Every single day, I find another reason to be ashamed of my country. We're on a speedrun to turn a modern democratic country into a corrupt shithole in every way imaginable.
Europe retains more counterculture than the US does, but not enough.
They all agree on this because it will be a hidden sticking point for some others, If that's not an impediment some lobyists will make it so. If that doesn't work us ambassadors, state departments and/or USTR will pressure or even put you on a trade watchlist. If that doesn't work some 3 letter agency folks will land on a domestic airfield and have some talks. If that doesn't work some media might peculiarly shift it's tone. etc
In Spain, half a million more people depend on getting money from the government than work in the private sector: https://theobjective.com/economia/macroeconomia/2024-09-16/a...
State dependents - either benefits/welfare or employed - have a very different experience of the economy than others; the disconnected work/pay relationship.
The disconnect between income and effort is causing people to have warped priorities, which, ultimately, results in inflationary economics and impoverishment.