Why does state government get less attention than federal, when it touches your life more?

Your state legislature decides your kid's school funding formula, your utility rates, your driver's license, half your taxes, your professional licensing. Federal government does important stuff but almost nothing that touches a typical week. Yet political journalism, voter attention, and party investment are massively concentrated federally. Why? I'd guess: - National media is cheaper to produce than 50 state versions - Federal politics is more "exciting" (more zero-sum, more identity-coded) - Career politicians treat state seats as stepping stones, which devalues them rhetorically - Coordination problem: there's no reason for *me* alone to care about state politics if no one else does The result is a pretty severe mismatch between the level of government that affects you and the level you spend cognitive effort on. Hasn't gotten better with the internet — probably worse, since national content is what algorithms surface.