One of the most difficult issues addressed by the Founding Fathers was how to balance the rights and responsibilities of the three levels of constitutional government: the federal government, state governments, and the people (as in, “We the People”).

For more than two centuries, liberals have stretched the “Commerce Clause” of the Constitution to shift as much power as possible to the federal government, while conservatives have struggled to restore power to the states and the people. Of course, liberals have won more of these battles than they’ve lost.