Dear editor,
In the beginning, our nation was formed as 13 independent states with a limited sovereignty from the federal government outlined and guided by the words of our Constitution that each state ratified.
This limited state sovereignty is also guided by the limitations placed on the federal government by the words of the same Constitution that limits the type and thus amount of sovereignty the states were willing to give away in forming our federal government to form the United States.
As each new state joined the union of states, they ratified our Constitution, as did the original 13 states. As a nation of now 50 states, all are their own unique controlled experiment in regards to self-governing. The nation's 2016 GDP was $18.511499 trillion and the numbers can be broken down by each state.
California is number one in 2016 GDP with $2,622,731 being 2.6…trillion — GDP per capita $58,619.00 [and] 2015 debt $151,715,007,000, not including pensions but with a state income tax; Florida is number four in 2016 GDP with $926,049 billion — GDP per capita $39,543.00 [and] 2015 debt $33,315,277,000, not including pensions but without a state income tax; the territory of Puerto Rico is number 38 with $103,135 billion, 2017 total debt [at]$74 billion, $53 billion in unfunded pensions but also its citizens pay no federal income tax, and just filed a form of bankruptcy; and Washington D.C. is number 34 in 2016 GDP with $126,478 billion — GDP per capita $160,472.00 — 2016 debt $19.2 trillion not including pensions.
California, Florida and Puerto Rico export many different goods to obtain their GDP. Washington D.C. imports everything it needs. It is funded by the states and funds the states (money from and money back), gets lobbyist and special interest groups’ money on the side (and maybe under the table), and exports virtually nothing except for laws, regulations and politics.
Now I'm definitely sure we need more government and government spending to correct what government has already created.
STEVEN KING
Milton
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This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: DC exports nothing but politics