Tuesday, November 22, 2016

"Secessionists formally launch quest for California's independence"

“We’re doing it now because of all of the overwhelming attention,” Evans said.

The Yes California group has been around for more than two years, Evans said. It is based around California taxpayers paying more money to the federal government than the state receives in spending, that Californians are culturally different from the rest of the country, and that national media and organizations routinely criticize Californians for being out of step with the rest of the U.S.

Links to the rest of the story: http://www.latimes.com/politics/essential/la-pol-ca-essential-politics-california-secession-calexit-htmlstory.html

49 comments:

AllenS said...

Then let northern California secede from the secessionists.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

California has a lot of federal lands. Do they have the money to acquire it. From what I hear and read the state has no money.

ndspinelli said...

How can I donate to this worthy cause?

ndspinelli said...

California already has border agents that ask you if you have any fruit in your car. So, the structure is in place.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

State of Jefferson first, then Hollywood should move to those small islands off the coast, and those small islands should drift over to North Korea. Win-win.

Leland said...

They only get the land West of I-5. I might be generous and give them a 5 mile easement to the east, but no more.

chickelit said...

They have selected a new flag -- one which is hybrid between the American stars and bars and the Mexican tricolor.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Yes. Let us in Northern California secede to form the State of Jefferson. The north, and that does NOT include the Bay area which is in central Ca., is mainly a red state area. With the exception of Humbolt County and a few city areas, we vote and have voted conservative, libertarian, republican by 70% or higher.

We have nothing whatsoever in common with those in the urban areas or with those who want this secession. In fact, they are our literal enemies.

The State of Jefferson movement started before WWII and if this other secession movement gets some traction, expect us to really start agitating to be given our freedom.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

The State of California is 1.5 trillion in debt and another 1 trillion in pension debt. Going 500 billion in debt this coming year.

Without federal funds....Hell even with federal funds, the State of California is bankrupt. Do these fruitcakes understand that their idea is completely unsustainable.

California is business UNfriendly. Ask Bagoh. The taxes are sky high. Property taxes and rents are impossible. The middle class is shrinking being replaced by illiterate illegal aliens and swamped by mexican cartels. Roads and infrastructure are crumbling. But they will have a super duper train to nowhere....yay!!!

Any remaining businesses and people who can sell, pull up stakes and move will do so. Leaving only the ultra rich, the ultra poor and a few delusional fruitcakes.

Good luck with that new country y'all are planning ;-}

edutcher said...

oopsy, those nitwits think they're going to have a socialist utopia.

They should take a good hard look at Venezuela or Greece.

For those interested, here's some info on the Six Californias

Rabel said...

I'm happy for Bags. Wonder if he speaks Spanish?

Rabel said...

Extending the wall through the Sierras is gonna be tough. Fortunately there's plenty of cheap labor available.

Rabel said...

With a few well placed nukes we could just let the San Andreas Fault Line do the job for us.

Rabel said...

Trump could negotiate an artistic buy-out deal. Twenty trillion seems like a good starting point for negotiations.

bagoh20 said...

It makes sense. It's not that different from the Confederacy: run entirely by Democrats and economically dependent on slavery. I'm in Vegas right now looking at buildings for my company's relocation. There are tons of people doing the same thing, so much so that it's a sellers market here with construction running at full speed and prices rising rapidly. We intend to use the new underground railroad that lots of Californians are using right now to get to freedom. Governor Jerry Brown has a price on our heads, so we gotta keep low, but we ain't no ways tiaaard.

Of course I speak Spanish. Doesn't everybody? It's the state language of CA.

Rabel said...

They're a lot of pretty women in LA. I could see a trade for some New Yorkers. Is Steinbrenner still around?

Pro tip- Get Mariah Carey's lawyer involved.

bagoh20 said...

Californians have no right to the place. It's an incredible place of unmatched natural beauty and majesty. Democrats have just fucked it up royally by making it a socialist state that ignores Federal law. The Texans should be sent in to confiscate it, deport us all, and return it to America, and I'm serious.

Rabel said...

I'm working on a flag design. I call it the Stars and Bears.

ndspinelli said...

