51st state? Small step forward for long-shot ‘South California’ plan.

What ever happened to making Puerto Rico the 51st state? If this takes shape we could see north and south Texas, North and South Carolina.....oh wait........Maybe North and South St Louis County. North and South Minnesota, that way we could get the funding we need, maybe have the Vikings or Wild play in Duluth, because we don't care if the Timberwolves play anywhere.

An effort to turn 13 southern California counties into the nation's 51st state took a small step forward Tuesday but remains an extremely long shot, say experts.

Four members of the Riverside County Board of Supervisors agreed Tuesday to allow a fifth member to convene a statewide meeting on the subject in the fall. Each of the four supervisors stated their objections to the secession idea, but went ahead and approved the idea of at least talking about it when Supervisor Jeff Stone said he would “personally see to it” that private funding, not public money, would be used to hold the meeting.

Since the days of the gold rush, more than 220 campaigns to split California into halves or thirds have been tossed around. Mr. Stone's vision involves persuading 13 counties to secede from the state, which he says raids local coffers to plug budget gaps.

Stone's idea has some merit, some analysts say. It addresses the problematic balance of power between Sacramento and California localities, as well as the political reality that the 13 counties in Stone's secession drive are far more conservative than the rest of the state. But the vision remains legally and politically unrealistic, many add, and is perhaps not the best solution to the problems it seeks address.

via 51st state? Small step forward for long-shot 'South California' plan - Yahoo! News.