That might break the statehood contract. Which would lead to repercussions. Which would lead to more repercussions...
As everybody involved well knows, of course.
See, when people say Democrats need to start DOING things to push back against Trump, this is what they're talking about.
Is this a foolproof idea? Probably not. Could it backfire? Possibly. Will it really help? If it makes the admin second-guess what it can get away with, yeah, that's helpful. This is the energy we need. Stop playing softball with these fascists.
"Californians pay the bills for the federal government. We pay over $80 BILLION more in taxes than we get back,” the Democratic governor said in an X post Friday afternoon, referencing a recent analysis from the Rockefeller Institute that California contributed about $83 billion more in federal taxes in 2022 than it received back from Washington."
So if Newsome cuts off the flow, it's not just the $83B overage, it's everything + $83B.
California is, what? 13th largest economy in the world? 11th?
Whoah... 4th. Just ahead of Japan and behind Germany:
https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/04/23/california-is-now-the-4th-largest-economy-in-the-world/
US and China being #1 and 2.
California, propping up red states since 1970’s…
Did something happen then that started to prevent red states from having functional economies?
Regularity capture. Lobbying. Lead poisoning. Terrible politicians. Regressive tax policies.
Texas is the 8th largest economy in the world.
that blew my mind recently.
I'm too lazy to verify my hunch, but I'm guessing Texas is largely oil (exploiting natural resources), whereas California is largely intellectual output (tech, with some Hollywood and other sundry stuff), though California certainly does exploit its natural resources too (good farming conditions, some oil...).
No, they have a ton of industry. Specifically a lot of the actual weapons manufacturing btw.
Texas is more or less what Ukraine was to the Soviet Union, if you want to understand why a fascist loser like Putin is so hung up on getting it back. A significant source of resources, manufacturing, and expertise.
Ukraine was the California of the USSR but with the natural resources of Texas
California doesn't, or didn't, have a history as an independent state or popular desire to be so.
Mmm yeah, fair. Texas does have some more direct parallels in that realm
Wine too I bet for California.
Agriculture in general, really.
You know? It really begs the question:
What's preventing conservative states from being able to pay for their own social programs and infrastructure?
Is it liberal states absorbing all the wealth so that the conservative states can't grow? Is it that being conservative is actually really really bad for the economy? Maybe they just never recovered from having slavery taken away and refused to adapt. Because there's definitely something going on...
When a State actually takes care of it's citizens, it becomes a better place to live and start businesses. That attracts and creates better educated and more affluent people, which makes it a better place to live and do business. People flee the poorer states for a better chance at success in the liberal state. Repeat this for a century or so and that's how conservative states become shitholes and liberal states (and countries) are much better off.
Not everyone who would move can afford to move.
That's kind of the point. Financial capability is what leads this divergence. Those who have wealth take their wealth with them, leaving the state they come from further impoverished.
The discussion is not about equity or equality (which is what I believe your comment is pointing to), but instead looking at why this divergence potentially occurs.
This ☝️
It is true, but how does that contradict their argument or disprove it in any way?
I didn't say it did. F those poor people, I guess.
What does this even mean? Like W2 taxes go directly from employer to federal right? What kind of control can California actually do to stop monetary flow to the federal government?
Only problem I see with this plan is the Mustard Mussolini's fox and friends would push the federal financial systems to cut off Californians from the banking network, effectively embargoing the state.
As much money as it has, it's not totally self sufficient.
Plan a bit first, get some other states to join in, and countries who are sick of Trump's shit to help supply.
Worst case is the president comes in with military, while the Cali national guard could be called up, technically they can be federalized, court battles, federal soldiers looking to arrest Newsom.
Cali, Washington, New York, New Jersey splitting though would be a hell of a blow, cripple shipping.
How would CA even do this? Most of the taxes go from people to the feds without the state as an intermediary.
Doge just gutted the irs. Who will collect?
CA could just offer an service to run the irs around in circles or even pay for your audit.
Create an escrow account, and tell CA businesses that federal withholding goes there. Same with payments by individuals.
Maybe some won’t. But most probably will. Especially if you plan to tell them you’ll fund Medicare/aid and snap from it.
I'd be fine if the west coast joined Canada somehow. I realize it's probably unrealistic and impossible, but one can dream.
Source: Live on the west coast.
This Canadian doesn't want the added baggage of American guns, Jesus, and hubris.
I'd rather be an independent republic, with all the regions in California becoming states of this new country. And the new constitution must be made so that we don't have neglect of vast areas of our country, just like we currently have with the US constitution. Otherwise I can foresee far northern California and parts of the central valley becoming bitter right wing states which trample on individuals rights, just like all the red states of the current country.
No states 1 country. Otherwise we'd have our own Mississippi and Arkansas out in bum fucksville
Yeah usually I would disagree but having no state level divisions would be decent, it also would make things easier if we need to unite with WA, OR, NV, or AZ. Since then we could just reactivate the state level shit again.
Considering how Trump is gutting the IRS I wonder why I’m paying federal taxes.
why are you paying federal taxes? There are so many easy ways not to.
More info please
fictional charitable donations are just one idea, but there are many others.
Oh, guess that doesn't work for standard deduction/low income. At any rate, I'd probably just donate to known, reputable charities, and/or not deduct.
yup, the standard deduction sucks. don't use it. and you don't actually need to donate much of anything. all you need are receipts and maybe photos. just don't go over 10k.
Seeing as how donactions are only a deduction from your taxable income, 10k won't get you to not paying taxes unless you make like 20 or 30k or something. And I gotta think thier system will flag that, probably just assuming it was a typo.
o yes it will, you probably won't even need 1k in deductions if you income is that low.
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