Individual Sovereignty as in the Declaration of Independence and in the Preamble to the Constitution ties into Ayn Rands' philosophy of Objectivism regarding the "ethical purpose of every individual ...." That we have free will. The administration in DC and the far left pushing their agenda of Collectivism or We the People as the collective. and that any other way of thinking makes the individual an enemy of the state like in "Anthem". If Ayn Rand were alive today would be beside herself to see current events unfolding as they are.

As I have stated previously, I am fully in support of repealing the Federal income tax, ie. the Sixteenth Amendment. I believe that the Founders had it right when they levied trade tariffs to generate income and I would support returning to that system and eliminating the direct taxation of corporations and individuals. That would include eliminating federal payroll taxes as well such as FICA, Social Security, and Medicare.

As to the rest, it's very easy to point fingers but it does nothing to rectify the problems at hand. The sad fact is that we are headed toward a collapsed economy because those in power refuse to take the steps necessary to become fiscally solvent and responsible.

I agree that there was a need at the outset for the nation to be united in opposition of European governments' meddling. Now we have the same threat of oppression from DC, banking, and the war profit industry. Thanks to meddlers like Hamilton, Lincoln, FDR, and all the presidents who came after him.
I wonder if there was an easy way for individuals to opt out of tax legislation would it be apparent which government revenues are really supported by the People?
No general fund for federal spending and very limited borrowing might force people to consider which spending is worth being enslaved.

I find cogent arguments - and flawed ones - in both places. But I would posit that it has been the abandonment of actual Federalism which has been the cause of this nation's issues.

What many do not realize is that Federalism is actually a middle-ground between the tyranny of the national executive and the regional tyranny of the masses, i.e. direct democracy. If one leans too heavily to either side, liberty fails. We have unfortunately drifted toward the tyranny of a national executive in the form of a massive bureaucracy - the executive branch. Perhaps the greatest single example is the personal income tax, as it gives the Federal government unprecedented power over the lives of the citizenry - including acting as a muzzle to free speech. Additionally, the Legislative Branch and options for State repudiation have also been similarly compromised through the direct election of Senators. It should be noted that BOTH of these provisions were enacted by Constitutional Amendment.

Had the anti-Federalists won, the colonies would have remained mired in debt and unable to pay their war obligations. They would have remained as a fractious, loose coalition of independent nations. Even when they did band together, they were woefully unprepared to fight the British. The War of 1812 was proof of that even beyond the miraculous victories by Washington in the Revolutionary War. Had the colonies remained separate as per the Articles of Confederation, they would have been individually seized by the European nations - and then overcome and destroyed. These were valid arguments made by the Federalist papers. Now we face exactly the opposite problem: a problem of a tyranny of the executive. An overwhelming executive bureaucracy - rather than the legislature - carries out psuedo-lawmaking with nothing more than passing oversight by Congress. Well did the Anti-Federalists warn of this.

What is needed is a return to a proper balance of Federalism which recognizes the individual sovereignty of the States and their supremacy in every aspect NOT directly and specifically ceded to the Federal government. We need a faithful interpretation of the Ninth and Tenth Amendments, including a disbanding of 90%+ of the federal bureaucracy. We need to pass Constitutional Amendments again declaring the Federal income tax null and void and a return of the States rights to veto legislation through their agents: Senators.

The Federalist Papers contain the statist arguments for why guarantees of rights were needed and propose that the federal government should be 'trusted' to never exceed the limited powers. Naturally these were often studied in public schools.
The Anti-federalist Papers are inspiring reading and explain exactly why the Bill of Rights is needed. They accurately predict nearly every statist act against individual liberty that we have seen.
Of course, no public school would ever recommend a student read such training for insurrection.
I recommend both and they should be required reading in every school. I would use them as material for the test required to be able to vote.

Both are in my library and I have read them end-to-end. Each present different perspectives and are very valuable IMHO. Some of the arguments presented in the Antifederalist papers have come true regarding the degradation of States' rights.

H ave you read the Federalist papers, and the Antifederalist papers? The founders were well aware later generations would wonder what they were thinking when they authored the Constitution, and anonomously wrote articles for the public that expressed their reasoning, and concerns about flaws that might lead to conflict later.

While the language of these documents seems a bit stilted for our modern reading, it does give us insight into how they arrived at the final document. Modern liberals conveniently pretend no such documents exist, or dispute they came from any of the founders, even though later writings identify the authors.

Yeah, liars and traitors who become career politicians who find corrupt ways to line their pockets such as our current multi-millionaire POTUS.

Yep. They actually had to read - and that frequently in other languages like Latin and Greek - in which most Founders were fluent.

IMHO, their thinking was far more in depth because they weren't weaned on 10 second sound bites.

We the People own this nation

not these liars and traitors known as politicians

They were incredible thinkers and had studied history assiduously - far more than I think people give them credit for.

It would be very difficult to go back and get into the minds of our founding fathers. I quiet frankly applaud their wonderful work in putting the Constitution together. I haven't yet seen a better guideline.