SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Wired reports that:
While ostensibly a plan to make the entire state of 38 million people more governable, the six-state initiative is being led and funded by a member of the Silicon Valley elite, many of whom would no doubt welcome the increased political clout that would likely come from carving out their own statehood. In the hands of most, the six-state initiative would look like a pure stunt. But with Silicon Valley behind it, this effort's chances at the ballot box can't be dismissed out of hand. Unlike most other would-be revolutionaries, Silicon Valley has a long record of taking ideas that sound outlandish at the time--affordable computers in every home, private rocket ships--and managing to make them real. It also has a seemingly endless stream of money that, combined with heavy doses of ingenuity and shamelessness, give its goofball ideas the fuel they need to take off.
...
"Our gift to California is this--it's one of opportunity and choice," Draper said at a press conference yesterday where he announced the campaign had collected far more than 800,000 signatures needed to get the measure on the ballot. "We're saying, make one failing government into six great states."
(Score: 1) by arslan on Wednesday July 23 2014, @04:53AM
Being unfamiliar with U.S. politics, looking from the outside this sort of looks like the rich/powerful trying to gerrymander politics and economics... what's the odds of the new states, however many it ends up with, being somewhat well distributed in terms of wealth/economy/resources?
How is the state holding left holding the short stick going to better itself standing on a slippery slope? If there's a guarantee of some sort of trade/economic assistance, then that at least that makes it viable.
(Score: 2) by frojack on Wednesday July 23 2014, @05:30AM
You needn't worry about it.
Since the Civil war, no state has been successfully created from an existing one.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2) by Sir Garlon on Wednesday July 23 2014, @11:34AM
Your first point is likely correct, but your second point is inconsistent with the first. The priorities of the rich and powerful are to keep the money for themselves and give out less economic assistance.
[Sir Garlon] is the marvellest knight that is now living, for he destroyeth many good knights, for he goeth invisible.
(Score: 2) by Hawkwind on Friday July 25 2014, @04:05AM
Your two points get to why this should fail. It's a silly Silicon Valley power grab that doesn't even make sense to most of the people there. And for the poor parts of the state no economic incentive is being offered to justify cutting themselves off from the state coffers.
I'm kind of surprised this story even showed up here.