What do you think will happen if-

[Person Man]

Marijuana was legalized nationally? Would there be any big changes in the economy/national debate/ what people complain about (stuff like too many people in prison, crime rate etc)?
-would it actually change American society/culture in any way (like the New Deal, the car, sliced bread, a war with a draft or Rock 'n Roll)?

Abortion was made generally illegal in most/all circumstances I most/all states?

Social security was privatized?

Obamacare was "repealed"?

Cap and Trade was implemented as compared with Obama's policy or with doing nothing?

The "flat tax" or Reagan's 1987 tax code was implemented?

[AggregateDemand]

Legal marijuana wouldn't change much as long as the regulations were appropriately restrictive. The industry is pure vice so I don't have any particular qualms about restricting access to advertising media, especially public space and communication. The big change with legalization of marijuana would be the legalization of hemp, which could undermine the cotton economy and certain types of synthetic fibers.

Abortion being generally illegal would be a mistake. If abortion prohibition were mixed with the modern welfare state, bedlam would erupt, imo.

Social Security privatization is not advantageous for anyone, as forced contributions to private retirement are basically Wall Street's wildest fantasy, not optimal public policy. SS/MED need to switch to defined contribution plans, like the rest of planet earth, not defined benefit plans that give seniors incentives to kill off their progeny for cushy benefits.

Cap and Trade would be a disaster. The man who invented cap and trade said it would be a disaster, and warned policy wonks against creating artificial markets for to price negative externalities. It's only a thing because Obama is from Chicago, home of the mercantile exchange where carbon credits would be traded. It was nonsense from the get go.

Flat marginal tax is a matter of fundamental human rights. Our obsession with the "fairness" of graduated progressive tax rates shows that we are uneducated, unimaginative, intellectually rigid, and deserving of the socioeconomic rancor we create with overly complicated unfair tax codes.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Emissions trading is kind of lousy if poorly implemented. The EU has one, which is a goddamn disaster that has only given rationalisation to more polluting projects. To have a real impact on carbon, the pricing needs to be at about 40 euros a tonne. For most of 2013 the price for permits sat at around two euros. Call me when it closes the lignite coal plants or the Polish plants or Drax. You need a carbon tax (plus other "direct action" moves) not this lame half-measure.

I suppose one benefit of cap and trade passing in 2009 is that the US could boost its international standing on the issue, which could have stopped Copenhagen being the unmitigated disaster it was.

[New_Conservative]

Marijuana was legalized nationally? Would there be any big changes in the economy/national debate/ what people complain about (stuff like too many people in prison, crime rate etc)?
-would it actually change American society/culture in any way (like the New Deal, the car, sliced bread, a war with a draft or Rock 'n Roll)?

If Marijuana was legalized, I don't think much will change. Tobacco use will go down, and our prison systems will be less congested with people that don't belong there. I don't expect much of an economic boon from it, like a lot of people. Pot use would go up, of course, but I don't see a big cultural impact of its legalization, considering how widespread use of it already is.

Abortion was made generally illegal in most/all circumstances I most/all states?
I'm pro-life, but not in favor of a federal law banning all abortions. I think it would be a public health disaster for women. Going back to the days of women having to go in back alleys for abortions would not be good.

Social security was privatized?
[b[A more efficient system is created for those wishing to invest in their retirement. A shot to the arm added in the economy due to the amount of money being invested into the financial system.  [/b]

Cap and Trade was implemented as compared with Obama's policy or with doing nothing?

Adamaged economy.

The "flat tax" or Reagan's 1987 tax code was implemented?

People's rights are improved, more efficient tax systemp