DBQ, In your list of business unfriendly laws in Cali, you didn't mention worker's comp. When I went to industry conferences and reading journals, it is out of control. Of course, Barbie Boxer's husband is a big work comp barrister.

edutcher said...

Republicans ran it for 130 years and made it the envy of the world.

Give it to the Demos for 20 years and it becomes a Third World sewer (no offense, oopsy).

Rabel said...

And if the bastards try to gain leverage by shutting off our avocado supply, well, things may have to get serious.

ricpic said...

Just a point of information: I know there's a caldera under Yellowstone that could blow, well, whenever it wants to; but I also was told there's a caldera under Yosemite. Is that true?

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

Don't let the door hit you on the ass on the say out.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

ricpic: I am going to guess NO on caldera under Yosemite. While Mt. Shasta just below the Oregon boarder up to Mount Baker on the Canadian Boarder are a string of active volcanos (and there is the potential for volcanic activity down the chain through the Sierras)--I have never heard that. I tried to google, but nothing came up.

bagoh20 said...

You're right Nick. Worker's comp is one of the biggest problems (scams). The laws have been set up specifically to make it work for unscrupulous lawyers, doctors and workers. My W/C bill is $400,000/year - 5 times what it was just a few ago. The law allows a worker to claim a work injury even if only 1% of the cause is related to work. I have paid for sports injuries and stuff that happened somewhere else over and over. Often the people even admit it was not due to working for me. The insurance companies cannot fight it, so they just pay, then charge me. Just one recent example: I had a guy just recently that was disgruntled, so he would purposefully clog up the toilets forcing everyone in the place to not have restrooms for most of a day. He did this half a dozen times. I eventually caught him doing it, and he was infuriated that I would accuse him, so he walked out and quit. We never had another clogged drain. He claimed a WC stress injury that caused him every possible ailment including erectile dysfunction. Just recently he sent some people here a photo of the $30,000 check the insurance company sent him to keep it out of court. How do you think that will affect my premiums and the chance of other bogus claims? Most of our claims are obvious bullshit with no visible injury.

I have a lot of good people who would never do this, but for some the temptation is far to great, and I can hardly blame them.

The same coverage in Nevada where the law is quite different is 1/2 the price.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

and I can hardly blame them.

But you can, and you do, and so do I, but easily and much more so, apparently. I think it's disgusting.

That goes likewise for the unscrupulous lawyers and doctors.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Hey ND - you're an private investigator. Did you ever investigate false workers comp abusers? I think that would be fun.

ndspinelli said...

Bags, One of the most effective tools for fraudulent WC claims is surveillance. But, the liberal WC ALJ's[judges] will sometimes reject clear evidence of fraud on videotape. I've seen it in Wisconsin, but heard horror stories from Cali PI's and insurance people. So, insurance companies don't spend the $$$'s on surveillance, they just pay and as you know too well, pass on the cost to you. $400K WC premiums is outrageous! But, as you also see all too well, the morale is hurt by people like that shitbird toilet clogger. Back in the 90's, I did a lot of WC work for Kemper. They specialized insuring the food industry and there are a lot of food processing plants in Wisconsin. I got to know the insureds, like yourself. There would be outbreaks of what I called WC Flu. One employee faking a claim, getting away w/ it, and others following suit. There was often WC Flu this very week every year, deer hunting season. I would have clients call me and say, "This guy is deer hunting." Well, if you know anything about deer hunting, it is not conducive to surveillance, unless you have some very good intelligence on where/when the guy hunts. Even then, you're spying[or "peeping"] on a shitbird w/ a high powered rifle! Having been shot at a couple times, it is quite dangerous.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Bagoh and DBQ live it and feel it. The corruption and lawlessness are real, and the democrat answer to everything is to tax tax tax, and pile on more corrupt bureaucracy.

Not to worry - Hollywood is in touch with reality, and they will help you!

bagoh20 said...

You're right Eric, I do blame them, but a big check like that available, and the lawyer telling you that you deserve it, and you don;t have to work, and the doctor going along with it all to get his endless charges paid, and it takes a lot of character to fight all that and turn it down.

