>An eyeball estimate [1] suggests the cost would be 35% of what the US govt spends, and that's assuming the sea-based nation still pays for things like military adventurism and the war on drugs.
Only if that eyeball is completely blind to economies of scale.
Which service, specifically, do you feel benefits significantly from economics of scale?
And since most of these services are provided by city governments, why would a town like Edison, NJ have economies of scale that a similarly sized sea-based nation would lack?
Only if that eyeball is completely blind to economies of scale.