• Tug@lemmy.world
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    6 days ago

    It’s nice to think about taking your ball and going home. However, if we denigrate Texas everytime they threaten to secede we really shouldn’t be giving California a pass.

    Edit- fix fat finger spelling

    • _cryptagion@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      6 days ago

      I don’t denigrate Texas every time they say they’re gonna secede. In fact, I want them to. If they don’t want to be a part of America, then let them go do their own thing. If that turns out to be a bad move for them, then that’s on them.

  • jagged_circle@feddit.nl
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    7 days ago

    Lots of peoole didn’t read the article

    According to the text of the measure, the state would be required to create a 20-member state commission to study California’s viability as an independent country in 2027 and to publish a report the following year.

    If the ballot question is approved, the proposal would declare a “vote of no confidence in the United States of America”, but would not change the state’s government or its relationship with the U.S. The measure would also call for the removal of the U.S. flag from all state buildings.

  • meyotch@slrpnk.net
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    7 days ago

    Sorry California, you will have to negotiate with Colorado and Arizona for your water. So basically you have to take us with you.

    • gamermanh@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      6 days ago

      The negotiating:

      If you don’t give us water we wont send you the good you need to live

      You’ll die well before us in that waiting game, baby

      • TangledHyphae@lemmy.world
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        6 days ago

        Aren’t a lot of crops grown in Mexico and imported through the Arizona channels? Because produce is way cheaper in Arizona than California.

        • werefreeatlast@lemmy.world
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          6 days ago

          $1,000 to $3,000 per acre-foot of water produced, which can translate to about $2,000 to $3,500 per acre-foot for smaller-scale projects .

          • 1 acre-foot of water = 325,851 gallons

          • At $2,000 per acre-foot, the cost per gallon is about $0.0061 per gallon. Its really a range between $0.005 to $0.01 per gallon.

          Of course you can just move to a state that has water. Everyone knows you can just drink river water and lake water without any treatment at all. Plus the convenience of living near a swamp, river, lake or flood plane is superb. Otherwise you would need to carry the water somewhere else than where it is. But sure, you’re right, we shouldn’t desalinate water. That’s crazy!

          • probably2high@lemmy.world
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            6 days ago

            Oooh oooh, now do one for the AI GPU farms. Now, a lot of people would argue these are not a comparable use of vital resources, what with water being critical for the survival of all life, and AI the current billionaire snake oil.

            But I mean, what’s really more important than generating capital to grow the net worth of a few people by a few percents so that we can input text to generate pictures of a sick-ass panther or stories that lose the plot less than three sentences in?

            • NιƙƙιDιɱҽʂ@lemmy.world
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              6 days ago

              A single ChatGPT query requires 500ml of water, or let’s say one water bottle. Meanwhile, a single cheeseburger requires 700 gallons of water or 5299 bottles.

              The whole “AI is wasting all the water” argument is not as significant as it seems when you compare it to literally anything else we as humans do.

              Electricity consumption, on the other hand…

              • probably2high@lemmy.world
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                6 days ago

                Sorry, I thought we were talking about the amount of power desalination uses. Didn’t even know AI consumes water.

                edit: wait a minute–why the fuck does AI consume water???

                Second edit: sorry, I got caught up in the original comment talking about the cost per minute for desalination, and immediately went to assuming they were talking about energy costs.

          • Korhaka@sopuli.xyz
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            6 days ago

            Acre-foot? Fuck me that is a cursed unit. Americans really will use anything other than the metric system

          • Welt@lazysoci.al
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            6 days ago

            River water and lake water are potable with minimal input, whereas desalination is prohibitively expensive. Unless there’s a free energy source somehow, we’re better off drinking river water or small beer as our ancestors did.

            • werefreeatlast@lemmy.world
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              6 days ago

              Did you look at the numbers I researched for you? Those numbers give you water ready to drink. Once the water gets the salt removed, you can drink it. The desalination is basically cleaning the water. If you got a water filter at home, get some pH measuring test strips and measure the pH of the water from your tap and from the filter. You’ll find that there is a significant differences. It could be like two pH levels difference, and I think each level is one order of magnitude larger than the previous. So 100 times cleaner. Plus they get salt, which is a valuable byproduct.

              • ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works
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                6 days ago

                FYI the pH of water is not a measurement of cleanliness, it is a measurement of the acidity-alkalinity. I am not sure if you were meaning that but it seems implied by your comment.

                • werefreeatlast@lemmy.world
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                  6 days ago

                  No, dude, I mean pH. The carbon in your filter will definitely alter the pH. PH is changed molecularly, so a filter for that must be chemical, electrical or both. Activated carbon is both. Plus all the gunk already trapped in it does like to react with the opposite charge.

                  This is fairly complicated stuff, its better to just give it a try.

  • Godric@lemmy.world
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    6 days ago
    1. Brexit was clever wordplay, every proposal since hasn’t been. Fuckin “Calexit”, do better.

    2. Yeah, you don’t get to just leave a country. Believe it or not, there was actually at least one war about that!

    3. Fuck CBS for their cancer ass website.

  • dual_sport_dork 🐧🗡️@lemmy.world
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    6 days ago

    It’s a moot point anyway, though, because the ruling post-Civil war (Texas v. White, specifically) determined that unilateral secession was not allowed. In order for California to leave they would either have to come to an agreement with the Federal government to do so (or a majority of all other state legislatures, or something… there’s no precedent) or fight a war against the rest of the union and win, forcing capitulation and a concession.

    Both possibilities seem extremely remote.

    This is only posturing, and even if it passes it is not designed to result in California actually leaving the union.

  • leadore@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    Something that might work out better and would be a lot easier to do (thought still not very easy), would be to split into 3 (or 4?) states.

    California has almost 12% of the US population concentrated in that one state! By far most of the states contain about 2% or less of the US population each.

    By splitting, the population would be better represented in the Senate with 6 senators between them instead of only 2, and there might be a net gain in some other benefits that are given on the state level.

    edit: I see that someone had already brought this idea up, but IMO it’s a good idea that they should seriously consider!

    • ModestMeme@lemm.ee
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      7 days ago

      The right wing has wanted this for years because California is very conservative outside of its cities. Splitting the state up would guarantee a Republican Senate.

    • Desert Hermit@lemmy.world
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      6 days ago

      The State of Jefferson would have started this process, but WWII got in the way. Except that was all predicated on being super racist.

      I think if you get a legit Cal3 proposal, you might end up with a Cal4 where they pull from the six-state version where “Silicon Valley” is its own state shows up so that there can be some technopolis with custom laws and insane cost of living. Essentially, turning SFO into another Manhattan.

      I would never move back to CA as it is, but if there was a breakup, I might actually go for it.

      • peregrin5@lemm.ee
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        6 days ago

        The racists all wanted to leave the US because it wasn’t racist enough. However now the racists are in power and they don’t want to leave anymore.

    • unemployedclaquer@sopuli.xyz
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      6 days ago

      Careful. Texas has some long forgotten provision where they could easily do the same thing, into 5 states. and they’d all be red.

      • leadore@lemmy.world
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        6 days ago

        If they split California into 3, the northern state might be red (or swing) but the other two would definitely be blue because of SR and LA. Look at a map of election results by county.

        With Texas, at least a couple of them would have to be blue because some would contain the blue urban areas. Same with FL, at least one new state would be blue. if CA, TX, and FL all did it. If they divided into 5 states it might even out. Of course there would have to be negotiations to get enough people and the parties to agree to the boundaries, which should prevent too much of an advantage to one side or the other, especially if people don’t want their cities be split between two states.

        But regardless of the results for the Senate, the point is that the people in most populous states of this country are not getting their fair representation in our federal government and that needs to change.

        Then of course as long as we’re altering our makeup of states, we have to give the citizens DC representation and make that a state. And Puerto Rico should be able to decide if it wants to become a state as well.

