[emodendroket]

States' rights were first employed as an argument by New Englanders opposing the War of 1812. Their more famous Southern exponents were not troubled by the Fugitive Slave Law. I'd argue that there is nearly nobody who has a principled commitment to states' rights, rather than using it as an instrument to their true ends.

[gremlinsinc]

I'd like to go a step further and make each state fully autonomous, with a loosely coupled 'union' for a military force (albeit, MUCH smaller than it is currently) and intrastate issues like commerce/roads/etc. Each state would pay taxes to cover those things. State taxes would be > fed, and would cover Medicare, education, medicaid, and decide their own social programs, and legal laws.. This would give more freedom, if you can afford/want to live in a progressive place with universal healthcare move to a state with that, if not move to the deep south, where they no longer have separation of church and state, and everything else Republicans want.

[emodendroket]

Yes, and then the states can be confederated by some series of articles. Wonder why nobody thought of this?