I went in for seconds and landed here: http://firedrake.org/roger/csarchive/universe/states.htm This is sooo cool and I don't even know what it is! Has anyone heard of Crimson Skies computer game??

Its premise seems to be that America failed. The link took me to the write-ups of what happened to the states. Example: "Montana and Wyoming have largely fragmented. All government is local, and the locals seem determined to keep it that way. The population is completely disgusted with national government and aims to show that local government can perform far better than any distant bureaucracy. Portions of Wyoming and Montana have been claimed by other states, but by and large this is the most lawless and best armed stretch of the West."
Another: "The bulk of Nevada is desert, not even worth the effort of laying claim to. Most of the inhabitants southeast of the Sierra Nevadas are desert air pirates, scrub ranchers, and rattlesnakes."

Not gonna lie...it got me at Air Pirates!