[chimeracoder]

> De-federalizing

Interesting that you should choose this word, since 'federalism' is associated with the Federalist Papers, which actually promote the kind of limited federal government over the states that GP is referring to. Hamilton, who authored the Federalist Papers, is also responsible for the kind of centralized economy that you describe, by creating a federal bank to assume the states' debt after the war. (The other half of this compromise was that the nation's capital was moved from New York City to what was (at the time) a mostly uninhabitable swamp in Maryland).

Even more ironically, the Federalist Papers were written primarily to convince the then-conservative New York (and a few other states) that they would be permitted their own 'states' rights' under the new constitution.

[loeg]

I do not disagree with anything you are saying. My language could have been more clear — I did not mean 'moving from the federal system (divided powers, central government) to one with less state powers,' but rather TruthElixirX's idea of moving from the federal system to separate states with no central government.