Originally Posted By: kschachn
Originally Posted By: Ethan1
Originally Posted By: Jetronic
what does the US do that can't be done by each individual state?
Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, and a few other states in the South would be getting along just
fine if they weren't being propped up by the federal government, right?
Propped up to the extent that they have to meet federal laws and mandates.
Create a problem then create the solution, which subsequently creates a need.
Yes, but everyone has to meet the same federal requirements. Even Cali! Unfunded mandates are nothing new and have always been a part of the "federalist" process. The "South" is not as bad as some other states. Georgia recieves less but Virginia (vis the Navy in Norfolk/HR and the Pentagon in NoVa) get a lot.
Generally speaking, cities are subsidizing rural areas with the more urban States donating to less urban states (FYI, even states like Navada are more urban as most of the population is in an urbanized area). Idaho is more "urban" as a percentage of its population than is North Carolina.
See:
http://taxfoundation.org/blog/why-do-some-states-feast-federal-spending-not-others