State vs Federal citizenship

For those that live in the US, on what level of organization in the US do you most sociopolitically identify yourself? Do you have more pride in your nation, your state, or local community?

EDIT: As an expanded discussion, how important do you think it is to be politically or socially engaged on the state or local level?

I have more pride in my nation then anything else. I honestly don't give a crap about my state(Georgia), nor my community... or even my college football team.

I don't even live in a state. I live in a District and am a second class citizen because of it. But even when I was a New Yorker, I was American first.

Easily an American citizen first, having moved around my whole life and being in the military there's naturally no other choice. I'd like to say a citizen of the world but that just isn't true.

I've lived in 3 states and one US territory but have been an American everywhere. American citizenship evokes a sense of patriotism and national identity. State citizenship to me is really about what voting district do I belong for the moment, state sales tax vs. state income tax and regional cultural nuances that I appreciate and celebrate as aspects of the American experience even in states I only visit or watch on the Travel Channel :lol: but have never lived.

I'm an American first, last, and only.

Tigger said:

I'm an American first, last, and only.

Click to expand...

I thought you planned on leaving the country?

jamesrage said:

I thought you planned on leaving the country?

Click to expand...

Unfortunately, that appears to be less and less of an option, the more I look into it. Apparently, unless something changes in the near future, you folks are stuck with me for at least a while.

Now, as for my response.... I said American, which to me means something very different than it does to most people. My allegiance is to a nation that once was and hopefully will be again, not the one I live in today.

American 1st, Maryland is way too taxing and hard on gun owners.

I am both. I dealy love my home state but I love my country as well. Beyond that I have moved around to much to have real community and most of my extended family is dead. So my next loyalty would be to my ancestry.

This is an absolutely excelent thread, this brings it to the open, how much demage the ideology of a nation state has already caused, and this is not even a specifically American problem.

Unless you sell to the federal government, it is not a nation that is your customer, but a community. If you want to pay for labor and services, you don't buy that from a nation, you buy that from the communities that you operate in.

So, what good is your nation for you? To force you to use a "legal currency"? Luckily, in the USA the law allows everyone to invent his own currency if he can get enough others to use it with him. (One of the reasons I love the USA.)

But even with that, we all know those newspaper articles about how viciously the federal IRS clamps down on "bartell traders".

And then add that most of your taxbill is not even where you operate, it is to some remote federal account. And communities then go to beg for handouts from the federal monies. This system is currently your disgrace, it would only work in Europe, where communities are true enemies of each other, not only co-competitors. In the Unites States, you would be MUCH better off to see yourself as a person with your local identity, instead of making a whore out of yourself for national trickery. Remember the Founding Fathers and what they wrote about.

I'm an American citizen first, but I have tremendous identity in my state.

Torn between the first and the last option. I support globalization and "I'm a citizen of the world" has a very nice ring to it. ...Though I can't complain being an American citizen and I'm proud of that too.

I like my state, Virginia, too. I think northern Virginia's one of the best places to live. It's wealthy and diverse, there's DC and the CIA but drive half an hour and your're in the mountain range. ...but World and Nation over state.

Tigger said:

Unfortunately, that appears to be less and less of an option, the more I look into it. Apparently, unless something changes in the near future, you folks are stuck with me for at least a while.

Now, as for my response.... I said American, which to me means something very different than it does to most people. My allegiance is to a nation that once was and hopefully will be again, not the one I live in today.

Click to expand...

Islands are a bit pricy these days. You should think bigger like your own asteriod, or moon, or even bigger, planet. I have already claimed Mars for my people though so that one is out. There is though Venus or Mercury if you like warmer climes. The Moon is conviently located and has an excellent view.

gavinfielder said:

For those that live in the US, on what level of organization in the US do you most sociopolitically identify yourself? Do you have more pride in your nation, your state, or local community?

EDIT: As an expanded discussion, how important do you think it is to be politically or socially engaged on the state or local level?

Click to expand...

I am a proud if somewhat disinfranchized Californian first, and proud American second. However soon I will be a proud Martian.:mrgreen: