[Frollein]

It's almost as if I'm mocking this stance! Like when, for instance, someone might say that California is made up entirelly of yoga teachers,

I also mentioned the vegans, though I admit I left out the pedophiles. My bad.

[Saeko]

That scenario is built on your imaginary stereotype of liberals. All human beings are capable of fighting against people they view as outgroups invading them.

Yeah, except liberals.

[Rugoz]

Wars are won by superior technology and economics. I think California will do just fine.

[Frollein]

Trump should start with the coordinator of this new Maidan, I think we'd be surprised how quickly the whole thing would deflate.

[LV-GUCCI-PRADA-FLEX]

I support/don't support all secession movements. It should only be encouraged if there are guidelines that result in fairly equal autonomous areas. The UN should propose a minimum and maximum geographic area for secession movements.

What secession movements do you support? The ones where the South rises again?

I also mentioned the vegans, though I admit I left out the pedophiles. My bad.

Wait, weren't you just admonishing me for painting people with a broad brush in order to dehumanize them? Guess you never actually cared about that, you just liked the sound of your own outrage.

[Drlee]

I'd love to see California try their pseudo secession. I give it maybe 2 months, and after it turns into Neo Detroit Donald can send the national guard in and clean up the mess

Yea. Lol.

The national guard is a state organization. Good luck getting it to swap sides. Didn't work for Lincoln. Now moving on from a dolt who didn't pay attention in school.

If we look at the serious side of these threats. California could be a real pain in the ass for the feds if it wanted to. It could close its ports. It could restrict military movement on its highways (and don't say it can't because it has before.) It could close airports. It could impose very high fees on services to interstate businesses. California produces a huge percentage of the nation's produce. Nothing to stop them from selling it overseas or just taxing it like crazy.

But the biggest threat that California has to offer is money. It is rich. Fucking really rich. And the republican party gets a boat load of money from California. If the republicans are seen as attacking California, the republicans will loose big time. But I think that my party (republicans) are just stupid enough to piss California (20% of the electoral votes needed to win.)
So lets see. Here is a smart thing to do. Pick an economic fight with the 6th largest economy in the world. Bigger than France. Bigger than Brazil. Bigger than India. Much bigger than Canada.

California could impose its own social security. Want to see some seriously pissed of rich people? Slam them for 15% of their income earned in California. California could institute single-payer health care. Want to see some pissed off health care lobby? Then there is this. California could do what Arizona does. It could offer non-profit tax credits for contributions to the things that the absent federal funds pay for. Pay attention: (And before you barracks lawyers claim this is against the law, it is not. Arizona already does it.)

How about a pissed off California offers a direct state income tax credit for contributions to the public schools funded by state money. Pay attention. Really. This is a no-brianer. Every taxpayer with the intelligence of toast does this. Why? They get to decide how their money is used. Why does this piss off the feds? Because that money then becomes federal tax deductible. Down, way down, goes California's contribution to the federal tax base. And it costs California....nothing. Could the feds move to cut off the deductions? Sure. Let me know how taxing religious schools (which they would have to do in any law responding to this) works out for them.

There is a great deal California can do to fuck with the republicans. There are 53 members of congress from California. 14 of them are republicans. Care to guess which way they will vote if the feds go after California? They will lose more than California. They will lose 7 votes from Illinois when they go after Chicago. The point is that the states are NOT powerless against the federal government. It is most certainly not California against the rest. There are currently 200 sanctuary cities a great many of them in bright red states.

I endlessly have to remind our overseas friends that we only have two national offices. President and VP. The rest are state offices. The republicans can cut off funds to the states if they want. It may NOT go well for them.

Anyway. So called sanctuary cities are a joke anyway. The net effect they have on illegal immigration is nil. They are little more than a minor inconvenience for the feds. But they are a big talking point that plays very well to people who are not to smart in the first place.

But I would love for McSally (R) Arizona, to vote to cut off funds to Tucson...her district's largest city. Something tells me she just might not want to do that. Ya' think?

[MistyTiger]

^
My old hometown of Seattle does not do too bad either.

I would love to see any state stand up to the Feds.

I went to a state university, but the federal government funds only about 25% or maybe less. Most of their revenue comes from students and sponsors. I was and am still shocked by that percentage. I am grateful that it is a nationally accredited university though.

