Why Natural News supports California leaving the United States: Self-governance!

Friday, November 18, 2016 by: J. D. Heyes
Tags: Calexit, secession, Trump victory

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(NaturalNews) Within 24 hours of President-elect Donald J. Trump's victory over Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, the crybaby Leftists who run California as a single-party state began making threats to oppose him on nearly every measure, especially his pledge to begin enforcing federal immigration laws.

Then the threats got even more serious: Fueled by the radicals in state government and whining millionaires and billionaires in Silicon Valley, calls began to rise for secession; since the election didn't turn out their way, they want to take their ball and go home.

As reported by the UK's Daily Mail, tech gurus like venture capitalist and co-founder of Hyperloop One, Shervin Pishevar, are pushing a "Calexit" movement similar to the one that saw British citizens vote to leave the European Union.

The night of the election, as a Trump victory loomed, Pishevar tweeted that he would be "announcing and funding a legitimate campaign for California to become its own nation."

Blatant hypocrisy aside, we said fine - leave

But it wasn't just California. Crybaby Leftists in blue or blue-leaning states – Nevada, Oregon and Washington – voiced a similar desire to part ways because they, too, have convinced themselves that Trump is a list of things he isn't (racist, sexist, bigot, homophobe).

So, because their chosen Marxist revolutionary successor to Obama didn't win, they want out. Those of us who were opposed to most of Obama's agenda for eight, long years weren't allowed to leave – or even mention out loud that we wanted to leave – without being called racist anarchists.

But now, since Leftists are demanding to leave, it's okay.

Blatant hypocrisy aside, we say, fine: Let them leave. In fact, the sooner, the better. And take all of those electoral votes with you.

The fact is, even though California produces much of the country's food and has the world's sixth-largest economy, it is also a major drag on the federal Treasury and taxpayers all around the country. Pishevar says that California is the "economic driver" of the country, but it only produces about $2.5 trillion of the United States' annual $17.95 trillion gross domestic product, so that claim doesn't wash.

And, while the state is home to the largest concentration of tech start-ups and tech behemoths, it's not the only state that produces technology. Texas is growing in that industry, as are other states.

Plus, while California may produce much technology and food, it has to have markets in which to sell those goods – meaning, it would remain dependent on the U.S. for much of its income.

So, could California and the other Western states actually leave the Union?

In a word, yes. How likely is it? Not very, unfortunately.

The Constitution does not contain provisions for states to leave the Union – only provisions for territories to enter. Article IV, Sect. 3, Clause 1 states:

"New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new States shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress."

But there is no similar language to provide for a state to secede from the Union. Before the Civil War, states had always assumed that they had the right to leave if they wanted to. Academic and columnist Walter Williams, writing in 2012, noted that some of the original 13 colonies would never have ratified the Constitution if they didn't believe they had a right to maintain their sovereignty, should they decide the federal government had become intolerable.

The Civil War settled that issue, for better or worse. And in Texas v. White, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1869 that unilateral secession was unconstitutional. But the high court also commented that via revolution or consent of the states, it could become legal.

Consent of the states would have to happen via a constitutional amendment that was either proposed by Congress or by two-thirds of the state legislatures (Article V) – or "revolution." It isn't likely that either option will be seriously entertained.

But nevertheless, as believers in freedom and literal interpretation of the phrase, "consent of the governed," we support California's – and the other western states' – call to leave the Union, no matter how pathetic the reason.

Sources:

DailyMail.co.uk

Heritage.org

WND.com

Archives.gov