I'm fairly well informed, having read and studied the Constitution in different contexts throughout law school. The difference between you and me, I imagine, is more fundamental than who is "informed" or not:
"The Constitution itself was intended to place very strict limits on the size and scope of the Federal Government."
In fact, there was no single intention in creating the Constitution. Roughly there were two factions (though both wanted a stronger federal government than what existed at the time). The conflict between the two was largely resolved during the founding generation or very soon after--the "powerful federal government" forces' interpretation of the Constitution won, in Congress and the Supreme Court. The Civil War and the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendment cemented that interpretation at the point of a sword.
The original opposing factions of the Founders were far closer to each other in intent than where we are today.
The fact that the interpretation of the Constitution has changed so radically where you can point out where it decisively was interpreted differently implicitly tells us that the original language and spirit are no longer obeyed. We're somewhere else as a result of the Civil War, the New Deal, the Great Society, and now the utter capitulation to the Nanny State that is Obamacare.
I mean, the language hasn't changed that much. We have written records of the Constitutional convention and the ratification debates within the States. Obamacare, for example, was a universe away conceptually from what the Constitution allowed the Federal government to do.
No amendments have been introduced since then that would allow for many of the functions of government. Yet there they are.
You can argue that judicial precedent and inherently unconstitutional laws have brought us to this point - but you can't really argue that our Federal government isn't in constant violation of the Constitution.
"The Constitution itself was intended to place very strict limits on the size and scope of the Federal Government."
In fact, there was no single intention in creating the Constitution. Roughly there were two factions (though both wanted a stronger federal government than what existed at the time). The conflict between the two was largely resolved during the founding generation or very soon after--the "powerful federal government" forces' interpretation of the Constitution won, in Congress and the Supreme Court. The Civil War and the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendment cemented that interpretation at the point of a sword.