Just as Democrats in eleven States attempted to secede from the United States and form the Confederate States of America after the election of the first Republican POTUS, some Democrat leaning individuals in California want their State to leave the Union after the election of the current Republican POTUS. I suspect that their endeavor will be as unsuccessful as the attempt made by the Confederate Democrats in the 1860s.
Even if the Union decides to look the other way and allow the secession (a big IF), it is doubtful that the country of California could survive as a Progressive Utopia without U.S. Federal assistance. While 12% of the total U.S. population live in California, 34% of welfare recipients in the U.S. live in California. With secession, this Federal welfare ends.
According to the California Legislature's Nonpartisan Fiscal and Policy Advisor, total annual federal expenditures in California are around $368 billion. With an estimated population of 38.9 million in early 2015, this corresponds to federal payments of about $9,500 per person in the state of California. Could the country of California make up for this loss of Federal spending? Some of this Federal spending is in the form of Social Security retirement benefits which the U.S. would be required to pay to individuals residing in a foreign country, but even taking that into consideration, the financial burden to the country of California would be tremendous.
No more military. No defense spending.
Should California secede, I predict it would only be a few years before portions of the country will attempt to reunite with the United States of America. California could be readmitted into the Union, but probably as two or more States. California would have fewer electoral votes and less political clout. This could prove a plus to the U.S.A., but a bad move for the State of California.
No comments:
Post a Comment