The whole idea of Calexit is, at best, absurd. There are an abundant amount of problems with secession, and it would negatively affect Californian ASU students.
Despite this, a fair amount of Californians say they like the idea of having a referendum on whether or not California should split from the U.S. to become its own country.
A major reason that many involved with the Yes California Campaign (more commonly known as Calexit), which promotes secession, is that President Donald Trump won the 2016 election without the popular vote.
The results of the 2016 election naturally angered a large portion of California, a mostly liberal state that overwhelmingly disapproves of Donald Trump. They may believe that breaking away from the U.S. would be a huge victory for the Left. This, however, would be a disaster for Democrats.
A large and influential blue state such as California leaving the Union would give Republicans a massive amount of control over the country and drastically change the 9th circuit court, which is largely dominated by California.
So, while it may seem like a great idea for liberal Californians who absolutely hate the Trump administration, it would destroy the Democratic party's chances of ever winning back congress or the executive branch in the U.S.
The idea that California can vote to secede from the union is vastly different from Brexit, during which Britain left the European Union. Britain is its own country with its own currency, government and military. It simply left a union of nations.
California, on the other hand, is a state, not a country. If California were to somehow secede from the U.S. to become its own country, it would have to create a new government, fund its own military, figure out how to receive water from the U.S., etc.
On top of all that, Californians would have to pay their share of the massive U.S. debt.
The people who run the Yes California Campaign have questionable intentions. The founder of the campaign, Louis Marinelli, is currently living in Russia and could be receiving funding from far right nationalist groups. He may be acting in the interest of the right wing, not in the interest of Californians.
ASU students from California would face many negative consequences if Calexit were to happen. They would have to pay international student tuition, which costs even more than out-of-state tuition. They may also have to go through a border check or customs every time they want to go home and see their families.
There would be lots of issues and hardships facing Californians if the state were to secede. It is also doubtful that, even if a majority of Californians voted in a referendum to leave the Union, that the U.S. would let the state leave. In reality, the whole idea is unrealistic.
“I think the possibilities of this happening are nil," Donald Critchlow, director of the ASU Center for Political Thought and Leadership, said. "It’s not gonna happen."
He also talked about how Calexit was coming from fringe movements.
“Once people really think it through, it will draw even less support,” Critchlow.
As an ASU student from Coronado, California, I’m honestly not too concerned that this will actually happen, or even be on a ballot any time soon. While it has some vocal supporters, I would think that people are sensible enough not to vote for secession.
Reach the columnist at morganbwillis@gmail.com or follow @Morganwillis37 on Twitter.
Editor’s note: The opinions presented in this column are the author’s and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.
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