Our great country has plenty of unique liberties and freedoms that might surprise even the most patriotic of us. We can do some things here that people in other countries can only dream of. Let’s take a look at the 18 freedoms we have here in the States that make our country such a great place to live.
Turning Right on Red
Here in most of the US, you can turn right after stopping, even if the light’s red, because this keeps traffic flowing and doesn’t waste any time. But not many places outside of our nation let you do that. They make you wait out every painful second of the red light, which is enough to make you appreciate our traffic laws.
Owning a Gun
One of our most obvious freedoms is the ability to own a gun, thanks to the Second Amendment. Most other places only allow you to own one under strict rules, meaning you can’t have a firearm at home for protection. In places like the UK, getting your hands on a gun involves a lot more red tape.
Advertising Prescription Drugs
TV ads for medications are pretty American, as the US and New Zealand are the only places that let drug companies advertise directly to consumers. These ads usually include a long list of possible side effects over videos of people enjoying everyday activities. While these ads are meant to give us more choices, they also make for some weird TV moments.
Owning Exotic Pets
In several US states, you can own exotic animals like monkeys and big cats. While there are restrictions, the freedom to have one is not something you’d find in many parts of the world! Depending on where you live, you might need a special permit, and there are often strict rules about how to care for these animals.
Home Schooling
If you’re not happy with local schools, you can teach your kids at home in America, and this flexibility isn’t in many other countries. Most other governments make it far harder to teach kids at home. Parents can tailor their child’s education to fit their learning styles and beliefs in the states.
Filing Class Action Lawsuits
Anyone unhappy with a company can join others and file a class action lawsuit. This way, even small claims can get big attention, which is not as easy to do in other countries. It doesn’t matter if it’s consumer products or securities fraud because our nation allows anyone to take on large corporations with little support.
Building Private Prisons
While the idea of private companies running prisons sounds odd, it’s a thing here that doesn’t exist elsewhere. Private facilities help manage prison populations, although they’re pretty controversial and definitely not common outside of America. No matter your opinion about private prisons, it’s pretty cool that we can create them here.
Claiming Uninhabited Islands
Under a strange law from 1856, Americans can claim any uninhabited island with guano, a.k.a. bird poop, if no one else has claimed it. It’s a weird old rule that’s not exactly something you see happening daily. How many other countries do you think allow people to claim an island in the name of bird poop?
No National Language Requirement
Even though English is so popular, we don’t have an official national language. That means there’s so much more flexibility in how people communicate, giving people a sense of linguistic freedom that’s pretty rare. We prefer to celebrate everyone’s background instead of just focusing on one.
Unlimited Campaign Donations by Super PACs
Super PACs don’t really exist in other countries like they do here, and they can raise unlimited amounts of money to support whichever candidates they choose. It’s all part of our commitment to free speech for everybody, even though it’s controversial. People can, quite literally, put their money where their mouth is.
Holding Dual Citizenship
Unlike other countries, the US government doesn’t mind if you have a passport from another country and your American one. This is pretty useful for anyone with ties in more than one place and means they can keep their connections abroad. We really do care a lot about people celebrating their heritage.
Freedom of Panhandling
In many US cities, asking for money on the street, which is sometimes called panhandling, is completely legal and protected as free speech. That’s pretty different from many other places where begging is either banned or heavily regulated. Instead, we let people make ends meet however they can.
Establishing Independent Media
It’s quite easy to start a media outlet here, as we have strong protections for freedom of speech. This means that there are so many voices in the media, way more than in many countries where the government keeps a tight lid on broadcasting. No matter your beliefs, there’s a media channel out there that shares the same view.
Driving Massive Vehicles
In America, you can drive huge pickup trucks and oversized SUVs that seem like small tanks. Many other countries have too narrow roads for these or small cars because of fuel efficiency and space constraints. But over here, big is always better, and we love large vehicles that don’t exist elsewhere.
Making Permanent Modifications to Cars
Speaking of cars, we have much more freedom to modify ours than in many other countries. Want to improve your truck’s engine? Go ahead. Feel like changing your car’s body? That’s totally okay, too. This is mostly due to less restrictive laws over vehicle modifications compared to places like Europe or Japan, where standards are much stricter.
Anti-SLAPP Laws
Across America, Anti-SLAPP laws help keep people from being sued just for speaking their minds. These laws kick in if someone tries to scare you into silence with a lawsuit, as we value people’s right to free speech. They might even get the other person to pay your lawyer’s fees.
Salvage Grocery Stores
A salvage grocery store sells stuff like dented cans and foods that are past their “sell-by” date but still good to eat. It’s all totally legal and lets shoppers snag deals on groceries that’d otherwise get tossed out. You can save money and cut down on waste in a way that you simply can’t in many other countries.
Running a Lemonade Stand Without a Permit
Kids can also run lemonade stands in several states without fancy permits right in their front yards. This is thanks to special laws that protect these small business ventures. While children won’t exactly get punished in other countries for making a few bucks, it’s still pretty cool that it’s legal over here.
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