The problem is, that kind of individual seemed not to be as common just 60 years ago, let alone 100 or 200 years.

There is a feedback loop. 200 years ago there was no state school to teach the virtues of the state. 100 and even 60 years ago the state school system was no where as developed as it is today.

Combine state school with the modern circus that is mass media and with a system that promises something for everyone, and there you go. This is probably a gross simplification, but I think largely true.

People have always wanted to hand responsibility off to someone else and have always wanted something for nothing. In my view religion is an attempt to do this. However, almost everyone knew that "the gods help those who help themselves". Even if you believed that praying to the harvest god is what brought in a good crop, you still had to work the fields.

Now, the state actually gives you something for nothing. Or at least the illusion of something for nothing. Most people do not want to look behind the curtain and discover that OZ is a fraud.

At the end of the day, freedom for individuals produces the best end result for everyone. What I’ve learned from reading here and on other blogs, seems to suggest that many of you believe that if each individual is just in charge of himself, the world would work better.

A big part of the reason we are in the mess we are today is that people have removed focus from the individual and said "we want everyone to be better off". Then someone comes along and says "My Plan will make everyone better off". The Communists are notable famous for this, but collectivists of all stripes do it. The "My Plan is Best for All" approach of the state is simply wrong, but very appealing.

There is nothing wrong with making a utilitarian argument that says (truthfully) "In Liberty every one will be better off", but be prepared for the strawman of "what if someone is crippled and can't take care of himself and no one is willing to help him, what then?" Or "What if there is only one way to build a vitally necessary road and one person refuses to sell their property?"

Also understand that when you make a utilitarian argument there will be someone who says "My Plan is Better. I can guarantee everyone's happiness and well being, Liberty cannot." It is both true and obvious that Liberty cannot, since Liberty explicitly does not guarantee results. The person with a Plan is either lying or naive, but that is not obvious to most people.