4 ms·

This is exactly why we have our country divided into states. Each one may experiment and/or fail without affecting the others, and the rest can learn lessons.

• mirimir 9y ago
  Yes, but the initial states existed before the federal government. So "divided" seems off. Anyway, I don't know the history well enough to have an opinion about the importance of experimentation. I thought that it was mostly about freedom.
  • narrowrail 9y ago
    This may seem pedantic, but the nuance here is important: It's about liberty, not freedom. Medical weed is is allowed in half the states and recreational in 8; New York has effectively banned fracking. I've lived in 6 different states, but many people seem scared to move (not on HN I realize).
    • mirimir 9y ago
      Correction appreciated. > One should distinguish between the terms "freedom" and "liberty." Speaking generally, Freedom usually means to be free from something, whereas Liberty usually means to be free to do something, although both refer to the quality or state of being free. Jefferson's use of the terms almost always reflected those meanings. http://eyler.freeservers.com/JeffPers/jefpco26.htm http://eyler.freeservers.com/JeffPers/jefpco26.htm