The reason is (more or less) personal jurisdiction. If a company does substantial business in a state, people from that state can sue the company in that state under the laws of that state - no matter where they are based. This is a Good Thing - for example, say hypothetically that a Japanese automanufacturer makes all of their cars in Japan, and simply ships them to the US and sells them. If you a car from them and it explodes, injuring you, you shouldn't have to sue under in Japan under Japanese law.
See also: Article on conflict of laws for a primer on which jurisdictions laws apply when.
. . . and it literally makes my blood boil when people do it.
I stopped at "literally." The misuse of literary terms is inversely proportional to the intelligence of the writer, and it figuratively makes my blood boil when people do it.
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The reason is (more or less) personal jurisdiction. If a company does substantial business in a state, people from that state can sue the company in that state under the laws of that state - no matter where they are based. This is a Good Thing - for example, say hypothetically that a Japanese automanufacturer makes all of their cars in Japan, and simply ships them to the US and sells them. If you a car from them and it explodes, injuring you, you shouldn't have to sue under in Japan under Japanese law.
See also: Article on conflict of laws for a primer on which jurisdictions laws apply when.
To be perfectly accurate, the Feds only withdraw 5% of federal funding for highways if the drinking age is below 21 in a particular state.
. . . and it literally makes my blood boil when people do it.
I stopped at "literally." The misuse of literary terms is inversely proportional to the intelligence of the writer, and it figuratively makes my blood boil when people do it.