Federalist Reversal

Unce opon a time, say during the Articles of Confederation, the states had the power to tax effectively and the Congress was left to beg and borrow to meet national needs. This ridiculousness left the Federalists to re-write America's constitution and give the Congress a real taxing power. Somehow, over the past two centuries, the states have lost the power to tax themselves, or so it would appear. Clearly the states which want Federal dollars have no interest in preserving thier raison d'etre. If the Feds begin to perform state functions, like paying for state police, supporting state welfare, or funding education, what exactly do the states do? And let's not forget that with Federal dollars come Federal choices and policies. The states need to figure out why they exist and create the ability to achieve that purpose.