Whether they know it or not, nearly every Californian supports secession.
Though the United States government was originally created as a weak union between the independent States, power-hungry federal politicians have steadily taken increasing amounts of power away from the States and used it to grow their power and wealth, transforming the central government into the powerful monstrosity that it is today. Indeed, nearly every policy that affects individuals in all 50 States is created (or at least influenced) by federal politicians. From taxes to regulations, and from gun laws to what people can smoke, eat, or drink, nearly everything is controlled by a few morally questionable politicians like Trump, Ryan, Schumer, McConnell, and the like. The blind hubris of politicians has begun to backfire, though. Individuals throughout the US are beginning to realize that federal politicians usurp their power by rendering State legislatures increasingly irrelevant, and by many other methods. This sentiment is not limited to conservative populations like those in Texas and New Hampshire, though. The California independence movement has been gaining popularity for years and received a huge boost by Trump’s election. Among the multiple factors hindering the movement’s success is the fact that many progressives in California do not yet understand that their way of life is incompatible with that of middle America and flies in the face of many federal laws. Once Californians realize that many of the policies that they currently enjoy violate multiple federal laws – and that Trump can destroy their way of life at any moment by simply enforcing those laws – they may all support ‘Calexit’ – an exit from the union via secession.
According to federal law – the policies created by federal politicians – no American may possess any amount of marijuana. A first offense is punishable by a year in prison and a fine of $1,000. Federal politicians do not seem to care to enforce this law at the moment. California residents have consistently voted to allow people to possess and use marijuana without being considered criminals. In 2016, 57% of California voters supported Proposition 64 which seemingly legalized the use of marijuana for any adult who so wished. Polling shows that closer to two-thirds of Californians support marijuana being legal. According to California officials, marijuana is essentially totally legal in the State. If Trump, Congress, the DEA, or federal judges decided to crack down and enforce federal laws tomorrow, anyone in California who possesses marijuana could be arrested and sent to federal prison. If you do not believe that those in DC should be able to do this to you, there is only one solution: Leave the union.
California is currently violating federal immigration law – and ‘bigly’. California became a ‘sanctuary State’ in 2017, which granted many protections to undocumented immigrants and generally ended cooperation between local and federal law enforcement in regards to immigration. In 2015, an undocumented immigrant was charged with shooting and killing Kate Steinle with a semi-automatic pistol stolen from a federal agent. The defense did not seem to dispute that he shot the innocent woman, killing her. He had been deported 5 times for crimes and was supposed to be deported a 6th time, but San Francisco was a ‘sanctuary city’, meaning that they do not comply with federal immigration orders, including deportation orders. Zarate was found not guilty of murder and manslaughter. He was convicted only of his firearm possession charge, which he is now appealing. Conservatives throughout the US were not very happy with the verdict, which was reached by a jury that was not allowed to consider the massive amounts of incriminating evidence, including the previous deportations.
President Trump has repeatedly threatened to cut federal funding to California if they do not cooperate with the federal government on immigration enforcement. Trump has not yet cut funding, but he can easily do so at any moment he desires. The federal government currently spends $376 billion in California annually. The Golden State is a net donor to the US government – meaning that it gives more to the DC politicians than it gets back from the swamp. All else being equal, this means that an independent California would retain more wealth than it currently does. Considering that burdensome federal regulations cost US businesses another $1.9 trillion annually, an independent California might be much wealthier than it currently is.
Californians are currently forced to send billions of dollars per year to DC in the form of federal income taxes, gas taxes, and corporate taxes. Not all of this money ever finds its way back to California. The money that is returned to its origin State by DC politicians comes with all sorts of strings attached – including regulations, policies, and laws. Due to the opposition of Californians to many federal laws and State politicians’ refusal to obey them, this money could stop being returned to California whenever DC politicians decide that they’ve had enough disobedience. Once the money is totally cut off and is not being returned to you, why give it to the federal government in the first place? Refusal to send your hard earned money to the US government is essentially declaring independence – which is accomplished via secession.
California progressives should also be concerned about potential federal laws and court rulings which would conflict with their values. Among such laws that a Republican Congress, president, and judges might enact are the total prohibition on abortion, freedom to carry firearms throughout the whole US, and anti-LGBT legislation. Ultra-conservative government officials throughout the US should also concern Californians. Some recent examples include a police detective in Tennessee who was recently caught preaching about executing homosexuals, and encouraging cops to do so whenever possible, as reported by USA Today. Some conservative legislators have even supported making it legally difficult for people to masturbate.
The United States is becoming increasingly divided and polarized. This polarization is augmented by federal laws that prohibit States from governing themselves. With each passing year, the laws that govern all 300+ million people in the US are becoming more similar, while ignoring how unique we actually are. As time passes, it will become increasingly evident to progressives as well as conservatives that a peaceful dissolution of the union – and independence for each State – is the only way to truly satisfy the dramatically different populations which comprise the union. Consider the avoidance of a violent civil war to be a bonus benefit of Calexit.
