hi csl,
do you see that the alternative to states doing everything isn't the us or un doing everything?
it's assignment of tasks to appropriate levels. some of these are state-related, some federal-related, some even un-related (eg things like human rights). some are properly left to individuals.
i sometimes wonder if you see that the opposition to your opinions isn't the extreme position that is simply yours inverted. it isn't that big government is good. it is that a layered solution is the best available given the nature of the problems folks encounter as a society.
few folks want government to run everything. they don't want the country to run everything. they don't want to take things away from the states.
they just say that sometimes a state or individual is not the best scale at which to answer a problem.
they just say that solutions should fit the size and shape of the particular problems folks encounter.
some problems cross state lines. that's natural.