Many of the "poorer" states as some define them, actually supply a fair bit of the food for those "richer" states and beyond.
It's not a simple task to figure out which states would survive as independent countries, if for no other reason than there would be, ah, "territorial disputes."
Saying that they are poorer doesn't mean they have no value, and that's part of why it's important for all of the states to be linked together federally.
It's not a simple task to figure out which states would survive as independent countries, if for no other reason than there would be, ah, "territorial disputes."