Earlier quoted context omitted.
Japan might want to consider it soon too.
Why?
Because the country will die soon (in civilization time scale)?
California overtakes Japan to become the world's fourth largest economy
91–100 of 116 posts
Re: California overtakes Japan to become the world's fourth largest economy
#92Earlier quoted context omitted.
>The fact that the US and China show up as single countries (and not "continents"/regions) whereas the EU shows up as a bunch of "small" countries is source of a lot of inferiority complex in Europe. On the one hand, yes, you're right, the EU is more powerful economically as a whole than as individual states. But on the other hand the individual states are a bit less unified than the US or China. So they are a bit mo…
The EU is still fairly new. It's only been around in its current form for a few decades or so. EU countries still have: - their own laws and constitutions - their own foreign policy, embassies, intelligence services, armies, etc. - their own taxation; there actually is no EU tax (though there is some pressure to create such a thing) - their own policies for education, healthcare, social security, taxation, trade, etc…
Each US state also has
- its own laws and constitution, search "Constitution of California"
- its own taxation (e.g. sales tax differs between states, just as VAT rates differ between EU countries; Americans pay income tax to their state as well as the federation)
- its own policies for education, healthcare (not sure about social security, and not for trade)
- some US states have border disputes with other states, e.g. Tennessee vs Georgia (Possibly the EU does not, they must be resolved before joining, though I can't find a good article on this).
- the USA as a whole has border disputes with Canada
The EU presents more division on more topics than the USA, but the USA isn't united on e.g. energy policy.
Re: California overtakes Japan to become the world's fourth largest economy
#93Earlier quoted context omitted.
All our GDP is in software. We don't know how to make anything except AI and web apps. We wouldn't know what to do with a nuke.
Incredibly wrong. Hollywood is still a thing. Manufacturing, yes manufacturing. Agriculture. The Bay Area is a fraction of that GDP, and a small geographical part of California.
Something is seriously broken with this world now that completely normal and well educated person like GP is not realizing his words aren't making sense. Apple Park to LLNL is under an hour's drive. You guys can probably achieve nuclear independence in a day if needed.
It just can't be done economically, because yields of a nuke(pun intended) don't immediately map onto economical values. Not just immensely positive or negative, but actually tangential to the currency dimensions.
Re: California overtakes Japan to become the world's fourth largest economy
#94The title almost implies that CA had some unnatural acceleration to put it past japan. I think it's more that japan has been declining. This won't last once the US population starts declining. We've been held afloat by immigration but even that's running out. Japan was ahead of the curve in terms of modernity. Looking at them is almost like looking at our own future.
It's not even really that, I think; given that it's nominal GDP, it's likely mostly currency fluctuations, likely taken at end of 2024. If so, the nominal GDP situation has likely reverted, as the dollar has fallen about 9% vs the yen since the start of the year.
This is one of the reasons that nominal GDP isn't all that useful a metric.
Re: California overtakes Japan to become the world's fourth largest economy
#95Re: California overtakes Japan to become the world's fourth largest economy
#96Earlier quoted context omitted.
I doubt its realistic for powerful states like California to cecede. Is there a path from here to a near (think 50 years) future, where California and the US, sans California, exist?
I don't want the US to break up. But I wonder if it wouldn't be more healthy for you if the states grew a bit more independent. It would give the president less power to decide exactly how schools and universities should be run or would open up for social welfare reforms in the states that want it.
> It would give the president less power to decide exactly how schools and universities should be run
He doesn’t have that power. But he’s taking it, and the parties who are supposed to be stopping him are uninterested in doing their job.
Re: California overtakes Japan to become the world's fourth largest economy
#97Re: California overtakes Japan to become the world's fourth largest economy
#98Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't want the US to break up. But I wonder if it wouldn't be more healthy for you if the states grew a bit more independent. It would give the president less power to decide exactly how schools and universities should be run or would open up for social welfare reforms in the states that want it.
> It would give the president less power to decide exactly how schools and universities should be run He doesn’t have that power. But he’s taking it, and the parties who are supposed to be stopping him are uninterested in doing their job.
But it is the same with the department of education that DOGE is threatening to close down.
This may actually be a good thing (although they missed the chance to gain some confidence by doing it in a chaotic way).
I am certain that California could run their own DOE.
Re: California overtakes Japan to become the world's fourth largest economy
#99Earlier quoted context omitted.
I doubt its realistic for powerful states like California to cecede. Is there a path from here to a near (think 50 years) future, where California and the US, sans California, exist?
I don't want the US to break up. But I wonder if it wouldn't be more healthy for you if the states grew a bit more independent. It would give the president less power to decide exactly how schools and universities should be run or would open up for social welfare reforms in the states that want it.
> “But I wonder if it wouldn't be more healthy for you if the states grew a bit more independent.”
Land borders and water rights. I don’t see it working out.