        • McWizard@lemmy.zip
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          6 days ago

          German here, so excuse my ignorance, but wouldn’t it be easier to change the voting system to one that counts each vote as equal on a state level and get rid of the voting people stuff? Last time I checked you’re no longer riding horses to Washington…

          • gamermanh@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            6 days ago

            but wouldn’t it be easier to change the voting system to one that counts each vote as equal on a state level and get rid of the voting people stuff

            Country wide that requires a constitutional amendment, which requires 2/3 of all states to agree. It’s been tried, the cuckservatives rage and bitch like the children they are because it would mean they’d never win again, so it never goes through

            There’s an effort to make it so that individual states will ignore the EC called NAPOVOINTERCO that would basically force the US to use a popular vote system, but it’s not got enough individual states signed on yet to activate itself

            When it comes to the US, this is a simple rule to follow: federal change is nearly impossible because of the babies in the GOP, while states are easier but can change a whole lot less overall

  • Meursault@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    Yes, please. As a Californian who is already looking to move abroad, it would be a dream come true for my state to do it for me.

      • Meursault@lemmy.world
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        7 days ago

        My heart goes out to the rational minority in the red states. My advice to them is to leave while they can, however they can. This very well could be a matter of life and death.

        • HeroHelck@lemm.ee
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          7 days ago

          Your heart goes out to us, how sweet, I’ll think of your heart when me and my friends who cannot leave are rounded up and sent to camps.

          • Meursault@lemmy.world
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            6 days ago

            “Cannot leave?” My brother in Christ. If I honestly thought that my life was genuinely in danger of a violent end, should I remain where I am, I’d leave without hesitation. It costs nothing to get in your car and drive until you are across state lines RIGHT NOW, this very instant. I wouldn’t worry about selling my house, closing escrow (or trying to communicate or formalize anything with a landlord, were I renting), “getting my affairs in order”, or whatever else. I would first load up my car and then GTFO right goddamn NOW while I still draw breath. Yes, it’d be a hassle having to deal with those loose ends later, but my first priority would be my own self-preservation.

            • Squirrelanna@lemmynsfw.com
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              6 days ago

              Except, you know, the cost of the car and the gas and the food and shelter when you do get across state lines. All famously very cheap and affordable things.

              • Meursault@lemmy.world
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                6 days ago

                Are you really waiting to be spoon fed? I never said everything would be gravy. I said if I was honestly certain I was going to die by staying in my state, I’d fucking leave NOW without waiting for jack shit. Everyone is going to have their own support and ways of surviving, and that’s something to think about only AFTER I’m in a safe location. This is still going to be difficult, and you’ll still have to actually think for yourself. But at least you won’t be actively hunted anymore.

                • Squirrelanna@lemmynsfw.com
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                  2 days ago

                  Spoon-fed? What? States are HUGE. If you don’t ALREADY have a car you own, you gotta have fare for a bus or a train. If you don’t? You have to walk, and that’s not a realistic option for most people, particularly those who live in conservative areas spanning multiple states. God forbid you live in southern Texas. Cars are expensive, and fare for transportation out of state is also pretty damn expensive, especially since these dangerous areas tend to neglect their affordable public transport options. It’s great that YOU have the money upfront to even start getting out. Not everyone has the privilege.

                  To be clear, I’m not arguing against getting out. I’m taking umbridge with your statement that “It costs nothing to get in your car…” etc. GETTING a car is a cost.

            • HeroHelck@lemm.ee
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              6 days ago

              No, I think I’ll stay and try to protect whoever I can. I’ll probably get killed, I’ve more or less made peace with that.

              • Meursault@lemmy.world
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                6 days ago

                That’s at least a stance I can admire. Keep yourself and your loved ones safe. And if it comes to it, you show those fascists what hell looks like when it wears the skin of a gentle human.

          • boonhet@lemm.ee
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            6 days ago

            Look, I’ve got no dog in this fight, but in my opinion, something you need to make peace with is that the people in blue states have to watch out for themselves too, before the rot spreads too far and they find the modern day Gestapo on their own streets, killing their own people.

            And if/when they do split, try to understand them, and blame the fascists, not those trying to escape from fascism.

            Either way, if your life is threatened by fascists, I hope you’ll survive and make it out. If you don’t, I hope you’ll put up a good fight, but that’s up to you to decide, not me. I wish the best to all of you and hope that here in Europe we won’t decide to follow through on the whole right-wing swing of the pendulum.

