What the Founders intended, and what many libertarians today want, is something different: a federal system that keeps decision-making close to the people. The federal government should not do what the states can do for themselves, the states should not do what local governments can do for themselves, and local governments should not do what families, faith groups and individuals can do for themselves.
The Founders understood, however, that the federal government has important roles to play, both in protecting our nation and in protecting the rights of its citizens. State and local governments can exceed their powers and injure citizens’ rights just as the federal government can.
That’s why the Constitution explicitly forbids states to do certain things, such as issue their own currency. Before the Constitution was ratified, states created inflationary currencies to defraud creditors. Sometimes federal action is necessary to correct violations of rights at the state and local levels. Liberty is secure in a federal system when the federal government and the states check one another, not when either side completely dominates the other at the expense of freedom.
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