The wonderful thing about America being a federalist republic is that it allows problems in our country to be solved with a number of different policies as implemented by the various states.  It also allows local problems to be solved with local solutions that work best for that part of the country rather than all solutions coming from a central government that may be out of touch with all the various localities.

After all, it’s hard to imagine someone living in New York knowing what’s best for people living in North Dakota.

Another facet of federalism is that people tend to vote on policies in the various states with their feet.  From taxes to building codes, school systems to labor laws, if citizens don’t like the policies of one state they typically move themselves and/or their businesses to another.  Which is something that’s happening in California right now.

The most smartest, most affluent and overall most productive citizens of that state are leaving because of high taxes and burdensome government.  The people who are staying?  Those that aren’t productive or are, in a lot of cases, dependent on the government.

This is the consequences of a “tax the rich” mentality.  If you mistreat the most productive members of your society for the benefit of the least productive the latter is going to leave so that you’re left with the former.