[Bridgeburner]

The national guard is a state organization. Good luck getting it to swap sides. Didn't work for Lincoln. Now moving on from a dolt who didn't pay attention in school.

Yeah, Johnson federalized the Alabama National Guard in '65 and Bush did the same in Cali in '92. Good luck for a state trying to openly commit treason against the executive. Gee, I wonder which way the armed forces and law enforcement will swing towards acting huh? And given the trends of your little friends protesting and endangering them on a daily basis, what they will be inclined to do. Probably paying too much attention to Sarah Silverman tweets old man.

But the biggest threat that California has to offer is money. It is rich. Fucking really rich. And the republican party gets a boat load of money from California. If the republicans are seen as attacking California, the republicans will loose big time. But I think that my party (republicans) are just stupid enough to piss California (20% of the electoral votes needed to win.)

Yeah, too bad that Bannon has a gun to the head of the corrupt spineless "establishment" Republicans, a real pity.

So lets see. Here is a smart thing to do. Pick an economic fight with the 6th largest economy in the world. Bigger than France. Bigger than Brazil. Bigger than India. Much bigger than Canada.
California could impose its own social security. Want to see some seriously pissed of rich people? Slam them for 15% of their income earned in California. California could institute single-payer health care. Want to see some pissed off health care lobby? Then there is this. California could do what Arizona does. It could offer non-profit tax credits for contributions to the things that the absent federal funds pay for. Pay attention: (And before you barracks lawyers claim this is against the law, it is not. Arizona already does it.)

How about a pissed off California offers a direct state income tax credit for contributions to the public schools funded by state money. Pay attention. Really. This is a no-brianer. Every taxpayer with the intelligence of toast does this. Why? They get to decide how their money is used. Why does this piss off the feds? Because that money then becomes federal tax deductible. Down, way down, goes California's contribution to the federal tax base. And it costs California....nothing. Could the feds move to cut off the deductions? Sure. Let me know how taxing religious schools (which they would have to do in any law responding to this) works out for them.
There is a great deal California can do to fuck with the republicans. There are 53 members of congress from California. 14 of them are republicans. Care to guess which way they will vote if the feds go after California? They will lose more than California. They will lose 7 votes from Illinois when they go after Chicago. The point is that the states are NOT powerless against the federal government. It is most certainly not California against the rest. There are currently 200 sanctuary cities a great many of them in bright red states.

I endlessly have to remind our overseas friends that we only have two national offices. President and VP. The rest are state offices. The republicans can cut off funds to the states if they want. It may NOT go well for them.

Anyway. So called sanctuary cities are a joke anyway. The net effect they have on illegal immigration is nil. They are little more than a minor inconvenience for the feds. But they are a big talking point that plays very well to people who are not to smart in the first place.

But I would love for McSally (R) Arizona, to vote to cut off funds to Tucson...her district's largest city. Something tells me she just might not want to do that. Ya' think?

I'd really encourage California to do it, because anything of this ""magnitude"" will be the final straw that breaks the much beloved ""constitutional republic"". As it is people give two shits about precious "checks and balances" and the hallowed institutions that have been the bedrock of the United States. As much as I'd love to see it happen, there's

a) no one charismatic or skilled enough to go up against the Master Persuader and Negotiator on your side of the floor
b) no movement of any sort with any degree of competency to organize what you are talking about
c) No way the Feds don't get wind of this and through not, strictly speaking, legal measures, compromise or destroy this nonexistent movement altogether.

Good luck playing chicken with the administration.

[Zagadka]

I should point out that no one in the original story is talking about secession. The issue is how much money we send to the federal government from state coffers.

[Bridgeburner]

I should point out that no one in the original story is talking about secession. The issue is how much money we send to the federal government from state coffers.

And if the game of chicken escalates where is it going to end up? Do you see Trump or the Trump admin backing off to some nobody in California ? They've objected to or overturned every bureaucratic or legal challenge to their policies up to this point

[Drlee]

And if the game of chicken escalates where is it going to end up? Do you see Trump or the Trump admin backing off to some nobody in California ? They've objected to or overturned every bureaucratic or legal challenge to their policies up to this point

Do you read the news? Is it available in the library of your high school?