Ep. 021 — A State of Mind

Quote: 

“The devil is always in the details, right?”

—Mark Baird

 

About:

If the State of Jefferson ever formed, it’s unlikely Anthony Bourdain would ever travel there for its pizza or burritos.

Mark Baird, the “unofficial” leader of the State of Jefferson movement, likes to think they’d be known for their buffalo burgers. Though, he’ll admit, he’s in the minority. Most people behind this movement, he says, would probably prefer beef.

Being in the minority is a feeling he’s had for quite some time. Living in Northern California with Baird’s heavy libertarian point-of-view would likely drive most people crazy, and out of the state.

But Baird wants to stay. He’d just prefer he was living in a new state, a State of Jefferson.

Feeling that he’s had no representation in how Sacramento operates, this semi-retired pilot and former buffalo rancher has spent the past several years convincing thousands of citizens along with cities, counties and mayors to join his grass-roots movement.

In Part II of II of this story, we ask how Baird plans to form this new state and look into the financials, legality and likelihood of whether the State of Jefferson can ever live up to being more than just a state of mind.

Show Notes:

[00:25] Mark Baird’s speech on 05.31.17 in front of California State Capitol building in Sacramento [00:55] “Borough” by Blue Dot Sessions [02:25] See Citizens for Fair Representation et al. v. Padilla Recommended: A recent 60 Minutes profile of Gov. Brown (CBS News) [02:30] The photo of California Gov. Jerry Brown looking at a flag of the State of Jefferson [04:15] “This Land Is Your Land” performed by Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings [04:50] Recommended: Listen to Part I before listening to this episode [09:35] Light reading on Kevin Hendrick (The Union) Earlier profile of the movement (The Sacramento Bee) [11:45] One of the first counties the State of Jefferson movement made its case back in 2013 (Siskyou Daily News) Results of Ballot Measure A in 2014 on the matter of state-split question And an economic overview [12:00] Light reading on Tehama County [12:25] Results of Del Norte County’s state-split ballot measure (Associated Press) [13:05] “Jefferson State of Mind” performed by local musician CQ [13:20] Official map of the State of Jefferson and its declared counties Results of Measure G on state-split question The county’s Board of Supervisors placing issue on the ballot (The Sacramento Bee) A short news brief on the results of the vote (USA Today) And an economic overview [13:40] Light reading on Lassen County [13:45] Map of the State of Jefferson according to Keep It California [16:30] “Borough-Alternate Opening” by Blue Dot Sessions [16:55] Richard Seel’s presentation on the State of Jefferson’s financial model called “Show Me the Money” An earlier presentation of his model The latest spreadsheet detailing the financial model [17:00] Light reading on Steve Baird And on budgets and spending (NASBO) And on state budgets and the federal government (NASBO) And a break down of how state budgets are formed (California Budget Project) [17:45] A short primer on state taxes and revenue (National Association of State Budget Officers) [19:05] List of U.S. States by budget size [19:10] A bigger breakdown of state budgets including Nebraska Holistic overview of California’s total debt (California Policy Center) Related: An old report from 60 Minutes on the state budget crisis Unrelated: A primer on the federal debt and deficit [20:30] The $340 billion number comes from a 2014 report (Los Angeles Times) [20:55] “Borough Celeste-Solo” by Blue Dot Sessions [21:35] Light reading on zero-percent interest rates (Investopedia) And additional reading on the California wildfires (BBC News) [22:05] Light reading on Montana’s wildfires and its budget short fall (Rapid City Journal) Related: New Mexico’s list of state departments [22:30] California’s list of 343 state agencies [24:50] Light reading of an old profile on Peter Thiel (The New Yorker) [25:00] “Sunset on the Ganja Farm” by The State of Jefferson Band [25:10] More on the Colorado pot boom (The Denver Post) [26:15] More on Dan Walters (@DanCALmatters) here [27:00] An overview of California’s economic output by region (The Sacramento Bee) And an economic forecast (Calif. Department of