I think that the mindset (no dig intended at you) that GA does not provide any real utility is the reason why in Europe it is seen as rich man and eccentrics playing with toys whereas in the USA GA is seen as a genuine utility and as a result of this all of GA benefits from the support of government and the representative bodies.
In the US\Canada I've yet to have any flying cancelled to wx. In the UK I must be roughly running at around 30%->40% of flying trips cancelled by wx. I suspect that's probably more likely to explain the view of GA as utility in NA rather than here in Europe.