Federalism concentrated at the state and local level did not work. It lasted six years and the people that wanted it that way admitted it did not work. How often do the people in the position of authority and the creation of a government admit that? How bad must it have been? Yet people still long for it.
Just to clarify. This almost sounds like you're saying "federalism" didn't work. We have a federal government now. It is the Articles of Federation that didn't work. The AoC did not give enough power to the federal government, so states were operating more like sovereign nations than like subordinate states to a superior government. We are still a federalist system. The power the constitution gives to the federal government, however, is limited to the enumerated powers. In theory at least.
Seems the courts really love to interpret the commerce clause to excuse any ruling they want to degree.