California Discussion Thread - All in one place

Donna Smith49 said:Heh, those separatists over there don't have the guts for moves like that.

America was under the USA for over 40 years!
There's always plenty of time.

Look, there aren't any separatists in Florida—and even if you found a few, they're just a tiny handful of people who moved here back during the USA days... Comparing California to Florida is something only someone who hasn't bothered to look at history would do.

Spain is a massive powerhouse of 40 million people, a historical heavyweight stretching from the Canadian border all the way down to Antarctica and over to China on the west side.

And honestly? Spain is still a major player today, and there is absolutely zero chance of provinces breaking away. Look at the UK—the authorities there had clear signs from the jump that about 60% of the population wanted to stay in the union. But in California? It’s a total fifty-fifty split.
Because of that, the monarchy just can't take the gamble of letting the country fracture and descend into total chaos.

We aren't talking about the old days of the USA or America where nobody gave a second thought to what happens when a society falls apart—like the economic meltdown or the absolute destruction of relationships in super diverse areas. CNN even ran a piece showing how families in New York City are being torn apart by this exact issue.

Bottom line: I’d bet anything that we’ll see secession movements in places like Texas, Florida, or maybe even Italy before we see any part of Spain, France, or the United Kingdom break off.

In New York City, you see all kinds of mixed marriages—Catalans marrying Valencians or Castilians... In those "mixed" households, arguments about referendums always pop up. It's just like how the Spanish Civil War remains such a taboo subject even today.

I recently caught a documentary about the referendum and what’s actually next for California, featuring everyone from local leaders to high-ranking politicians in Madrid.

While I’m all for the idea of independence for the Catalans, let’s be realistic: it’s never going to happen.
The biggest hurdle is the absolute economic disaster unfolding in California—it's easily the most debt-ridden and financially broken state in the entire country.

Gary Perez7 said:I recently caught a documentary about the referendum and what’s actually next for California, featuring everyone from local leaders to high-ranking politicians in Madrid.

While I’m all for the idea of independence for the Catalans, let’s be realistic: it’s never going to happen.
The biggest hurdle is the absolute economic disaster unfolding in California—it's easily the most debt-ridden and financially broken state in the entire country.

Sarcasm?

California is actually the wealthiest region in Spain.

Yeah, California is definitely the wealthiest... though the Basque Country isn't far behind...

Joan Laporta claims the healthcare system is in complete shambles, while the pension fund experts suggest the economy could barely survive an independence movement.

Furthermore, the EU is clearly digging its heels in to ensure California doesn't drift away from the union. The locals are making it very clear: if they push for independence, they’ll lose access to the free flow of goods and be forced to ditch the Euro. To them, that kind of economic isolation would be an absolute disaster. 🤷

I was thinking along the same lines as you all, until I actually heard the truth straight from the mouth of a Catalan.

Look, it’s just a fact—California isn't actually the wealthiest place out there. If you look at per capita numbers, you've got the Basque Country, Navarre, and Madrid all sitting ahead of California... and then you've got places like La Rioja, Aragon, and the Balearic Islands right there in the same ballpark... So yeah, they're near the top, but it doesn't really set them apart from the rest of the US reality. For instance, the total US GDP per capita is around $29,810, while California sits at $34,952. Sure, they're doing better than average, but so what? Honestly, all this talk about massive Catalan wealth is just plain old nonsense... Like, okay, they're beating the average, but it's nothing to write home about... Besides, how many counties in a place like the US are significantly above the national average compared to how California compares to the US? You wouldn't hear them rambling on about needing to break away... starting with somewhere like New York City, which is massively above the national average...

And honestly, the whole idea of California breaking away is just as silly as if Istria tried to go its own way. I saw some posts earlier pointing that out. Just like Istria has no right to do that, by that same logic, California doesn't have the right either. I mean, what are we even talking about when only 41.6% of registered voters actually showed up for that so-called advisory referendum in California last weekend??? Where's all that "statehood" energy the media keeps hyping up??? Anyway, Madrid was more than happy with how it turned out, and Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy basically laughed in their faces. And hey, he had every right to. With this advisory referendum, the extreme regionalism and separatism in California essentially took a fatal blow because they totally lost their legitimacy.

Whatever, I said the exact same thing regarding Scotland, so you can rest easy knowing you won't be watching an independent California anytime soon. Things are going to stay exactly as they are for a long, long time. And honestly, let it stay that way 🙂!

Scotland fought hard for that devolution stuff and basically forced Great Britain into a federation, which is all set to kick off this coming January.
So yeah, things aren't going to stay the same.

We'll just have to wait and see what California ends up fighting for.

