Ex-assemblyman pushes plan to split California into two states

[cboy4]

:wtf:



By E.J. Schultz
[e-mail]
Published: Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009 - 12:00 am | Page 3A

The revolution will begin in Visalia – and it will be led by a man named Maze.

As in Bill Maze, a termed-out Assembly member turned rebel who is pushing for California to split in two: the conservative interior as one state and the liberal coast as another.

He's serious.

"We're looking at establishing a breakaway state," he said, with a new government and a new capital. "We'd actually be creating a 51st state."

Maze is a conservative Republican who served Visalia in the Assembly until last year. He is tapping into the anger of farmers and others who say environmental rules and high taxes are sending the state into a tailspin.

"Citizens of our once 'Golden State' are frustrated and desperately concerned about the imposition of burdensome regulations, taxation, fees, fees and more fees, and bureaucratic intrusion into our daily lives and businesses," declares downsizeca.org, the movement's Web site.

Under Maze's plan, 13 coastal counties from Los Angeles to Marin would split from the remaining 45 counties, which the Web site calls "the new revitalized California." To promote the idea, Maze has established a nonprofit group called Citizens for Saving California Farming Industries.

http://www.sacbee.com/politics/story/1653963.html


Bill Maze, a termed-out assemblyman
from Visalia, wants 13 coastal counties
from Los Angeles to Marin to split from
the remaining 45.

[tularetom]

1. I live in the "new revitalized California" and we'd be in deep shit under this plan.

With very few exceptions these interior counties are almost like feudal societies. There are the wealthy few who own large farming operations and the many who depend on them for their livelihood. The economies are either based on farming or resource extraction (timber oil and mining) and high seasonal unemployment is the norm. The few exceptions to the general poverty scenario are where large government employers have created a middle class but these are generally limited to the larger cities or those where a state university or college is present.

Our counties are a drain on the higher income taxpayers in the coastal areas. We are a huge consumer of government resources and we don't even come close to paying our own way. Teh only way this moran's plan would work would be with HUGE tax increases on the top 2% of incomes. Whether this asshole likes it or not we depend on the "commies and homos" in the more affluent and modern coastal counties for our support.

[comtec]

2. This guy's head is to ofar up his own ass

Mind you i'm all for splitting the state up, like most people, it's a decision of where.

This is a North V South issue. The South rapes the North every chance it gets.
The south is FAR more conservative than the north.

The idea of breaking California laterally along political leanings is truly insane however.

[CreekDog]

3. So he wants most of CA's tax base to be in the "liberal" coastal state

okay. i'm listening. :eyes:

[davidinalameda]

4. let's not forget that the red counties get more from the state

in taxes than they send to Sacramento

wonder how long they'd last without the blue counties

[XemaSab]

5. Why should we listen to a man who flunked addition?

LA, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Mateo, San Francisco, and Marin...

I count nine, not thirteen.

[mackerel]

6. How will this save agriculture?

So those of us who live in the East Bay but work in the City will be crossing state lines if this ever happened?