As an alternative, how about if we consolidated a bunch of the low population states in the vast middle of the country?
Reshared post from +The Verge
California could be split into six separate states if a new proposition passes?
‘Six Californias’ ballot initative would make Silicon Valley a state
Silicon Valley leaders have been dreaming of a place where technology could advance unencumbered by the law. Google CEO Larry Page wants to set aside a part of the world for such experimentation,…
Anything remotely resembling this will never happen.
It's a federal thing, what with congress and all…representatives, yo.
And we know how quick they are to do anything but go on vacation.
The guy who proposed this is my childhood friend's dad. I had no idea he was so full of wacky ideas.
I also don't think it'll happen within my lifetime, if ever. I could imagine California creating a system larger than counties that this would fit into, but six full fledged states with separate governments, senators and representatives, taxes, and infrastructures? I don't think so.
I'm not totally against the driving force behind this idea which is to reduce the disproportionate power that the sparsely populated (and generally more conservative) states in the center of the country have in the US senate.
I'm just not convinced that the potential unintended consequences have been adequately thought out yet.
And where would you put the farms that feed us?
+Daniel Davis none of the farms would be going away. Changing state lines doesn't change people's livelihoods, generally.
"Generally"? If you move people in, you move farms out–it's just that simple. We watched EXACTLY that happen in So Cal as housing tract after housing tract displaced the groves because people want to live here in "paradise" (nope, not any more it isn't.) Move people to the farm states and those farms will be paved over. Please think according to reality.
+Daniel Davis nobody was suggesting moving anybody except you. Yes, obviously moving people in will displace farmers from potentially arable land, but changing state lines doesn't require anybody to move or change professions. Also, I don't believe we have a shortage of food production in this country, but I'd love to see if you have evidence to the contrary.