America prides itself on being a land of rugged individuals. It's supposed to be the ideal place in all the world where the citizenry is "free" to choose. With the right to individual choice comes individual responsibility. However, depending on your ideological viewpoint, there comes a point where the government has to legislate to make things "better for the greater good." With government oversight, individual freedoms are often forfeited. Again, depending on one's ideological stance, these forfeitures are there for our safety or for the promotion of "fairness" to all. It seems that if an individual identifies with one of the two most common ideologies (Liberal/Democrat vs. Conservative/Republican) (s)he is willing to give up some freedom in order to gain some other ideal living standard. In either situation, a case could be made that the "ideal" America can't exist.
The conservative view states that the government should stay out of the hair of the business community. A true capitalist society will take a "laissez-faire" attitude toward the business sector. New and innovative businesses can thrive by providing goods that consumers want. The "free market" will control quality and service by natural selection. If a business provides a good/service that the consumer will flock to at a fair and reasonable price, it will survive and thrive. If the business provides a sub-standard product, or prices itself out of the market, it will naturally fail. To the conservative, government intervention and taxation will only stifle growth and innovation. To a degree, this can be true. But, looking at our financial markets and the current state of our economy, we can see and (hopefully) live through what happens with little or no government oversight. Further, to listen to conservatives, they don't seem to mind government oversight when it comes to our "safety." George W. Bush and his current regime have decided to ignore the constitution and use wiretaps without court orders for persons believed to be involved in "terrorist plots." Conservatives don't seem to mind government intervention if they see some "moral" decline needing oversight. (Abortion would be the classic example).
Even though my views lean to the left, I have to point out the inconsistencies with the liberal view. A liberal tends to tell the government to but out when it comes to "morality" issues such as abortion. They willl claim that it is the woman's body and her individual right to choose what's best for her and that the government need not intervene. The same could be said about drug use and a number of other issues that those on the right deem "immoral." However, those on the left feel that the government must intervene when it comes to the business community. Without governemnt intervention, the wealthy only get wealthier and the working stiff completes all the labor with little reward. Heavy taxes are used to assist those in need (the poor, the disabled, etc.). Conservatives would say that choices made by those less fortunate led them to their current plight. Liberals would argue that the deck is stacked against the less fortunate from the beginning.
The only political party which seems to capture the true spirit of the American ideal is the Libertarian party. They believe in lower (or no) taxes and letting businesses succeed or fail on their own merits. They also believe in individual choice on moral issues such as abortion and drug use. The problem with Libertarianism, other than the fact that its popularity is still very small and it could be generations before it becomes a viable political party, is that it does little to defend the citizenry from undesirable behavior (rape, murder, stealing, etc.) in the eyes of those who aren't believers in this ideal. (This isn't true, just the perception.)
My guess is the only way to truly live the American ideal is, as follows. Start your own cash-only business (baby sitting, dog walking or some such activity). Provide good service to keep the businees afloat. Refuse to pay taxes. (In this case, I wouldn't make a point of stating out loud that you don't pay taxes-just kind of allow yourself to fall off of the radar). If you do have some classically liberal ideals such as assisting the needy, give to private charities rather than letting the government dictate how the money is distributed. I'm not advocating such a move. I'm merely stating that this is a possible solution to ultimately live with individual freedom and responsibility and minimize government intrusion.