CalExit 3.0: New Petition Calls For Cali Secession...3rd Time's A Charm?

A new group of CalExit activists are hoping they can secede (see what we did there?) where two predecessor groups failed in efforts to force California"s independence from the United States of America.  Ironically, you would think that removing California from the union would be something that Republicans and Democrats could actually agree on...so we remained perplexed as to why this process is proving so difficult.

So, what"s their plan?  Well, rather than pursue a ballot measure, which requires 585,407 signatures, the CalExit 3.0 group has petitioned California"s Attorney General to call for a Constitutional Convention of the States so they can, among other things, amend the U.S. Constitution to allow for a "clear and reasonable path for individual States to become independent, so that CA can secede, if they so choose."

But, secession isn"t all they"re after...the CalExit 3.0 group enumerated a litany of Leftist grievances which they would like to address with constitutional amendments...here"s just a couple of our favorites (spelling mistakes below are not ours):

1. Given that "California is - and must always be - a refuge of justice and opportunity for people of all ages, backgrounds and aspirations - regardless of how you look, where you live, what language you speak, or who you love;"

2. Given that the world has changed dramatically since 1787, and over the next Century California will continue to invent the future, be it in Entertainment, IT, Medical discoveries, Environmental Protection, Global Climate Disaster Mitigation, or Civil Rights & Liberties;

3. Given that a Californian"s vote has one seventieth the weight of a citizen of Wyoming in the US Senate and has become functionally irrelevant in presidential elections;

5. Given that the US federal govermnent has seen increasing gridlock and citizens across the country feel poorly represented by the federal government;

6. Given that California"s government and people increasingly want to chart their own path on issues ranging from - but not limited to - immigration, civil representation and environmental protection and, given the US Constitution expressly designates states as sovereign entities;

20. Given that Californian"s believe in the equality and inherent dignity of all persons;

22. Given that California was seized undemocratically and annexed by the US in 1846 in an act of naked imperial aggression;

Not surprisingly, the petition also calls for a whole bunch of very expensive entitlements...

8. Provide free, reliable and safe Universal healthcare for all citizens, regardless of medical history.

9. Provide free, high quality, Universal education.

...but then also calls for Federal taxes to be abolished...

Modify Federal tax law to render Federal taxes negotiable:

1. State tax becomes primary.

2. Federal tax secondary and negotiable, based on the needs of each State - to be determined by each State and the voters.

3. State govermnent negotiates Federal Taxes on its voters, and their respective communities, behalf to fairly and equally represent voters" values and needs, and those of their respective natural environments.

...which we presume means that they"re planning to rely on the entitlement fairy?

Here is the full petition filed with the Attonery General"s office:

"Calexit" Referendum Question Is One Step Closer To Appearing On 2018 Ballot

A group that is trying to organize a vote on whether California should secede from the US has received permission to begin gathering signatures to force an independence referendum that, if successful, would amount to the first serious attempt at secession by a US state since the Civil War.

According to the Sacramento Bee, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra issued an official ballot measure title and summary to the "California Autonomy From Federal Government" initiative, which can now start gathering signatures needed to include the referendum question - known informally as "Calexit" - on the ballot during the 2018 midterm elections.

The group’s proposal has been scaled back from an initially more aggressive version. The initiative wouldn"t necessarily force California to exit the country, but could allow the state to become a “fully functioning sovereign and autonomous nation” within the US, according to the Los Angeles Times.  

If successful, the vote would allow California Gov. Jerry Brown to “form a commission to recommend avenues for California to pursue its independence and delete part of the state constitution that says it is an inseparable part of the U.S. The measure would also instruct the governor and California congressional delegation to negotiate more autonomy for the state,” according to the Bee.

As the Bee notes, an earlier, more aggressive measure that called for a formal break with the US was cancelled less than three months after it received permission to start gathering signatures – presumably because the group had trouble finding voters willing to affix their names to the movement. The new, scaled down effort is the second since President Donald Trump’s upset victory in November to convince the state’s leadership to demand more autonomy from Washington.

Backers of the plan now have 180 days to collect the more than 585,000 valid signatures needed for the initiative to go on the 2018 ballot.

Apparently, liberal, Hillary Clinton-loving Californians were so triggered by Trump’s win that they immediately began fantasizing about breaking away from the US. According to an Ipsos/Reuters poll released back in January found that 1 in every 3 Californians (32%) said they would support a "peaceful withdrawal from the union” - a substantial increase from the 20% who favored such a withdrawal the last time a similar poll was conducted in 2014. Support for secession among Californians was also higher than the national average of 24%, the poll found.

Californians are particularly triggered by Trump"s promises to enforce immigration laws and repeal Obamacare. One Democrat consultant who was interviewed by Reuters in its story reporting the poll’s findings said that "many citizens believe it would be smarter to leave than fight."

While California has a reputation as one of the most liberal states in the country, it does have its conservative pockets. In profile published last month, the New York Times spoke with residents of 13 Northern California counties that went for Trump during the election. Many decried what they called the “tyranny” of the state’s liberal hegemony, which has effectively marginalized their votes for statewide and federal officials, other than their local US representatives.

If California successfully secedes, expect those counties to stage their own effort to break away from the rest of the state.
 

Trump Administration Releases Map Of Proposed Border Wall

As the Trump administration mulls the cost (and payments) for "the wall" with Mexico, some have suggested the barrier be extended a little...
 

h/t The Lonely Libertarian

A proposal for California to break away from the United States has been submitted to the Secretary of State"s Office in the state capital. If it qualifies, it could trigger a vote on whether the most populous US state should become a separate nation. As RT reports, the group behind the proposal, Yes California Independence Campaign, was cleared on Thursday by Californian Secretary of State Alex Padilla to begin the bid to collect some 600,000 voter signatures required to put the ambitious plan on the ballot, AP reported.

The initiative would ask voters to repeal part of the state constitution that declares California an “inseparable part of the United States of America.”

Being a US state is “no longer serving California’s best interests,” the movement claims.

“Not only is California forced to subsidize this massive military budget with our taxes, but Californians are sent off to fight in wars that often do more to perpetuate terrorism than to abate it. The only reason terrorists might want to attack us is because we are part of the United States and are guilty by association. Not being a part of that country will make California a less likely target of retaliation by its enemies,” the campaign argues, among other things.

“America already hates California, and America votes on emotions,” Marcus Evans, vice-president of Yes California told to the Los Angeles Times.

“I think we"d have the votes today if we held it,” he added.

It must submit the valid voter signatures by July 25 to qualify for the November 2018 ballot.

The number of Californians who would rather see their state a sovereign nation than part of the United States jumped to 32 percent, a new Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll showed earlier this week. In 2014, it was only 20 percent.