Storebought
YaBB God
Posts: 4,326
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« on: November 30, 2004, 06:49:50 PM » |
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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.
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