Do we really have to play this game?
If what you’re arguing for is not going to specifically advantage your state over others, and the thing you’re arguing against isn’t going to create an advantage for other states over yours, why make this about ‘your state’ in the first place?
The point of elected representatives is to represent the views of their constituents, not to obtain special advantages for their constituents.
That is painfully naive, a history of pork projects speaks otherwise.
A lot of said constituents' views are, in practice, that they should receive special advantages.
(I would just emphasize, before anyone complains, that the Federal Republic of Germany is very much a federal republic.)
The views of their constituents are probably in favor of special advantages for their constituents, so the one may imply the other.
I mean, some elected representatives may represent constituencies consisting primarily of altruistic angels, but that is…not the norm.
It can be, but often its often the project of a substantial subset of the people creating institutions, so its misleading and romanticizing the past to view it as “decay”.