Splitting the State
California should be split up into two, maybe even three states. The three state rationale takes into account the political spectrum as well as the geographical factors. The popular three state rationale would give us a Northern and a Southern California, based on geographical realities and differences, along with a "Coastal California" due to the fact that most of the coastal areas are liberal and most of the inland areas are conservative.
Either way, the northern area is a completely different world from the south in every respect. My two main concerns are water and how we spend our state and gasoline taxes. I tried to find a web site that would show how the tax monies are dibbied up around the state, but I couldn't find one. I suspect that most of the gasoline taxes we pay, the part of them that is supposed to go to highways, is and has forever, been disproportionately spent on freeways in the south as well as the bay area (although lately I believe they are being siphoned off to compensate for deficits in other areas of state spending, probably helping to cover health care expenses for retired state workers).
If Northern California were a reality, we would have that freeway or at least a four lane highway between Chico and Sacramento. Imagine if all of the taxes we pay to the state were spent in our area? Not only that, we could sell water to the south. And there lies the catch 22 as to why we will never be allowed to split off. The south needs our water and the south would have to be on board for any kind of movement to split the state. I suspect that when the mega pumps are installed around Butte county to siphon our ground water for the south, the idea of dividing the state will start to get some momentum, but of course it will be too late by then.
My friend Dean had a good idea the other day. Since Russia was "supposedly" aiding the region of Ossetia which was trying to succeed from Georgia, perhaps we Northern Californians could get the Russians on board to help us break away from the south. I don't think were going to need the Russians myself. When those big pumps start sucking our life force right out from underneath us....we will be motivated enough.