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The Student News Site of San Francisco State University

Golden Gate Xpress

The Student News Site of San Francisco State University

Golden Gate Xpress

California: United we stand, divided we fall

Picture this: California, the place we call home, ripped into six very distinctly different states. California is the only state that has everything anyone could ever want: amazing sunny weather, sandy beaches, the tallest Redwood trees in the world and of course, the movie stars.

On any given day, we could be relaxing on a sunny beach along the coast and within just a few hours, drive and be in the mountains playing in the snow catching snowflakes. We don’t have to travel far to be immersed in a completely different atmosphere and culture, but Republican Tim Draper wants to change this.

Splitting the state into six smaller states would be utter nonsense. If the outrageous idea were to transpire, the state and its inhabitants simply would not be the same.

Not only would it disrupt the lives of millions, it would put the state through an economic and political turmoil. So much work would have to be done to complete the split; not only would 10 new state senators be needed but it would have a major impact on the American voting system.

Tim Draper, the master-mind behind this idea, has suggested the California debt be split equally among the six proposed states. According to the U.S. Debt Clock, the population of California is more than 38 million; 1 million of those people are unemployed. California’s debt, which is rapidly increasing, is estimated to be $419 billion.

The population and income of each new state doesn’t add up, which means this proposal isn’t remotely fair. The split would push Californians further apart creating more separation and animosity. United we stand, divided we fall.

Since California became a state in 1850, there have been dozens of proposals to divide the state into two or more entities. According to the California Assembly Office of Research, 1859 and 1992 are the only two years the spilt was actually taken seriously. The many proposals were stopped dead in their tracks due to war, insufficient number of signatures obtained, or simply the fact that the proposal was too vague to be taken seriously.

In addition, the entire political landscape will change in America if California is split into six states.

According to a report released in December 2013 by California Secretary of State Debra Bowen, 43 percent of registered voters in the state are Democrats while 28 percent are Republican. With the arrangement of political preferences in California, the 6-way split will inevitably give the Republican Party more pull on the West Coast.

Does it come as much of a surprise that Tim Draper is a Republican who undoubtedly wants to take advantage of California residents to benefit his political party and increase the wealth in his domain of Silicon Valley? No.

With six new states and 10 new senators, who knows what will happen to the political stance of the “Six Californias.”

Before ever considering a separation, building a larger and stronger government to better help govern the populous state would definitely be a better option. California has always been the place to achieve your dreams and work hard for them. The splitting of the state would not only kill the California dream but it would disrupt the lives of millions.

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California: United we stand, divided we fall