#FreeCalifornia is an Initiative to Restore Democracy in the United States and Save the Free World
As the investigation of Russian influence over the Trump presidency continues, Americans are searching for a way to bring the national government back under the control of the American people, and at the least, persuade the party in control of all three branches of government to hold Trump and his team responsible for cooperating and assisting Russian espionage operations in this country and elsewhere. The “California Autonomy from the Federal Government” initiative, which was just authorized by the office of the California Attorney General, offers a serious plan for restoring democracy in the United States, by forcing national Republican leaders to choose between doing the right thing — restoring representative democracy — or parting with richly diverse California, the most populous and powerful state.
In short, if California voters approve this initiative in June 2018, either the Republicans give up some of their power in Washington, or California will take much of that power back from national Republicans. Wisely, the Initiative does not mandate an immediate total break from the U.S.A., but a slow process by which California would become increasingly independent from the United States, while the state keeps calling upon the party in control of the federal government branches to make the changes needed to persuade California to rejoin the United States as a full and integral partner.
The failure of the federal government to represent California, much less serve the interests of its people, is beyond dispute. For example, because the Electoral College gives every state at least three electoral votes, regardless of how few people live there, every voter in Wyoming has more power over electing the president any three Californians. Put another way, to do justice to the 39 million people of California, our state should have about 198 electoral votes, and not a mere 55.
Apportioning Electoral Votes by population would not only boost the power of California, but also predominantly Democratic New York, Illinois, and other populous states. In short, restoring this one measure of democracy would give liberal Democrats an insurmountable lock on the presidency. Naturally, Republicans refuse to even consider such a change to the U.S. Constitution.
The U.S. House, once called “The People’s House” because it was meant to represent the People more than any other national institution, is just as unrepresentative. Largely due to inequitable apportionment of voters between Congressional districts, the Republicans started the 115th Congress with 241 of the 435 total members, a lead of 47 members (11%) over Democrats, even though Republicans won a mere 1.1% more votes in 2016. Moreover, in 2013, the GOP entered Congress with a whopping 45 seat majority, even though more than 1.4 MILLION more Americans chose a Democrat for Congress in 2012 than a Republican.
Because conservatives held enough power in the U.S. Senate since 2009 to prevent President Obama from appointing many federal judges — the starkest example being their refusal to even grant a confirmation hearing to Judge Merrick Garland—even the federal courts are now and will be increasingly perverted against justice and the people of California. Yet we 39 million proud, free, and sovereign people are expected to follow laws that our representatives have not had an opportunity to shape.
In short, the U.S. Government does not represent the people of the United States, and the People are entitled to demand the restoration of their right to be represented. The refusal of Republicans to even discuss redressing the unfairness of the national political system shows that much greater pressure must be applied on them to force them to do their duty to the People, and not only serve themselves.
As the “California Autonomy” initiative states, reform of these abuses and insults to California and other states whose voters primarily support the Democratic Party would require major amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Indeed, the U.S. Constitution does not even guarantee all citizens an affirmative right to vote; one cannot be denied the right to vote because of race, gender, or having been a slave, but the Constitution does not affirmately guarantee your right to vote, much less a right to be able to cast a meaningful vote that means as much as that by anyone else.
Unfortunately, the representatives of California can do little to change the U.S. Constitution, since two-thirds of both the House and Senate must approve any proposed amendment to the Constitution before they can send it to the states for ratification. That means at least 291 House members and 67 members of the Senate must vote yes for a constitutional amendment. California can contribute no more than 53 of those House votes and just two votes in the Senate. Although California can help make the federal government representative again, it cannot do so alone.
Although California cannot change the U.S. Constitution by itself, it is already taking other actions that are contrary to federal policy, yet within the constitutionally-protected powers of the state. For example, even though Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S.A. from the global response to climate change, a bipartisan group of legislators passed, and Governor Brown gladly signed, a new “cap-and-trade” law that will effectively make California part of the global effort that Trump has shunned.
This April, the California Senate approved a so-called “Sanctuary State” law that would prohibit federal immigration officials from using California state, county, and municipal police to harass California residents who pose no danger to California residents. Full independence, of course, would give California complete control over who is allowed to enter and remain in our state; the “Sanctuary State” law is necessary to maintain trust between police officers and Asians and Hispanic Americans in our state.
While the “California Autonomy” initiative may seem extreme and even unfair to other states, the better response is for voters in other states to push their states to adopt similar policies. The combination of California (14%), New York (8%), Illinois (4%), New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Washington (8% total), just six predominantly liberal states, alone comprises fully one-third of the U.S. economy and population: A total of 95 million people, and over $6.4 TRILLION in annual gross domestic product, or the 3rd largest economy in the world after China and the U.S.A., and ahead of Japan and Germany. In short, assembled into a mass, even a handful of “Blue States” in the U.S.A. are a power too great to be disdained or denied.
On the 4th day of this month, we celebrated the 241th anniversary of the issuance of a document that states that when a people, previously within one political assemblage, break from that grouping, “a decent respect to the opinions of mankind” demands that the reasons for that departure be stated. The “California Autonomy” initiative sets forth the reasons for the separation it proposes; restoring representative democracy in these United States. The voters of California should approve the “California Autonomy” initiative because it is necessary to restore representative democracy in the United States. However, all other citizens in the United States owe the same devotion to restoring democracy, so that this nation is once again the “best hope on earth.”
