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Comment by HWR_14 | Hacker News Reader

Why bother having the states roll it out? We can fix it once in a federal law and avoid 50 different hard to undo implementations that are all inconsistent, so HR needs to run a "oh, you're applying from NYC, that means I need to include Health Care premiums but not RSUs" filter vs. "Oh, you're applying from California, so I have to include RSUs at an additional 0.0154% of calculated benefits and..." etc.

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Laws (in my opinion) are a lot harder to get right than they are to get wrong. Laws are also (IMO) quite sticky in that once they are passed, they are difficult to modify and or adjust. It takes a strong political will to pass any federal law and once that political capital is spent, adjustments can be unpopular.

People may disagree, but I think that the distinction and separation of state/local/federal law is great. one size often does not fit all and having different methods of laws experimented with and seen "in production" is useful despite downsides and the inherent difficulty in having 50 states have a different policy on something.

You are absolutely right. It's horrifying how often people on the internet just want the government to step in and "fix" everything.

Congress is really slow/bad at updating laws. State legislatures tend to be a lot more nimble (not as partisan, as there isn't as much focus on them. Plus many states of super-majorities, so it is easier to pass things if all members of a party agree).

I'm fully for most laws being tested at the state level before the federal gov gets involved at all (unless it's interstate commerce). Honestly, I prefer the fed staying out of most things and letting states handle it.

> I'm fully for most laws being tested at the state level before the federal gov gets involved at all (unless it's interstate commerce)

How is teleworking across state lines not interstate commerce?

It is, and that's already been addressed for decades. The employment laws and income tax of the state you're employed in apply in these situations.

>Why bother having the states roll it out?

Because there's no guarantee it'll work right the first time and that there won't be some tweaks that need to be made.

Right? 50+ different sets of rules are why it's so difficult to get consensus on anything and administrators have so much power in US society.

'But it's by design, federalist papers' ...are ~250 years old, and while they contain much wisdom, also contain much that is obsolete. We should be moving towards a sort of wikiocracy and away from bureaucracy.

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