Your “sources” ? My being informed by the FACTS makes me smarter and more reliable than any “sources”. If your “sources” tell you something other then what is factually known about this subject then they are simply making stuff up. Do your “sources” meet you in empty parking garages and use code words?
Sure one can exist in this country without ID. You just can’t drive a car, fly on planes (or, I believe, buy a Greyhound ticket), leave the country, get insurance, own land, rent anywhere reputable, get any credit, open a bank account, or be legally employed (SSN card required which requires ID). So I guess your idealized freeman would have to live in a tent on public land, be highly restricted in his travels, grow what he eats or live off the land (hunting would be illegal without a hunting/fishing lic), and beg for any money he needs. No problem, unless he breaks the law, like poaching, tax evasion for excessive cash income, overstaying at the national park camp ground or gives the police any reasonable suspicion to question him. Then he must be able ID himself. Moreover, 5 years ago the US Supreme court upheld a Nevada law that requires individuals ID themselves. Do you know what is done with smart ass suspects or criminals that refuse to ID themselves in most counties? They are booked as John or Jane Does. There are lots of John Does to sort through while smart ass sits in his cell. That takes a long time. Effectively, the debate is over. If that makes you weep then you will have no tears for the very real internet privacy concerns of today and the future.