Even if what you're saying is true, would you have given up all the economic, political, and influential gains that the U.S.A. has made since the federal govern

Even if what you're saying is true, would you have given up all the economic, political, and influential gains that the U.S.A. has made since the federal government became powerful after the civil war? Without the strong federal government, where would the states be today? Philosophically, I probably agree with you: I'd like more individual rights, local rights, state's rights. But, if things had turned out differently, I'm pretty sure that our small fraction of the world's population would not control such a large portion of the world's wealth, and we wouldn't be living such comfortable lives. And, I'm sure that democracies would not be as wide spread as they are today.