- #1
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Someone reopened an old thread which had devolved into mud slinging but it made me think.
Is it possible to move power to the individual states/
This is the same problem facing the EU but from the other side - in the eu all new rules eg. to remove trade barriers, seem to lead to a more federal state - would the US face the same problems coming from the other end?
Some points that have caused problems in europe:
You allow free movement of workers, do workers in eg. Texas then object to those people from Chicago taking their jobs (in the same way they might object to foreigners?)
If Florida has better subsidized health care for seniors do you stop people from N. Dakota retiring there?
US states already have more individual tax powers than eu countries, would it be a problem if all US companies registered in Delaware or some other state tax haven? In the same way that US companies worked out of Ireland to reduce tax.
If some state subsidized it's own industry would you have trade sanctions stopping cheap potatoes going to Minnesota and cheap cheese being dumped in Idaho?
Are states in the middle at a disadvantage? If oil is landed in Texas can Texas then charge a huge duty on it before piping it to north? Could Ca make Long Beach a duty free port so Japanese cars or chinese DVD players are tax free - would other states then tax these when they arrived at their state line?
Do territorial waters belong to the state? So do Alaskan fishermen have to share their King Crab quota with boats registered in Utah?
Is it possible to move power to the individual states/
This is the same problem facing the EU but from the other side - in the eu all new rules eg. to remove trade barriers, seem to lead to a more federal state - would the US face the same problems coming from the other end?
Some points that have caused problems in europe:
You allow free movement of workers, do workers in eg. Texas then object to those people from Chicago taking their jobs (in the same way they might object to foreigners?)
If Florida has better subsidized health care for seniors do you stop people from N. Dakota retiring there?
US states already have more individual tax powers than eu countries, would it be a problem if all US companies registered in Delaware or some other state tax haven? In the same way that US companies worked out of Ireland to reduce tax.
If some state subsidized it's own industry would you have trade sanctions stopping cheap potatoes going to Minnesota and cheap cheese being dumped in Idaho?
Are states in the middle at a disadvantage? If oil is landed in Texas can Texas then charge a huge duty on it before piping it to north? Could Ca make Long Beach a duty free port so Japanese cars or chinese DVD players are tax free - would other states then tax these when they arrived at their state line?
Do territorial waters belong to the state? So do Alaskan fishermen have to share their King Crab quota with boats registered in Utah?