The State That Ate America

California has become a threat not only to itself but the country at large.  

Accepted into the Union in 1850, it was exceptional from the beginning, being the only state that was incorporated into the United States without first being a territory (not including Texas, which was actually an independent country before becoming a state, but set that aside for now).

In the intervening 174 years, California, despite all of its many dysfunctions, dominates the country—and the world—like no other state.  

From Hollywood, to beach culture, to high tech, California holds a place in the American imagination that is unrivaled.  Not even the strong, distinct, individualistic cultures of states such as Hawaii, Alaska, Montana, New York, and Texas can compete. As Sicily is to Italy, California is America in the extreme.

And as with anything that considers itself exceptional, California holds itself to its own standards. 

Beginning in the 1970s (with the help of Ronald Reagan) it began setting its own standards for automobile emissions.

Since then California has expanded its sphere of influence to include automobile mileage standards, energy standards, recyclables, and pig farming. It’s mandate to end all gas car sales by 2035 is, effectively, an attempt to do away with the traditional car industry altogether.

Now come reports of protests from some in Nevada and Arizona that a California state law that could potentially cap oil industry profits threaten their own state’s energy future.

Poltico quotes Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo (R) as warning “this approach could lead to refineries either constraining supplies of fuels to avoid a profit penalty or even leaving our shared fuels market entirely.” Lombard also noted that 88 percent of his state’s fuels are delivered from California via pipeline or truck.

To those of you who hold out hope the pendulum will eventually swing back, that things will get so bad people will vote out the Democrats, that reality will someday come crashing down, I’ve got bad news:  The only way to reform California is to re-form California into an entirely different entity (or two).

This is not a radical idea.  West Virginia was once part of Virigina until it wasn’t.  Likewise, Maine used to be part of Massachusetts.  As some of the more extreme immigration rights advocates have argued, borders are just lines on a map.  They were arbitrarily created and can just as arbitrarily changed (or, as in the case of the U.S.-Mexico border, ignored).

Currently there is an effort underway in Oregon for the eastern part of the State to join Idaho.  As of last summer, 12 out of the state’s15 eastern counties had voted to become part of Greater Idaho.

And of course, there has already been for some an effort to combine much of northern California with parts of southern Oregon into the new State of Jefferson.  

I offer this proposal partly in jest, but just partly.  

In fact, half of California (from San Francisco to the Oregon border—look at a map) is a universe away from the beaches of Southern California, the glitz of Hollywood, or the tech utopianism of Silicon Valley.  Rural, agricultural, Republican—northern California is more like Boise or Bozeman than Beverly Hills.

And American history is marked by just such monumental compromises made in order to preserve the handiwork of the Founders.  In fact, California was made a state in just such a compromise (The Compromise of 1850).

Whether they want to or not, the citizens of every other state must kneel to Cali’s edicts.  The idea of one state having such massive influence was never contemplated by the Founders (in part because they never anticipated that American life would be so dominated by regulation and bureaucracy as ours is).  Put plainly, the ability of California to impose its values and interests on the country at large is a threat to America’s constitutional order.  

So maybe the solution to the California problem is to right-size it.  The future of America just may depend on it.