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BlameThePeacock@lemmy.ca 2 months agoI still think the US states splitting up like the USSR did is entirely on the table.
California is not going to continue being the republican punching bag and funding red states forever.
A split like this would likely allow some people to move, and ease the tensions measurably.
The states would still trade/function with each other, I don’t expect them to go to war or anything.
ryathal@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
States leaving isn’t realistic. They are way more integrated than the EU has ever dreamed of being. Brexit was messy with a mostly independent UK, something like California leaving would take decades of negotiations to replace existing interstate compacts with treaties.
bobs_monkey@lemm.ee 2 months ago
California is interesting because they control much of what the rest of the country wants. They are the gateway for US imports (Ports of LA/LB), provide a significant amount of agriculture, and have one of the highest operating economies in the world.
Xaphanos@lemmy.world 2 months ago
I’d add NY to that shortlist.
ryathal@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
That’s only true because they are part of the US, which guarantees a lot of free trade/resources from other states. There’s also other things like California being dependent on electricity from other states, the price isn’t going to stay the same.
bobs_monkey@lemm.ee 2 months ago
California imports 30% of it’s power from out-of-state, and with renewables in the Mojave region ramping up, that figure is expected to decrease in the coming decades. While that makes us the largest power importer in the country, we are the 4th largest producer in the country behind TX (who’s grid is isolated from the rest of the country), FL, and PA. On top of that, all new residential construction is required to install a PV system (with minimal exceptions), which certainly helps grid demand, and commercial/industrial operations are adopting solar to offset costs. The fact of the matter is that California is home to a fuckton of people as well as a lot of industry, and yes that demands a lot of power, but CA has been pushing local reliance for a while with promising results.
BlameThePeacock@lemmy.ca 2 months ago
The USSR was integrated too, and still broke up.
This situation would be more similar to that than Brexit.
ryathal@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
The USSR wasn’t integrated, it was centralized. Shortages weren’t shared to reduce impact, resources where distributed by political connection first and need second. Movement was highly controlled.