Some would thrive, some would survive and some would die.

Great question. If we switched to full freedom at this point the "average person" would go into shock. Most have no clue how far we have strayed. Given the choice of freedom or anything else I choose freedom.

Compared to everyone else in the world, Americans are more individualistic and more educated. American adults are MORE SCIENCE LITERATE than other industrialized adults. In another discussion here, I mentioned the "jante" the Scandinavian cultural imperative to conform. After two college classes in conversational Japanese for business, I worked for Kawasaki and Honda. In Japan comedians were banned from television for making fun of conformity.

It is true, also, that other cultures also have strong elements of individualism. Nigeria is a complicated place of several (incompatible) peoples, and among some, it is expected that you leave your family and make your own way. In Ghana, barred from owning land and hunting, women turned to the marketplace and run most of the businesses.

In addition tot he usual classes in western history, I had an elective in history of China. Hardly the first you would think of, across the centuries, when either freed from domination or just allowed to choose, people there exactly as you and I might prefer.

Just to say, Americans are special, but not entirely unique in every respect.

We are, nonetheless, a self-selected people, the most individualist from all over, willing to leave everything and everybody behind. And we all know that this is not the capitalist society we would prefer. The reasons why are complicated.

First and foremost, those best qualities were never identified in their own right, on their own terms. It is difficult to emancipate yourself from 2500 years or more of continuously reinforced ideologies. Many people here still believe in God and go to church and quote the Bible. You take the good with the bad.

Even at the height of the Aquitaine Renaissance, Italian Renaissance, the Northern Renaissance, the Age of Reason, and the Enlightenment, most people did what they usually do, while a handful of creators went forward. In America of the 19th and 20th centuries most people were predictably ignorant, superstitious, and fearful. But an ever-larger number of creators went forward to explore and develop new ideas.

We here believe that when presented with the right ideas, often enough, in as many contexts as possible, across the landscape of American culture, enough people will make the right decisions. Change will come.

No. But they will adapt.

One of humans major advantages is that ability to adapt to change.

Define "handle".

I thought about this more, and I realized one premise that it's easier to handle lack of freedom than freedom. I wonder how often that's true. I wonder if the same people who would have a hard time working out a deal with a doctor's office also have a hard time figuring out gov't Medicare forms. I'm not sure how often gov't running something actually helps those who can't take care of themselves.

If we let people drive cars, there will be 50k deaths a year.

If we let people have nicotine, alcohol, and caffeine, some people will get addicted and some people will develop real problems.

I did a charity walk once, and I signed a waiver that said "I understand that walking involves some risk."

So if the bar is that not a single person can harmed, then we probably should have no freedom at all.

Most people would rise to the occasion. I'm assuming in this, that the changes would be phased in over a few years.

I think PPACA is on the balance a good thing, but I do not understand the argument of protecting people from businesses. Business works by finding ways to help more and more people. I can make a little money designing a board for someone, but if I can design a system that makes boards or a board that many people use and would like support for, I will be more successful. So if I go from helping about eight clients on and off to something that a million people want to purchase, then suddenly your brother would say those people need protection from me. Why? My mind is always looking for some ways to put cheap parts together in a way that people like to pay for. I can't imagine being so good at giving people something they'll pay for that those people now need protection from me.

Maybe he means protecting people from me not disposing of chemicals properly. I agree with protecting people from acts like that. I don't understand protecting someone from business itself.

I think we can't do anything but change our selves which is why I don't go into the big box stores unless it is an emergency. I buy all of my cloths I can from American Made Clothing online. The rest I buy American which can be found in stores in Wyoming and Colorado. I have found almost everything big I need cloths, boots, toothpaste for myself and family American made. I eat out at small locally owned restaurants. Remember we can only change ourselves and it is Tyrannical to tell other people what to do. If America sinks it will be because there are more idiots than real Americans and I don't believe that is so.