&gt; If the US were organized like the EU, several of the states would be heavily indebted and bankrupt, with a third world quality of life, and the financial, industrial, and entertainment centers would be even richer.<p>Have you ever <i>been</i> to rural Mississippi or West Virginia?<p>I have, and I&#x27;ve also been to rural areas of the &quot;second class&quot; countries of EU, like Greece and Romania (not to mention pending member states like Bosnia).  And it&#x27;s actually striking how similar they are in terms of economic development.  Granted, I still saw some livestock plowing in Romania-not a common sight in the US-but otherwise the poorer states of the US and the poorer nations of the EU are pretty on par.  Particularly with respect to dwellings and the frequent lack of many of the accoutrements of what we consider &quot;modern life&quot; (Internet, computers, smart phones).<p>I&#x27;d say the urban areas of the poorer US states are slightly more developed than their counterparts in Romania and Greece, but the rural areas are pretty much on par.<p>And btw, the governments of those poorer US states are typically fairly cash poor and often indebted, because they have very poor tax bases.<p>And in terms of government corruption, the two are <i>absolutely</i> on par, I&#x27;d say.