ColinEssex said:
Are the
United States still United? we've heard about each state doing its own thing (like death penalty, gun laws etc) - they all have different laws it seems
You have to first understand the separation of State Government vs. Federal Government. The Federal Government lets certain topics up to the individual states to decide, others, they determine to be too
important to be left to the States and they override them. For example...we used to have a Federally mandated highway speed limit of 55 which was repealed and the states can determine their own speed limit. Flat stretches in Nevada are limitless whereas the congested molasses in Pennsylvania have a 65 limit...all depends upon local possibilities. You also get different points of view when it comes to hotter topics, like gun laws, which depend upon the make up of the local government. People are all for gun bans when they live in the inner city and only see guns used for violence against one's fellow man...but place them in the countryside and opinions change.
ColinEssex said:
So is the
United States 50 little countries linked by one language? (a derivation of the Queens English)
not quite...think of it as separate municipalities. The whole is entirely too large to be completely controlled by a central point. The Washington, DC governement is subdivided into State, further subdivided into County, further subdivided into Townships, Cities, Towns, and Boroughs. Each level maintains control of it's respective territory but answers to the next highest level in the chain. So, yes, we get the differing points of view but somewhat diluted by the presentation of the whole.
ColinEssex said:
What's the point of the senate and the White House (whoever is in it) if every state does its own thing? why bother with it?
What's the point in having a Monarch and a Prime Minister?
![Roll eyes :rolleyes: :rolleyes:](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)