Where Americans stand and how to deal with it

Let me just put my personal views aside for a moment. Where do Americans stand on key issues? It seems to me Americans are less divided than folks think. On economic and fiscal issues, it seems most Americans are moving towards the conservative point of view. Americans seem to want free market solutions to problems, lower taxes on the middle-class and business, and less government spending and regulation. However, to be fair, Americans do want some regulation, and they don't mind if the wealthy pay more in taxes. However, the Occupy crowd is still in the minority; Americans don't seem to have the same class warfare tendencies as the Occupy crowd. While republicans can run against big government, regulation, high taxes, deficit spending, and Obamacare, Americans seem much more likely to support the democrats on social issues. While it seems to me Americans support the 2nd amendment, people are becoming increasingly open to same-sex civil unions and in some cases, same-sex marriage. The same goes for abortion: while a divisive issues, there seems to be a slight majority of Americans who are pro-choice. The question for the people and their elected representatives then becomes how to balance out these views? The answer is state's rights. The federal government has an obligation to repeal Obamacare, reduce taxes, reduce spending, and reduce some regulations to create an environment in which the economy can grow. However, many of the things the federal government now is involved in should be returned to the states. On the economy, states should be in charge of public work's projects, not the federal government. What is good for one state may not always be good for another. One prime example is education. Why should there be a federal educational curriculum? Since LBJ instituted such a policy, our public schools have been failing. We would be better off having minimum requirements for education on the federal level. Another issue is health insurance. Massachusetts voters believe they have a good health care system, but voters in other places probably don't want the same health care program as Massachusetts. On social security and medicare, wouldn't it make more sense if states made more choices? We need to reform social security and medicare at the federal level and while the federal government needs to continue to control at least a part of the program, states should have more flexibility. The same goes for social issues. On the federal level, there should be a partial-birth abortion ban and Roe V. Wade should be over turned to allow for states to make decisions on abortion. Same with gay marriage, and the same with gun control. I would bet voters in Louisiana or Arizona would want looser gun control laws than those in Massachusetts or Illinois. So, let them have separate laws. When it comes to the security of our people, the federal government should defend public safety and having a strong national defense, that is where the federal government's focus should be, not dictating social policy or having "stimulus" programs that violate state's rights. The federal government's role should be limited, effective, and constitutional.