the figure that we use when deciding what to fund. He's saying that should be enough. "The main departure between the current conservative mainstream and the Articles is in the power of the Federal government to raise an army and fund it through taxes." Can you point to any examples of conservatives wanting to eliminate the executive or judicial branch of the federal government? did not eliminate the Executive or Judicial branches of government, just weakened them considerably (note that Washington would still have been President, but without the power to raise an army -- he would have been dependent on state militias). And I'm taking Nordquist at his word (and his writings). I'll let you read his mind for me. You're completely wrong about the Articles of Confederation. They did not create an executive or judiciary branch. Those were started by the Constitution. If you'd like to read this, both are found in Article 9 of the Articles. The process for the Supreme Court is particularly wild! And you want to take him at his word, huh? Ok, so he wants a government that is small enough to drown in a bathtub. Well it's hard to drown even an adult in a bathtub. Possibly a child, if one were so monstrous as to do so. So, the only way to take Nordquist at his word is to suggest that he wants government to consist of a single child! And in light of that, I'm going to register my disagreement