I share the company profits with all employees, so they understand that it hurts them directly, so many of them are outright disgusted by it, but I know they still wish they got a check like that too, and when someone does, they feel like suckers for working for a living. It's an incredibly corrosive system and it's forcing me to leave.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

OK - high powered rifle in the woods - not fun.

ndspinelli said...

April, Well! My prior comment answers yours. But a little more info for your inquiring mind. When I first became a PI in the late 70's, there were no video cameras. I used 35mm autowind for still shots. In the early 80's video cameras started becoming made for everyday use. The first video camera I bought was a huge shoulder VHS camera w/ cables attached to a VCR that you had strapped on your other shoulder. I have seen the entire genesis of cameras. So, in the 80's, as video cameras improved, insurance companies started looking for PI's to do WC surveillance[as well as personal injury auto lawsuits]. My biz exploded. I had to hire a staf of PI's. We got good at it and I had more biz than I could handle. I was turning down more cases than I took. With our recent move from Wisconsin to Minnesota, I had to clean out my video vault. I destroyed almost 10K videos, from VHS to the now thumb drives. It was not cheap! I've got a million stories, April. I am not one who likes to sit and talk about old battles. But, I have videotaped shitbirds allegedly totally disabled doing everything imaginable, from skiing, to chopping wood, to competing in an Iron Man competition.

bagoh20 said...

Yea, I've had people caught working someplace else, while supposedly disabled with an invisible back injury or something. Usually they get away with it. One current case, the insurance company hired an investigator and videoed it. That hasn't been settled yet, but the reserved amount that the insurance puts aside for possible settlement still figues in to raise my premiums. Even if proven, nothing will happen to him. He will just be denied any further payment, what he already got, he'll probably keep. See everybody either wins or breaks even, except the employer. We just pay for it all, which means the hard working honest employees do too. Only the crooks stay whole.

ricpic said...

Thanks Evi. I know that California is always under threat of earthquakes but when I was told there's a caldera under Yosemite I thought that's just too much potential danger for one place.

deborah said...

Bago:

"Californians have no right to the place. It's an incredible place of unmatched natural beauty and majesty. Democrats have just fucked it up royally by making it a socialist state that ignores Federal law."

Not to mention diverting an ungodly amount of mountain rainwater into the LA basin.

bagoh20 said...

Most people who file bogus claims are related to or friends with someone who already successfully played the system. It's like a riot when your brother comes home with a free TV he stole from the local store with it's windows busted out. Everybody suddenly jumps up off the couch full of ambition, creativity and drive - ready to do some heavy lifting.

bagoh20 said...

Deb, what do you want me not to shower?

The truth is that 80% of the water supply goes to agriculture, and that does not include the huge amount allowed to drain to the Pacific to protect the snail darter's foolish preference for California streams. Also we don't want to let the Pacific Ocean dry up.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

ND - did you ever have the satisfaction of knowing your surveillance yielded a positive outcome?

Many years ago I worked on a small job and the husband was a PI for a company that specialized in insurance and workers comp fraud. I thought - wow, that's the closest thing to a super hero as you can get.

I see the fraud of settlement has caught up to it. Just sad.

deborah said...

Thanks bago, I was going off a wiki article on Mulholland.

I'm Full of Soup said...

DBQ: is Calif state income tax really 13% for incomes over $250K?

Amartel said...

Comp is such a disaster. I've never done it. Comp law is barely even law. There's no need for advocacy when it's a foregone conclusion. The employer is literally paying for brazen fraudulence and doctor graft. I've had a couple of cases (third party liability not comp) that were dismissed or suddenly settled at a deep deep discount due to awesome sub rosa video of the plaintiff cavorting after s/he'd testified (lied) in deposition that he could barely move about the house unaided. That moment when you finally get to roll tape is quite satisfying but there's a cost involved in getting that video and you have to pry it out of the insurance co. and/or corporate counsel. Having a great PI on your side (I've got several all around Cali that I call on) is priceless.

Amartel said...

