Many people have said "the 'State of Jefferson' will never happen, so why are you wasting your time trying to stop it?”
There are several answers to this good question.
In the first place, although a long shot, the secession effort is by no means guaranteed to fail -- unless we organize to stop it. Article IV, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution sketches out a process for creating a new state from portions of an existing one: all that is needed is “consent of the legislatures of the states concerned as well as of the Congress.” This process has not been used since 1820, and details are unclear, but it is clear that neither a popular vote nor Presidential concurrence would be required. Nor can we feel certain that legislators from elsewhere in California, especially those representing urban areas, would not be swayed by the argument that splitting off the northern counties will benefit taxpayers in the rest of the state. The consequences of this action would be so dire for us, the residents of northern California, we can’t sit idly by while there is any risk that it might happen, however improbable it may seem.
And second, this agitation is harming our communities, right now. There’s nothing worse for the business climate than confusion, uncertainty, and doubt. Potential investors will hesitate to invest, potential entrepreneurs will hesitate to start businesses and potential homebuyers will look elsewhere. Northern California’s sluggish economy can’t afford the additional impediment of an ambiguous political future and an unpredictable tax and regulatory structure, to say nothing of endless litigation.
In addition, the political climate of an area is an important factor in a decision about where to live. The divisiveness and hostility that have accompanied the “State of Jefferson” campaign and the perception that rural northern California is dominated by regressive thinking and a reactionary wild west mentality is harming us all.
Nor does insulting and deriding our state legislators seem like an effective means of persuading them to help rural constituencies. We would do much better spending our time educating them about rural needs and convincing them that measures that benefit rural areas will also benefit the cities where most Californians live. We are ALL Stronger Together.
There are several answers to this good question.
In the first place, although a long shot, the secession effort is by no means guaranteed to fail -- unless we organize to stop it. Article IV, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution sketches out a process for creating a new state from portions of an existing one: all that is needed is “consent of the legislatures of the states concerned as well as of the Congress.” This process has not been used since 1820, and details are unclear, but it is clear that neither a popular vote nor Presidential concurrence would be required. Nor can we feel certain that legislators from elsewhere in California, especially those representing urban areas, would not be swayed by the argument that splitting off the northern counties will benefit taxpayers in the rest of the state. The consequences of this action would be so dire for us, the residents of northern California, we can’t sit idly by while there is any risk that it might happen, however improbable it may seem.
And second, this agitation is harming our communities, right now. There’s nothing worse for the business climate than confusion, uncertainty, and doubt. Potential investors will hesitate to invest, potential entrepreneurs will hesitate to start businesses and potential homebuyers will look elsewhere. Northern California’s sluggish economy can’t afford the additional impediment of an ambiguous political future and an unpredictable tax and regulatory structure, to say nothing of endless litigation.
In addition, the political climate of an area is an important factor in a decision about where to live. The divisiveness and hostility that have accompanied the “State of Jefferson” campaign and the perception that rural northern California is dominated by regressive thinking and a reactionary wild west mentality is harming us all.
Nor does insulting and deriding our state legislators seem like an effective means of persuading them to help rural constituencies. We would do much better spending our time educating them about rural needs and convincing them that measures that benefit rural areas will also benefit the cities where most Californians live. We are ALL Stronger Together.
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