HOW WILL WE DEFEND OURSELVES?
Only one country has ever invaded California - the United States. Modern- day California doesn’t have military enemies and in fact, there are 23 countries in the world, including Iceland and Panama, that do not have a regular military and yet they manage to remain free from invasion. Unlike these countries, however, California will have a military that is ample for our defense in North America.
What does ample for our defense in North America mean? Well, Canada defends itself with about $18 billion a year while Mexico protects itself with even less. In fact, the global average for military budgets is about $17 billion a year. Only the United States spends way more, so it is no surprise that this country remains one of the only major industrialized countries in the world that can’t guarantee healthcare, among other services, to all of its citizens.
An independent California will be able to refocus our priorities on these important quality of life issues while still providing for the defense and security of our country. However, independence does not mean the U.S. military is going to leave California right away. Although this campaign does not take many specific policy positions, instead leaving them to be decided by future elections, we do take the position that California will negotiate a military base agreement with the Americans.
These military base agreements will require the Americans to lease the
land their bases are on just like they do in many countries around the world. These leases will bring in revenue each year that we can use to subsidize California’s defense and national security budget. Perhaps most importantly, an independent California will be more secure and at less risk of attack simply because we will no longer be involved in all of America’s military activities that actually perpetuate and instigate terrorism around the world.
