the US is certainly stronger as a whole than as a sum of its parts, but this seems like a massive exaggeration. even the poorest US states compare favorably to

the US is certainly stronger as a whole than as a sum of its parts, but this seems like a massive exaggeration. even the poorest US states compare favorably to other first-world nations on a per capita GDP basis. it would be a major adjustment, but states like mississippi do have the raw productivity to provide a decent life for their citizens if they could get out of their own way.