Should we sell California?

In case you haven't noticed, there is a presidential contest taking place with the results to be decided in less than a couple weeks.  We have a pretty good idea what the current guy in the white house will do, assuming that he would have made any changes to his tactics and strategy already.  That leaves the other guy.

Mitt Romney has claimed that his business background is evidence of his ability and his probability of making fundamental changes in the way America is being run.  He has suggested that he would take a more businesslike approach to running the government store.  Sounds like a great idea.

Now, looking into Mr. Romney's resume, he was the kingpin of a private equity company that was tasked with making under-performing businesses profitable.  He did that by analyzing just which components were under-performing, and then making appropriate changes.  Often the under-performing parts were either liquidated or sold.

That brings us to the perhaps President Romney's American turnaround.  My prediction is that he may look at the country and identify the portions that are under-performing.  He will then determine which under-performing segments could yield the most in a sale or spinoff.  I think he will sell California. 

California produces about $80 billion less in US revenue collections that it receives from the federal government.  It is also possibly the most attractive asset from a marketing perspective.  Put California on the market and watch the bidding war.  Certainly Brazil, Russia, China, and Mexico would bid the price up nicely.  Canada could buy California and more than double its population.  Of course, they would need a big loan from China who would be bidding against them for the purchase. 

Summarizing, the federal government would spend less and possibly get enough proceeds from the sale to pay off the $16T debt with a few bucks left over.  The man is a genius, and I feel confident that he will do what's right for America.