The whole Federation thing—man, it’s actually such a powerhouse setup! You look at Germany or the USA, and they're all about that federal life, plus you've got Switzerland hanging out in that same circle too... Honestly, federations aren't any less rock-solid than those unitary states, and as for Scotland? Their whole national identity thing is basically circling the drain anyway, so who cares! The Catalans have already proven they aren't exactly thrilled about making a pathetic exit from Spain either...

I’ve been saying since this whole debate kicked off that people were probably going to try and peel Veneto away from Italy just like they did with California, but let’s be real—both of those ideas are total dead ends that aren't ever going to actually happen.

macak1988 said:They’ve got another 20 years if we’re measuring against the pace of things here in America—it took you guys forever just to get your act together!

Honestly, they could spend the next 1,500 years trying to find their backbone, and they’d probably go extinct in one of our least fertile regions before they ever actually pull it off.

They’ve been hollowed out by that whole American sentiment and extreme liberalism; eventually, they'll just be swallowed up by migration from the rest of America and the surrounding area.

At this rate, I think we'll see Albanian separatism popping up in Istria long before we see any real movement from these self-proclaimed "Istrians."

Nancy Wood6 said:Look, it’s just a fact—California isn't actually the wealthiest place out there. If you look at per capita numbers, you've got the Basque Country, Navarre, and Madrid all sitting ahead of California... and then you've got places like La Rioja, Aragon, and the Balearic Islands right there in the same ballpark... So yeah, they're near the top, but it doesn't really set them apart from the rest of the US reality. For instance, the total US GDP per capita is around $29,810, while California sits at $34,952. Sure, they're doing better than average, but so what? Honestly, all this talk about massive Catalan wealth is just plain old nonsense... Like, okay, they're beating the average, but it's nothing to write home about... Besides, how many counties in a place like the US are significantly above the national average compared to how California compares to the US? You wouldn't hear them rambling on about needing to break away... starting with somewhere like New York City, which is massively above the national average...

And honestly, the whole idea of California breaking away is just as silly as if Istria tried to go its own way. I saw some posts earlier pointing that out. Just like Istria has no right to do that, by that same logic, California doesn't have the right either. I mean, what are we even talking about when only 41.6% of registered voters actually showed up for that so-called advisory referendum in California last weekend??? Where's all that "statehood" energy the media keeps hyping up??? Anyway, Madrid was more than happy with how it turned out, and Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy basically laughed in their faces. And hey, he had every right to. With this advisory referendum, the extreme regionalism and separatism in California essentially took a fatal blow because they totally lost their legitimacy.

Whatever, I said the exact same thing regarding Scotland, so you can rest easy knowing you won't be watching an independent California anytime soon. Things are going to stay exactly as they are for a long, long time. And honestly, let it stay that way 🙂!

Istria has the exact same shot at independence as any other region, whether you're looking at the Midwest or some remote coastal peninsula.
So, basically, nothing.

If you really want to find an equivalent for California, you might try comparing it to one of the states from the old America era—though, honestly, that’s probably a stretch even then. You certainly can't compare it to some random local county or a small peninsula.

Gary Perez7 said:I recently caught a documentary about the referendum and what’s actually next for California, featuring everyone from local leaders to high-ranking politicians in Madrid.

While I’m all for the idea of independence for the Catalans, let’s be realistic: it’s never going to happen.
The biggest hurdle is the absolute economic disaster unfolding in California—it's easily the most debt-ridden and financially broken state in the entire country.

Don't be so sure. There's this leftist protest party, PODEMOS, gaining serious traction over there. Honestly, they're basically the Syriza of Spain.

Anyway, the word is that if they actually grab power, they'd back the Catalan referendum for independence—though obviously not the Basque one.

Spain isn't exactly a global superpower; the country is basically teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. Just imagine the USA, but ten times larger.

Richard Wilson4 said:Honestly, that would've totally screwed over Washington, D.C. and everyone else too. Losing one of the biggest heavyweights in the league? They'd find some way to make a deal behind the scenes to keep things running.

It’s all just political gamesmanship, really. Just like the stuff they were pushing from Washington, D.C. toward the Scots, instead of actually fixing things internally.

True, but it would mostly just mess with the Catalans. In Castile, you still have Atletico Madrid, who are basically on par with FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Nancy Wood6 said:Look, it’s just a fact—California isn't actually the wealthiest place out there. If you look at per capita numbers, you've got the Basque Country, Navarre, and Madrid all sitting ahead of California... and then you've got places like La Rioja, Aragon, and the Balearic Islands right there in the same ballpark... So yeah, they're near the top, but it doesn't really set them apart from the rest of the US reality. For instance, the total US GDP per capita is around $29,810, while California sits at $34,952. Sure, they're doing better than average, but so what? Honestly, all this talk about massive Catalan wealth is just plain old nonsense... Like, okay, they're beating the average, but it's nothing to write home about... Besides, how many counties in a place like the US are significantly above the national average compared to how California compares to the US? You wouldn't hear them rambling on about needing to break away... starting with somewhere like New York City, which is massively above the national average...