  • AutistoMephisto@lemmy.world
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    6 days ago

    CA better get their hands on some ICBMs. Keep one pointed at DC, and another pointed at Mar-a-Lago. It’s pretty much the only way a state can keep its sovereignty.

  • Alex@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    Fight for better more fair representation, secession solves nothing.

    • Cryan24@lemmy.world
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      7 days ago

      It will take a massive chunk out of federal funding to reduce states most of whom don’t pull equal weight

  • jagged_circle@feddit.nl
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    7 days ago

    Shit my CA driver’s license expired. Does that mean I’ll need to apply for citizenship or will old residents be good?

  • doingthestuff@lemy.lol
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    6 days ago

    Remember how the federal government treated the south when they tried to secede. And people still celebrate it, not without good reason. But they didn’t just go to war to stop it, they burned the south to the ground.

    • ℍ𝕂-𝟞𝟝@sopuli.xyz
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      Well, there are two big differences.

      The ethical one, the South wanted to secede to keep their slaves, and to clarify because the term slavery has been run ragged by propaganda, they wanted to keep their forced labour/death camps where they could kill, maim, rape, buy and sell people, also children, and have them do backbreaking, crippling work to enrich themselves.

      On the other hand, California is contemplating this because the South, after losing their war, did a 200 year psyop to get a rapist and a bona-fide sieg heiling Nazi in power to force California to drop initiatives that would keep the Earth inhabitable and let their citizens live in peace.

      The pragmatic one is that while the South was what it was, California is still an economic powerhouse accounting for 20% of the US economy. If they would secede, and bring a few like-minded states with them, it’s not the least bit implausible that the South would be doing the burning again.

      All that said, the Russians and the Chinese are salivating at this idea I’m sure.

    • gamermanh@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      6 days ago

      But they didn’t just go to war to stop it, they burned the south to the ground.

      Do that to CA and you’re shooting yourself in the foot as the US

      Destroying your most important ports and where more than 50% of your agriculture nationwide comes from is not a good idea

      • NιƙƙιDιɱҽʂ@lemmy.world
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        6 days ago

        Which is exactly why they would burn it to the ground. The federal government would never let California, let alone any state, secede peacfully. They can’t risk losing those resources and would destroy them before allowing them to be competition.

        • Siegfried@lemmy.world
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          Was it really? I was under the impression that they mostly were agricultural, while the north had all the light and heavy industries… (sorry, I’m not american)

          • WagyuSneakers@lemmy.world
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            You are correct. It heavily contributed to their loss. Without international support, or the industries to leverage that support they were isolated, poor and out of manpower.

            If Union leadership was better in the beginning we would have seen them rolled much faster.

          • AbsoluteChicagoDog@lemm.ee
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            This was RIGHT before the industrial revolution in America. The timing of industrialization going north because the south was utterly burned to the ground was a massive shock that is still felt today. They couldn’t switch to industrialization in time

        • ubergeek@lemmy.today
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          A huge reason the south lost was because they were NOT an economic powerhouse…

          Much like today.

  • some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org
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    7 days ago

    Weber said proponents must gather 546,651 signatures from registered voters, which is 5% of total votes cast for governor in the 2022 election. Proponents face a deadline of July 22.

    I wish they could knock on my door, but the building is secured from visitors. I’ll sign if I see someone posted at a table on the sidewalk. I’m done with this shit country.

    • meyotch@slrpnk.net
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      If this movement has any ground game, they may send a volunteer to your home at a time of your choosing to collect your signatures. Let’s say you had a small gathering of like minded friends? They would be there before the Domino’s guy.

      Serious petition movements have a volunteer system set up where they mobilize passionate people with flexible schedules (i.e. usually adorable old ladies or the funemployed). They have to have a website with contact info.

      I think it would be a very interesting national debate if this got traction, perhaps even a productive one.

      • some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org
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        a volunteer to your home at a time of your choosing

        That’s an interesting idea. I’ll pay attention if this gains traction and keep this in mind. Thanks!