We ' re a big nation . The state system is bizarre , but it has to do with the bizarre circumstances of the creating of this nation . The land hadn ' t been fought over for thousands of years , at least not by Europeans . It was discovered as a new world , and colonized relatively quickly . There was a value in remaining United on the world stage but there were huge differences in people ' s desired way of life , and local governance was and is a big deal . It ' s an anomaly for sure . Some benefits are that say in California we can pass a law that wouldn ' t pass nationally , and set an example that will start a chain reaction to it becoming a national policy , like legalizing gay marriage for instance . It also enables some of those middle states to pass deplorable legislation . All in all this country is pretty broken .