tpaine, I should have known you'd take that the wrong way. My intention was not to be snide, merely to point out that your tendency to ignore the "purging of substance" is due to your cultural background. Just as libertarians of the right sometimes come across as militaristic or theocratic.
Essentially, you made no response to my points.
On the contrary, I pointed out the lack of regional diversity in the U.S. (now replaced with ceremonial diversity, in which the people are of different races or ethnic backgrounds but the cultural messages are all the same). This goes directly to your comment that you have "seen no such . . . purging of substance."
The federalism of the Constitution, as written, would definitely help these matters. But the Constitution, although a noble attempt, is flawed. It is a document intended to restrain a State -- an impossible task. We know that today, as we see tyranny congeal around us. The Founders tried and failed. We could restore the Constitution, but I'm certain that within 150 years we'd be back to Fed-approved church burnings and bombing aspirin factories.
Yours truly, Bible thumping imperialist.