power for themselves now?

Maybe it would turn into a 3rd world country, that would be funny.

[Lunar]

Why would the companies "leave."  If the companies have headquarters in Pakistan and Mexico, it makes no sense for them to close shop in California.

California has huge quantities of natural resources, contrary to popular belief.  Our oil industry is huge and our agriculture is top class.

While we're not entirely self-sustainable, many other states are worse.  I think California actually gets less money from the Feds than it puts in, although I'm not sure.

[opebo]

California would obviously be better off as an independent country from a purely fiscal perspective - it subsidizes the poorer states.  If it had free trade with the US and Mexico it probably wouldn't be harmed at all by secession.

[Bogart]

One thing that would happen is southern California would face a serious water shortage. I doubt that treaty negotiations between California and the United States over Colorado River water would go smoothly. There's already a great deal of acrimony between the states without introducing an international boundary into the mix.

[phk]

Would California be in NAFTA?

[Bono]

Companies would leave because of the regulatory fever of the democrats and RINOs at Sacramento.

[Red Button]

It would start the Second Civil War.  The rest of the west coast would join while riots began across the north-east.  It would only be a matter of time before the nukes started flying between blue state and red state.  Who would win?  The gangs of New York, or the hillbillies of Tennesse? 

[khirkhib]

California is inovative.  Desalinization.   
Or since Oregon and Washington could go with California we could pipe water dow.  Plenty up here.

[bgwah]

I don't think Washington and Oregon would go with California, unless we had a really good reason to...

[A18]

We wouldn't allow them to, because it'd really only be Los Angeles and San Francisco that wanted to secede.

[bgwah]

We wouldn't allow them to, because it'd really only be Los Angeles and San Francisco that wanted to secede.

You'd be surprised how far some of those cities stretch.

[The Man From G.O.P.]

I say we allow them to seceed then as soon as they do we invade and use them as slave labor

[A18]

The Guest Worker Program is a brilliant political move. We should also push for Puerto Rican statehood and more legal immigration (less illegal).

If Hispanics continue to break away from the Democrats, the Democratic stronghold of California falls.

[stry_cat]

If California were to secede, there would be federal troops occupying the state within an hour. 

[AuH2O]

Let it go.

What would it look like? I dunno, have you been to Mexico recently?

[Bugs]

What would happen to the US if California seceeded?  The Democrats would have a hard time winning presidential elections.

[A18]

One hundred years of prosperity. That's what.

[Lunar]

What would happen to the US if California seceeded?  The Democrats would have a hard time winning presidential elections.

Or they would shift their platform.

Notice presidential elections are almost always competitive (unlike local elections where 60% isn't a huge landslide).  That's because the two parties constantly shift their platform to take up roughly 50% of the population's views.

One hundred years of prosperity. That's what.

You need a thump on the noggin if you think one-party states lead to prosperity, heh.

[Bugs]

You are correct.  I have always maintained that the two parties strike a balance, at least over the long haul.  The Democrats' problems in this respect would be short lived.  There was more jest than seriousness in my previous post.

[Bogart]

California is inovative.  Desalinization.   
Or since Oregon and Washington could go with California we could pipe water dow.  Plenty up here.

True, but long before that could happen, the Imperial valley area would return to the desert it should be. Devestating to agriculture in the state. San Diego already couldn't survive for long without the Colorado.

[Storebought]

If California seceeded, it wouldn't last 20 years as a viable nation.

Firstly, it wouldn't have any potable water. Farmers and suburbanites in the US states AZ, NV, OR, WA, ID would not share their precious Colorado/Columbia river water with essentially a hostile (in the European sense) foreign country.

CA's rich agricultural areas will dry out and salinize as the remaining drops of the Sacramento/San Joaquin river are diverted to the hot tubs of Marin County, so the nation will be a huge net importer of food.

Secondly, while CA does possess offshore oil deposits, its population would vote out every government that even hinted at developing them. Even then, importing energy would be just as problematic for the same NIMBY reasons--can you imagine new oil refineries being built near San Francisco Bay?

Would CA even have a military? It certainly would need a Coast Guard to defend its three port cities, a Marine Corps, and 'gendarmerie' to protect citizens against all the illegal Mexicans running through San Diego. But, considering the fecklessness of CA's population, I doubt CA Republic could ever develop a military capable of self-defense.

In short, a CA Republic would die because of its diffident and self-satisfied population. 

[khirkhib]

While you go ahead and insult the fecklessness of Californians I want you to know that 149 Calfifornias have died in Iraq.  That is 12% of the total (total US deaths 1254).  California comprises 12% of the US total population so I would say that they are pulling their fair share.

[Lunar]

Israel has a lot less water than California and it's doing alright (although it is a major issue).

[DaleC76]

It means Southern Cal wouldn't be playing for the National Championship this January.

[Platypus]

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