In most of the US they have HOA who likely forbid such things for an absurd fear that a slightly uglier house down in your street will tank your property’s value.

I agree about the Democrat party, but I wonder if the regular people of those states aren’t closer to Canadians in their views. If they were to join I imagine the existing party wouldn’t carry over and new ones would need to be organized.

Because the US doesn’t have any opposition parties or any local leadership that can organize anything. Protests in other places are usually organized by unions, for example. In America everyone just sits at their own couch thinking “someone should be doing something by now” and it never crosses their minds that they should be that someone.

You think it’s too little because you’re not keen on the idea of killing someone in the first place. Would you take the money if instead of murder you just had to go attend a work meeting? Some people treat crimes just as casually as that.