Ah, these articles make for great entertainment.<p>Now for the facts:<p>1. The federal government is California’s largest industry like most states, with about 2.5 million employees<p>2. California is strategically important to U.S. security. The U.S. military directly owns or controls a significant portion of the southern California coastline. On top of that, the defense department uses central California for military testing and the federal government in general owns or controls much of the mountainous areas in the north and east (Note: that’s where the water comes from)<p>3. Texas is home to the 2 largest Army posts, many of the U.S. largest defense contractors, and the U.S. space industry. All of it is dependent on federal spending.<p>4. Texas is part of the U.S. breadbasket, and is a major global energy supplier.<p>In short, neither Texas nor California can secede from the U.S. without an immediate and overwhelming federal response. They are both way too valuable to the health and security of the country. It would be over before it started.