NYT: ‘State of Jefferson’ Still Mulls Independence — from California

Breitbart ^ | July 4, 2017 | Joel B. Pollack

[Trump20162020]

The New York Times has published an extensive look at California’s “far north,” the group of conservative counties in the high Sierra country whose residents often feel alienated from state government, and where a movement to form a new “State of Jefferson” remains strong.

The Times notes:

The residents of this region argue that their political voice is drowned out in a system that has only one state senator for every million residents.

Many liberals in California describe themselves as the resistance to Mr. Trump. Residents of the north say they are the resistance to the resistance, politically invisible to the Democratic governor and Legislature. California’s strict regulations on the environment, gun control and hunting impinge on a rural lifestyle, they say, that urban politicians do not understand.

The Times also notes: “Residents here have long backed a different proposal for a separate state, one that would be carved out of Northern California and the southern reaches of Oregon. Flags of the so-called State of Jefferson, which was first proposed in the 19th century, fly on farms and ranches around the region.”

[ghostkatz]

and SoCal could become part of Greater Tiajuana.

[GraceG]

Send sourh california to mexico, gastden refund.

[TChad]

Picky, picky, picky.

All right, the new blue California can have a one centimeter-wide strip along the high tide mark of Orange County beaches. That will connect the San Diego blue area with the LA blue area. Mono, Alpine, and Nevada counties in eastern CA will have to be incorporated into the new red states.

[TheNext]

REPEAL TINY STATES

Repeal Rhode Island and other tiny states who just live off OPM. Give it to Jefferson state.

[Kickass Conservative]

Just one Tsunami away...

[DIRTYSECRET]

No way to include Vegas in Calif? It is as blue as it is corrupt.

[Dapper 26]

Maybe we need an Electoral College system of elections for the states. Many states have the same problems with the heavily populated cities, mostly socialistic, having enough votes to determine political policies for every one. Most of the time, politicians know they only need the majority votes of the cities to win and do not regard other parts of the state.

[Veto!]

SoCal could become part of Greater Tijuana.

It isn't?

[CurlyDave]

Maybe we need an Electoral College system of elections for the states. Many states have the same problems with the heavily populated cities, mostly socialistic, having enough votes to determine political policies for every one. Most of the time, politicians know they only need the majority votes of the cities to win and do not regard other parts of the state.

We used to. CA originally had two chambers, one with representation by county and one by population, just like the United States. Then the Supremes ruled that representation by political subdivision was not allowed and both houses are now only by population.

As a guy who escaped CA to southern Oregon the only thing I don't like about a state of Jefferson is that the CA part is used to a ~10% sales tax and we will probably get that. In OR the sales tax is 0.

[UnwashedPeasant]

Based on the West Virginia precedent:

1. The North California counties can convene to declare the CA government null and void.
2. The North California counties can elect a new (alternate) CA state goverment.
3. The new (alternate) CA state goverment can set up a vote in the North counties to declare a new state made of only the North counties.
4. If the voters choose to form a new state. Trump can recognize them as a new state, and they are therefore a new state.

Is that right? That is doable.

[MoochPooch]

I’m originally from California. During my childhood, most of the state was very much like “Jefferson.” What a sad change over the past 30 years.

[reed13k]

I could see this happening to keep the current ‘balance’ if Puerto Rico goes forward with the recent trend toward requesting statehood.

[Publius]

There are no grounds -- yet -- to declare the Sacramento government null and void. Only if the Sacramento government declares it has unilaterally seceded from the Union could that claim be considered valid.

We're not there yet.

[Getready]

Not a bad start....maybe some red cities at the coast in blue counties could secede and build some shipping ports so red new state counties could ship their products world wide....its the big cities that have predominant democrat votes...just isolate them.....and pick up the red cities in their county...blue calif would be san fran-oakland-san jose-sacramento-silicon valley-l.a.-san diego santa barb...thats about it...let them have their art,coffee shops,theaters, museums,..cultural diversity and entertainment complexes.well take the farms, water, great outdoors ,manufacturing, oil and power

[j. earl carter]

RE: That looks like Hitler

From Wikipedia:

The Great Dictator is a 1940 American political satire comedy-drama film written, directed, produced, scored by and starring Charlie Chaplin, following the tradition of many of his other films. Having been the only Hollywood film-maker to continue to make silent films well into the period of sound films, this was Chaplin’s first true sound film.

Chaplin’s film advanced a stirring, controversial[4] condemnation of Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, fascism, antisemitism and the Nazis. At the time of its first release, the United States was still formally at peace with Nazi Germany. Chaplin plays both leading roles: a ruthless fascist dictator and a persecuted Jewish barber.

The Great Dictator was popular with audiences, becoming Chaplin’s most commercially successful film.[5] Modern critics have also praised it as a historically significant film and an important work of satire. The Great Dictator was nominated for five Academy Awards – Outstanding Production, Best Actor, Best Writing (Original Screenplay), Best Supporting Actor for Jack Oakie, and Best Music (Original Score).

In his 1964 autobiography, Chaplin stated that he would not have made the film if he had known about the true extent of the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps at the time.[6]

It’s an interesting film. It’s available on Youtube. Well worth watching, IMO

[Rastus]

And then we need to execute Lex Luthor’s plan. Otisburg?

[ought-six]

Ditto.

I was born and raised in California (I am 66 now). It used to be paradise. Then the Dims took over. I saw the way things were going so I bolted in 1979, and haven’t looked back.

[Rebelbase]

“Pulling a West Virgina would be great, but I fear they may end up being like Eastern Tennessee.”

How so?

[Wallace T.]

Eastern Tennessee was largely pro-Union, while Middle and Western Tennessee were pro-Confederate. However, the Union forces were generally unable to keep and hold the area due to the mountainous terrain and the long supply lines from Ohio. Union strategy focused on dividing the Confederacy by seizing the Mississippi Valley and taking the capital of Richmond. Eastern Tennessee was not a priority. In contrast, West Virginia provided a buffer for the key Union states of Pennsylvania and Ohio, and had key rail lines connecting the Northeast with the Midwest. Taking over West Virginia was more strategically important to the Union cause than assisting Union sympathizers in isolated Eastern Tennessee.

In the case of Northern California/Jefferson, there is no reason the powers that be in Sacramento would permit its secession. In a similar vein, it is unimaginable that Texas would allow liberal, majority Hispanic South Texas to form a new state.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Maybe we need an Electoral College system of elections for the states. Many states have the same problems with the heavily populated cities, mostly socialistic, having enough votes to determine political policies for every one. Most of the time, politicians know they only need the majority votes of the cities to win and do not regard other parts of the state.

The simple contiguous district system tends to have an anti-city bias.

Here in PA we have great difficulty electing Republicans statewide - because of the cities - but it takes no great feat of gerrymandering to obtain a surprisingly strong Republican majority in the legislature and in the congressional representation.

The object of gerrymandering is to lose as few districts as possible, by means of concentrating opposition support in districts your opponent will win by lopsided margins. And the fact that Democrats cluster in the cities makes it easy and “natural” to draw districts which accomplish that for Republicans. So it doesn’t look like a gerrymander with weird district lines when the Republicans do it, but if the Democrats shaped the districts in a way to just give themselves and even break it would look on a map like an obvious gerrymander.