The 42 year old Ryan, who dares to condescend to us all, needs to "see"  the nose on his face.  The noble and enlightened Ryan is a direct beneficiary of Social Security and Sesame Street, and can't appreciate how important these programs were to his development. These programs do not and can not exist without a federal government. Without the federal government, slavery would still exist, and  women would still be considered the property of their fathers/husbands, unable to vote or own property. If we allow the states, as Ryan suggests, to decide how to deal with poverty, health care/birth control, etc, without federal oversight, the consequences would be devastating.

This half baked idea isn't an attempt to tackle the real problems facing our country. Instead, it is an attempt to blame the very system that has built this country. Giving the states the power to govern as independent nations is not a solution.  How much imagination does it take to "see" that states, without oversight, would ignore/abuse their citizens without any repercussions?  One must follow through to the end the logical consequences of a policy position if the goal is to improve a thing.