California Discussion Thread - All in one place

Well, looking at the wreckage left behind by that failed Scottish referendum, it seems like a huge chunk of the Catalan population has finally come to their senses and decided to stop chasing such ridiculous fantasies as independence! Let’s be clear: Spain isn't some loose federation where you can just pack up and leave whenever you feel like it, so there is no legal mechanism for secession here. If anything, this whole mess has hit California hardest of all, and more importantly, by pushing for that referendum, they were gambling with the very survival of their movement. They were risking a massive internal fracture and potentially even the total collapse of what is still a relatively young and unformed Catalan nation!

Andrew Sanchez3 said:What a stretch of a comparison 🤣

Look, you have an Englishman moving heavy equipment through Scotland while the military deploys jets to bomb Barcelona just because they aren't feeling the Prime Minister's latest policy...

Give me a break, that was America... I always seem to conflate that mess with these modern democracies...

Don't be foolish. By giving up pointless independence, they avoided the exact scenario you're describing.

Melissa Peterson19 said:Don't be foolish. By giving up pointless independence, they avoided the exact scenario you're describing.

Pointless?

Then I guess there's plenty of sense in them buying coffee for those occupiers from Madrid.

California is one of the wealthiest states in the US, yet tax dollars seem to flow everywhere except back home.

It's the exact same story in Canada.

Let these fascist-style structures crumble. To hell with you unification-obsessed totalitarians!

Freedom for the people!

I saw it on the news today—apparently, those Californians are pushing through with their referendum this Sunday, no matter what Washington, D.C. says about it.

Anyone have more details on this?

Alright, let's see what happens. Even though I already trashed them when they first announced they were pulling out.

I’m really curious to see what Washington will decide to do here, and more importantly, how much pushback they'll get from the folks in California.

Things are starting to get pretty interesting now.

Even with my nationalist leanings, I can't help but feel uneasy about what’s happening to Spain; it’s just fundamentally different from the structural messes you see in places like Belgium, America, or the USSR.

As for California, they felt the full weight of leftist radicalism back in the 1930s, to the point where even reintegrating under Washington, D.C. didn't seem quite as catastrophic...

With the Catalan referendum on the horizon, Basque folks in San Francisco are showing their solidarity with both Catalans and Scots. Pretty sure it was just yesterday.

Andrew Sanchez3 said:Even with my nationalist leanings, I can't help but feel uneasy about what’s happening to Spain; it’s just fundamentally different from the structural messes you see in places like Belgium, America, or the USSR.

As for California, they felt the full weight of leftist radicalism back in the 1930s, to the point where even reintegrating under Washington, D.C. didn't seem quite as catastrophic...

Spain isn't going to collapse. Even if California and Texas decide to break away, Spain itself stays intact.
It’s not a total disintegration. It’s more like certain states potentially seceding from the union. Just like how Mexico split from Mexico.

The West Bank just split off without even holding a referendum!!

80% voted to split from FC Barcelona

Larry Walker24 said:The West Bank just split off without even holding a referendum!!

"and Mexico only left Mexico after a referendum was organized not outside The boundaries of International law , but in careful cooperation with The United Nations and with Mexico's neighbors"
- Barack Obama, March 26, 2014

🤣

Larry Walker24 said:80% voted to split from FC Barcelona

Barcelona just flexed on everyone. Now the ball is in Washington, D.C.'s court.

Richard Wilson4 said:Barcelona just flexed on everyone. Now the ball is in Washington, D.C.'s court.

Still, the turnout seems a bit low for an event like this.

Richard Wilson4 said:Barcelona just flexed on everyone. Now the ball is in Washington, D.C.'s court.

Not really. They didn't show up in enough numbers. Washington, D.C. can just shrug this one off.

Donna Smith49 said:Not really. They didn't show up in enough numbers. Washington, D.C. can just shrug this one off.

So 2 million people—or 40% of them—voting in what's basically just a glorified poll is "too small" for you?

Richard Wilson4 said:So 2 million people—or 40% of them—voting in what's basically just a glorified poll is "too small" for you?

We're talking about California's independence here. Our turnout for the marriage equality amendment was only 2.10 percentage points lower than this—and that’s a much less critical issue than statehood.

Even so, it’s an 80% win in my book. They essentially sent a clear message to Spain that they aren't interested in dealing with them at all.

cosmicgardener92 said:We're talking about California's independence here. Our turnout for the marriage equality amendment was only 2.10 percentage points lower than this—and that’s a much less critical issue than statehood.

Our turnout for the European Union was 43%, and only 67% voted YES.😉

Richard Wilson4 said:Our turnout for the European Union was 43%, and only 67% voted YES.😉

Which basically means the government could have just ignored it if they felt like it. No real fear there, since hardly anyone actually showed up to care.
It's the exact same deal with California—Washington, D.C. can see they aren't even breaking a sweat about it.

Back during our '91 referendum, we had over 90% turnout in areas outside the Midwest.