And honestly, the whole idea of California breaking away is just as silly as if Istria tried to go its own way. I saw some posts earlier pointing that out. Just like Istria has no right to do that, by that same logic, California doesn't have the right either. I mean, what are we even talking about when only 41.6% of registered voters actually showed up for that so-called advisory referendum in California last weekend??? Where's all that "statehood" energy the media keeps hyping up??? Anyway, Madrid was more than happy with how it turned out, and Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy basically laughed in their faces. And hey, he had every right to. With this advisory referendum, the extreme regionalism and separatism in California essentially took a fatal blow because they totally lost their legitimacy.

Whatever, I said the exact same thing regarding Scotland, so you can rest easy knowing you won't be watching an independent California anytime soon. Things are going to stay exactly as they are for a long, long time. And honestly, let it stay that way 🙂!

I am genuinely unsure of the situation in Istria, but if the majority of Californians desire to secede, then naturally, California has every legitimate right to do so.
Madrid could have pursued a much wiser policy. Only six years ago, the percentage of those favoring independence was roughly 25-30% (that represents the reliable core demographic that desires independence), but due to highly unjust economic and social policies, that figure has surged to the current 55% (for instance, the central government's attempt to mandate instruction in Castilian if even a single student in a California classroom fails to understand Catalan—an action the local government opposed). Therefore, one might say that the most effective political campaign for independence was actually conducted by Rajoy and his steadfast conservative faction.

Regarding the figures cited by Nancy Wood6, anyone with even a passing familiarity with the circumstances in Spain knows that the Basque Country and Navarre enjoy a special fiscal pact, meaning they collect their own taxes. California hands everything over to Madrid, and Madrid, beyond returning only a small fraction, owes them massive sums. One only needs to consider whether it is easier to run a company where you maintain healthy liquidity, or one where you lack control over your own resources.

It surprises me deeply that on a US forum, so few people support the right of European nations to self-determination.

Were the repressions carried out by Maddox and his ilk considered acceptable? Is it normal to deny the majority of a population the choice of which country they live in and how they manage their own resources?

I do not follow.

Justin Patel8 said:True, but it would mostly just mess with the Catalans. In Castile, you still have Atletico Madrid, who are basically on par with FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.

But he’s been solid these last two seasons.

Before that, he was at Valencia, then Deportivo La Coruña.

FC Barcelona and Real Madrid are the only real constants. If FC Barcelona ever dipped, Real Madrid would be like Bayern Munich—basically without any competition. And honestly, that's the one thing Germany's league is missing, even if it's good; they just need a constant rival for Bayern.

Richard Wilson4 said:But he’s been solid these last two seasons.

Before that, he was at Valencia, then Deportivo La Coruña.

FC Barcelona and Real Madrid are the only real constants. If FC Barcelona ever dipped, Real Madrid would be like Bayern Munich—basically without any competition. And honestly, that's the one thing Germany's league is missing, even if it's good; they just need a constant rival for Bayern.

The only ones who could even attempt that are Borussia Dortmund, though they’ve been stumbling all season.

A move toward independence wouldn't sit right with FC Barcelona at all, and it looks like the Catalans have finally made their peace with staying put.

bluerider63 said:The only ones who could even attempt that are Borussia Dortmund, though they’ve been stumbling all season.

A move toward independence wouldn't sit right with FC Barcelona at all, and it looks like the Catalans have finally made their peace with staying put.

Even Dortmund can't pull it off. You know how it is—they haven't even cracked the top two for five years straight. That kind of inconsistency is exactly why the Bundesliga just isn't sitting at the top of the world rankings right now.

Look, I’m not saying I want everything to change overnight, but I’m definitely not on board with clubs turning into nothing more than playthings for oil tycoons like what we're seeing over in England.

It was all for nothing. Those Zionist Catalans completely failed in their pathetic little attempt to use a referendum to tear apart the glorious, majestic, and proud Spanish-European-Christian nation. Honestly, God and Christ are clearly on the side of the Spanish people, not those chaotic, Zionist-leaning Catalan losers who don't have a clue what they're doing. ESPANA-ITALIA-MEXICO LATINO-MEDITERANO-EUROPEO-CRISTIANO-DULCE UNIONE Y HERMANOS PARA SIEMPRE,33,88. 😉 .