I went to see them in Brooklyn a couple weeks ago and got kicked out 2 minutes after they started playing.
The U.S. could have technically done much better as a British colony. Read up on your history. I don't know enough to make an educated opinion about Brazil. I can sure tell you that the Haiti revolution made Haiti one of the poorest countries in the Americas and forced a whole bunch of the population out of it in a desperate search for work.
Your idea of "freedom" is way too idealistic. Humanity cannot possibly handle the freedom that you would like to impose upon it. I would personally love to be as free as you want people to be free, yet most people will just sink together with the ship. I also extremely enjoy your Bill reference.
The average person would be much happier if his life was completely dictated by someone else. Life is very easy when you don't have to think for yourself, and most people dislike to think for themselves. Hell, most people dislike to think in general. You might come to that conclusion yourself if you ever come out of your self-imposed isolation. What's best for most people is surely not what's best for you and me, but... following the wonderful socialistic principles of freedom... a lack of freedom would make more people feel free in this country. Why do you think that people keep on voting for social measures that only restrict their rights?
Many democratic nations are doing quite well thankyou.Its the United States that is in very bad shape now.