actually, what stroke me hard when I went from Europe to US in 2003 for summer student work was how much more repressive the whole system felt. For example coworkers (in central Hollywood) openly afraid of cop cars going in opposite direction, because they had forgotten an unscrewed bottle of alcohol which was not in the trunk.

It might very well be we'll be in similar place in 10 years here, but it was quite a shock to experience back then.

Maybe it's just my American blinders, but I don't see how "you can get arrested for driving with an open container of alcohol" is particularly repressive.

America is a democracy, where a majority of the population supports the War on Drugs, War on Terrorism etc.

America was never a democracy.

It was founded as an oligarchy in the guise of a constitutional republic.

There should be an upvote by 1k arrow.