A few years ago I started pushing a meme I now strongly believe: The US is like the EU, except we have a military.
That is, we are 50 “mostly sovereign” countries that are members of a single federation. That federation (the FedGov) exists to provide protection from enemies from outside, protect member countries from each other, and handle situations when stuff crosses borders between member countries.
Beyond that, they should leave us all the hell alone. One writer once said that before the IRS existed, the only contact most citizens had with the FedGov was the mailman.
Any way, my thinking is of the founders. We are a federation of membership nations which control virtually everything that goes down within their own borders.
“Any way, my thinking is of the founders. We are a federation of membership nations which control virtually everything that goes down within their own borders.”
I agree, and have always said the same thing. Most folks should never even think about the federal government, much less have contact with it.
I often ask folks if they realize the difference it’d make in their lives if the amount they’re paying in federal taxes actually went to their state government, and the amount they’re paying in state taxes went to the federal government. You listed the limits of federal power, and if we reversed taxation that would almost certainly happen.