California just voted (62%-37%) to extend the increased tax rates for people earning $250,000 and up, $300,000 and up, $500,000 and up, and $1 million and up. I think the $250,000 rate is 12.5% now; it started out originally (in 2012) as 10.3%.

Methadras said...

It will go nowhere and it's their money to waste, but this is one of the most heavily taxed states in the union and it's crushing people. Their next attack is going to go after Prop. 13. For most of you that don't know what that is.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Proposition_13_(1978)

And if that happens, then this state is truly going to be fucked. People will literally lose their homes because they will not be able to afford the taxes on them. There are a lot of elderly here. I think more than Florida and this will crush them.

Between going after citizens guns and their property taxes, this is the real aim for California to really become an RMPC Dystopia.

ampersand said...

I'm all for it. Take a county by county vote. Want out , bye! Want in, fine. Then build a Berlin Wall around the secessionsts and turn off the energy and the water.

ndspinelli said...

April, MANY positive outcomes. For lawsuits[not work comp] I am always the last witness, the closer. A plaintiff, suing for big dollars[6-8 figures] sits in court for a week [or more] trial. He's suing a doc for malpractice, or another driver from an auto accident, etc. He has testified tearfully about how this has changed his life. He winces in pain as he sits through the trial, putting on a show for the jury. Then I get on the stand and show a highlight of hours of footage I shot of the lying sack o' shit. I show him doing things he testified he could not do. I show him smiling, laughing, running, playing sports, working on cars, you fucking name it. I cut down all the footage as close to 23 minutes as possible. That's the length of a 30 minute sitcom minus commercials. Over the years I found that's the perfect length to keep the jurors focused. Now, while the video is playing I'm not watching it. I've watched it many times. I'm watching the jury. And, I can tell the ones for whom this just corroborates what they thought, that the plaintiff was lying. But, the jurors who believed the act, and then watch the tape, they are PISSED! They look @ the tape and then look @ the plaintiff w/ blood in their eyes. I often get cross examined hard, but always remain calm and pleasant, letting the tape speak for itself. I've worked cases where 6-8 figures was on the line and the plaintiff got NOTHING. You have no idea how good it feels to dig for and then display the truth in front of the shitbird liar, his ambulance chasing attorney, a judge, and a jury of peers. I had one case where a judge ran a loose ship, letting the jurors converse quietly. This woman was suing for $750K. I don't think any jurors bought her act, but when my surveillance video was playing, they were laughing and slapping hands. A couple gave me 2 thumbs up. The judge, who was a former client of mine, was just quietly chuckling.

Now, this is technical but important. With discovery, it's difficult to spring a surprise w/ me being the last witness. In every state the video surveillance must be disclosed during the discovery process. The plaintiff's attorney gets to watch it, depose the PI before trial, and be prepared for the video. In Wisconsin, and I believe, only in Wisconsin, in a civil lawsuit the video surveillance is considered attorney work product. In other words, the attorney who hired me can protect the video just like he protects his own notes. In work comp in Wisconsin there is NO discovery and so the video is not seen by the claimant's attorney prior to the hearing either. But, there's no jury in work comp. The hearing judge is the decider. Good ones make righteous decisions after seeing the video. Liberal ones often ignore it, even if it's damning video. I would get pissed w/ the liberal asshole decisions when I was younger. Now, I just let it go. I only work a case once in awhile now.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Excellent - ND. You have my dream job.

ndspinelli said...

April, I LOVE what I do for a living. I don't know how bean counters, retail sales clerks, etc. can do it, working boring jobs day in and out. I guess they have to live Walter Mitty lives, pretending to be someone else, just to make it through life. I am always grateful I found a profession that fit my personality and skills.

ndspinelli said...

I don't know if it's still the case, but Colorado never regulated or licensed PI's. Just start a biz. Go for it. I would do anything I could to help you.

Known Unknown said...

So, how much water would they need to buy?

All of those Federal/Military jobs in research, engineering, and aviation — say bye bye.

Close all of the bases, too.'

Build your own border patrol, and your own Coast Guard to stop seabound smuggling.

I think Californians may be dumb enough to go for such a disaster.