Transportation) [28:30] Current breakdown of Siskyou County, where Baird lives [30:05] Light reading on U.S. history and the partitioning of states Additional reading on how to become a state (How Stuff Works) [30:25] Light reading on how admission into the Union And Puerto Rico (Newsweek) President Donald Trump comments on San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz Soto (Fox News) [32:10] More on the Washington D.C.’s bid for 51 (NPR) A much deeper and thorough dive on how Tennessee became a state [32:40] Light reading on the Tennessee Plan (The Orlando Sentinel) [32:55] “Tennessee” by Jimmy Martin [34:05] Light reading on the City (Town) of Fort Jones [35:15] The original lawsuit filed against California Secretary of State Alex Padilla [36:20] “Lamb Drop-Minor Feel” by Blue Dot Sessions [38:05] “Coronea” by Blue Dot Sessions [38:20] Note: The Citizens for Fair Representation is technically a DBA for the State of Jefferson Formation, which is based in Nevada, as noted here. And confirmed here. (Yreka News) California’s State Constitution of 1879 (see: Article V) [38:50] California’s population growth over the years [39:15] Representation ratio based on California population in 1879 Additional reading here Recent column on the measure in the New York Times [39:40] Light reading on the Apportionment Act of 1929 [40:10] More on the Hamilton-Vinton Model Power In Numbers: Reapportionment and the Constitution (Constitution Center) Congressional Apportionment: Past, Present and Future (Duke University) The House of Representatives Apportionment Formula: An Analysis of Proposals for Change and Their Impact on States (Congressional Research Service) The 1911 House Reapportionment (House.gov) Op-ed for enlarging the number of representatives (The New York Times) Methods of Apportionment (US Census) [39:40] Related reading on Congressional Apportionment: [41:40] Herbert Hoover’s full speech in St. Louis, MO in 1932 (CSPAN) [42:50] Assemblymember Paul Fong on Local Edition [42:55] See Article XIX here [43:15] Light reading on the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 [43:30] More on California’s apology to the Chinese here (TIME) [46:10] “Velejo-Atmo” by Blue Dot Sessions [47:50] “Lord Weasel-Thoughtful Bridge” by Blue Dot Sessions [48:00] Full text of the Declaration of Independence (National Archives) [48:25] Background on Margalynne Armstrong [48:40] “March on Gumdrop Field-Cello Leader” by Blue Dot Sessions The 14th Amendment The impeachment of Andrew Johnson (Politico) Recommend Listen: More Perfect’s American Pendulum II [48:45] Light reading on: Recommend Listen: More Perfect’s The Political Thicket [50:15] Audio from Baker v. Carr (Oyez) [50:20] Audio from Reynolds v. Simms (Oyez) [50:40] “The Telling” by Blue Dot Sessions Related: The Guarantee Clause and California’s Republican Form of Government (UC Berkeley) [53:10] Guarantee Clause [53:30] Citizen for Fair Representation and Baird’s motion to intervene in LaVergne v. United States House of Representatives [52:10] More on the State of California’s motion to dismiss the Citizens for Fair Representation lawsuit (Siskyou Daily News) [54:25] More on Scott Stafne [01:00:40] “Velejo-Tense” by Blue Dot Sessions Historian Robert Calhoon polls support for the Revolution around 40 percent US Department of Veteran Affairs numbers Some additional forum chatter on Reddit’s r/AskHistorians Some light reading on Three Percenters Some recommended viewing on the Three Percenters (VICE) More additional reading on the Three Percenters (Anti Defamation League) And one last bit on the Three Percenters (politicalresearch.org) Light reading on the Oath Keepers (VICE) Additional reading on the Oath Keepers (Washington Post) A profile on the Oath Keepers (Mother Jones) [01:00:50] Some links to debunk the “three-percent myth” Excerpt played from this airing [01:01:55] “Jefferson State of Mind” on KCNR 1460 Southern Poverty Law Center’s spotlight on the State of Jefferson Oregon Public Broadcasting Quartz Gawker St. George News Los Angeles Times [01:03:30] More on LaVoy Finicum from [01:03:50] Light reading on the Malheur Standoff (The Oregonian) [01:04:10] Released video of Finicum’s traffic stop [01:07:00] “Olsted Harten” by Blue Dot Sessions [01:10:00] Recommended Podcast: Closer Than They Appear[01:10:10] Recommended Podcast Newsletter: Constant Listener