CALEXIT

CALEXIT

1. United States constitution

   • According to the 10th amendment, “Each state retains its sovereignty, freedom, and independence (…), in Congress assembled.” So, each state has its own govern being part of the US. The Pledge of Allegiance says, “one nation, indivisible.”
     • The Constitution does not have a provision for a state to exit the union. But the Const. could be changed, as the Article 5 says that “if two-thirds of both houses of Congress propose and three-fourths of all the states ratify the change”.

2. Why separate

   • It would have a GDP of more than 2Trillion USD, making it somewhere between 6th to 9th largest economy around the globe
     • It has a large population of about 40 million people (12% of US)
       • It can be seen as a large country with enough diverse land and resources to remain independent, it has diverse agricultural and industrial capacity
         • California is home to world’s largest entertainment industry, based on Hollywood
           • California is home to world’s largest tech industry, based around Silicon Valley
             • It has a diverse population with mostly liberal views and a thriving culture
               • It has a very large coastline, so enormous potential for sea ports.

3. Why not separate

   • Most of California’s biggest businesses are either publicly traded or owned by large holding corporations.
     • All publicly traded companies are listed at NYSE or NASDAQ, both in NYC, thus are owned via NY.
     • Most major financial corporations that own Silicon Valley companies are somehow based on TriState (NY-NJ-Connecticut) area
       • California’s tech and entertainment industry heavily depend on US patent and copyright laws and international treaties that extend their protection throughout the world.
         • California doesn’t have a great defense force of its own
           • California’s industries function on the assumption that they have direct and immediate access to a vast market of 325 million consumers
             • If California secedes, all business between Cal and rest of USA would be international trade.
             • Many of California’s tech industry has their data centers, factories and resources distributed throughout the US.

4. Characteristics of nation

   • it decides who can take up residence; what laws, rules and regulations are peculiar to that state whether or not there are restrictions on crossing its borders controls on imports and export control on the exploitation of its natural resources whether or not it has an obligation to shelter, maintain and feed those who are washed up on its shores.

5. Independence

   • One of the essential attributes of a state under International Law is external sovereignty—that is, the right to exercise freely the full range of power a state possesses under international law.
     • Recognition of a state as independent necessarily implies that the recognizing states have no legal authority over the independent state.
       • The status of a fully independent state should be contrasted with that of dependent or vassal states, where a superior state has the legal authority to impose its will over the subject, or inferior, state.

6. Economy

   • California´s economy is now the sixth biggest in the world.
     • On the first trimester of 2018 its GDP reached 2.747 mill dlls, overtaking other economies like UK. California´s population is 40 million and UK is 66 million.
       • It has progressive minimum wage and a solid tax system.Principal sources for its economy are manufacturing, real state and financial services.
         • It has progressive minimum wage and a solid tax system.Principal sources for its economy are manufacturing, real state and financial services.

7. Examples

   • Crimea: Russia recognized its independence in 2014 after multiple countries voting against/pro its separation from Ukraine. Even though it won with approval, Ukraine did not accept its independence.
     • Under Ukrainian rule, it was deprived of reliable provision of public goods and the industrial infrastructure of Crimea was dismantled to enrich Ukraine oligarchs
       • Republic of Senegal: Became independent in 1960, has a quasi-democratic political culture. Its GDP is 16,172 bill, or $958.07 per capita.
         • Right now, its currency is suffering of a severe deflation.

8. Secession

   • “In 1869, in Texas v. White, the Supreme Court ruled a state may secede “through consent of the states”. A Republican majority currently controls both chambers in 31 states. 25 of them are needed to pass a “Consent to State” resolution”.
     • “The Consent of the States Project is an effort to pass a resolution in a majority of the Nation’s state legislatures that gives the State of California consent to constitutionally secede from the United States and become an independent country”.