This country is so afraid of it's own shadow. If you have a neighbor who's dog barks at the early morning hours, and you go to ask him to keep it quiet at night when you have a 4 day trip starting the next morning with a 430 show. You will be arrested as having threatened your neighbor just by asking him to keep his dog quiet.
If you want to look at a police state, look at the home owners association for a particular neighborhood, they stipulate what brand and color of paint to buy for the house, when to paint it (even though it may not need new paint) how tall the grass has to be, what you can and can't have on YOUR property, permits to do the smallest of jobs to the house, mandatory meetings, and if you flip them the bird, they will take your house. Who wants to own a house when someone can come in and take it because they don't like you? Legal theft is all it is. People are afraid to do anything about it and other things in the US.... This generates fear and frustration, which causes violence, and even more fear frustration and the furthering policing of stupid things. I hope to go abroad eventually, thankfully my wife is Colombian.
Last edited by jsfboat; 3rd Jun 2013 at 17:05.