Based on the original constitution, what was the federal government supposed to do?

Unfortunately, reading the Constitution, while something everyone should do, is not adequate in understanding the powers of the federal and state governments. One must read a whole slew of Supreme Court decisions as well.

As to the issue you mention about the fed and the bailouts, the government claims that power under the Taxing and Spending Clause, the Necessary and Proper Clause and the Supremacy Clause (see McCulloch v. Maryland, a crucial early Court decision). If the Court had decided that case differently, the federal government would look nothing like what we have today. Other critical decisions I'd cite include Wickard v Filburn and National Labor Relations Board v. Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation. I'm not arguing that the 1789 US government had the powers it has today or that its current powers exceed what was intended, I'm just answering how the bailout is constitutional.

What you are suggesting would be to go back to what is called the Lochner era (see Lochner v New York) which was used to overturn a whole slew of New Deal legislation. Lochner found a broad freedom of contract in the Due Process clause of the 14th and 5th amendments. Lochner was overruled by Laughlin Steel. If we were still in the Lochner era, we wouldn't have minimum wadge laws, OSHA, union rights and a whole slew of other government interference with the free market. Today, Lochner is considered one of the worst Court decisions up there with Plessy and Dred Scott (although the only fault I find with Dred Scott considering the legality of slavery at the time was that once the Court decided that it didn't have jurisdiction, it should have stopped there and not gone on to decide if Scott was a free man).

SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ET AL. v. HELLER Held: one million. The Second Amendment protects an man or woman correct to own a firearm unconnected with provider in a armed forces, and to make use of that arm for in most cases lawful functions, similar to self-security inside the residence. Pp. two–fifty three. (a) The Amendment’s prefatory clause pronounces a cause, however does now not prohibit or increase the scope of the moment facet, the operative clause. The operative clause’s textual content and historical past show that it connotes an man or woman correct to maintain and endure palms. Pp. two–22. (b) The prefatory clause comports with the Court’s interpretation

Not anything that its doing now!!! See anything aboutthe IRS, Welfare, Education, entitlement programs or appointing Czars in the constitution ??? See anything about ripping the power from the hands of the people and the states ? I dont

Meet at least once a year to take care of problems with other countries, then go home to their own businesses and farms.

Kind of got out of hand, hummm.

Read it, it is straight forward. Each section and article describes it's function and purpose to a Tee

Every portion of the US government that exists today is based on, and allowed by, the US constitution, according to articles I and II.

So I'm not sure what you're asking.

Well, you could READ THE DAMN THING.

But you won't.

You're scaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaared of it.

The constitution gives the president and congress the power to establish any executive departments that they decide are necessary.

About 5% of what it currently does.

How it got to be the gigantic monster that it is, is beyond me.

very very very little, manage military and foreign relations things similar to that

Protect rich white men's God-given right to own slaves?