Why would someone say that the state's decisions are more important to us than the federal government

Two reasons. One, it not only allows for a smaller federal government (which is what the Founding Fathers wanted) and two, it has cultural significance to show the relative independence of each state

Explanation:

on april 6, 1917, the u.s. joined its allies--britain, france, and russia--to fight in world war i. under the command of major general john j. pershing, more than 2 million u.s. soldiers fought on battlefields in france.