Voters in California may be asked to vote on a proposal to split the state into six Californias. The plan, called “Six Californias” by Tom Draper, the venture capitalist behind the idea, must first obtain signatures from over 800,000 registered voters before it will be placed on the ballot.
Opponents argue that the proposal would give some of the new states an unfair advantage in regards to tax revenue, claiming “the ‘Six Californias’ campaign is nothing more than a scheme for making sure that the taxes of wealthy individuals like Draper gets ‘redistributed’ inside their own affluent neighborhoods.”
It seems the critics believe they have a legitimate right to take money from other people to use as they see fit. Draper argues that in the northern part of the state the people are being taxed without being represented, saying, “Vast parts of our state are poorly served by a representative government… [residents] would be better served by six smaller state governments.”
Those “smaller state governments” would range in size from the 900,000 people in the State of Jefferson to the nearly 11.5 million people in West California. However, the plan will not necessarily take affect if approved by voters; Congress must actually approve the creation or division of any states. This is not unheard of, Congress approved the creation Kentucky in 1792, Maine in 1820, and West Virginia in 1863.
Draper told Time “I’ve noticed that the people most adamant about creating their own state or being a part of their own state are the poorest regions,” adding “if they had their own state, I believe all of those states would become wealthier. And I believe by managing their own state, they will become much more successful… In a competitive environment, people get good service and they pay fair prices.”
While I support any move to reduce the centralization of power, I do not believe this proposal goes far enough. Much like the proposal to create a North Colorado or South Arizona, this is a proposal that doesn’t go far enough to solve the problems.
Draper acknowledged that centralized government is a monopoly; however, he doesn’t seem to hold D.C. to the same standard he uses with Sacramento. Instead of divorcing themselves from Sacramento, the voters of California should seek to divorce themselves from Washington, D.C. After all, there aren’t many people in the United States who are being well served by the current federal government, maybe the United States should split into six, or even ten smaller countries. On the bright side, this proposal gets people talking about secession, though it doesn’t go nearly far enough in helping people obtain more independence.