What's with this silly idea that states "deserve" to get back whatever money they pay in federal taxes? Federal taxes aren't levied against states, they're levied against people. And even personally, there's no guarantee that you will get back in benefits every dollar you've paid in taxes. Sorry, it just doesn't always work that way.<p>It's like arguing that I shouldn't have to pay school tax because I'm not in school (hint: then it's not a school tax, it's tuition). Or that the people who have never had a house catch on fire got ripped off because their tax dollars funded the fire department anyway.