Freer Than France?

Christopher Caldwell is concerned that American society is "growing less spontaneous, less trusting and less free."

"Federal government policy is partly to blame," he argues in the Financial Times, noting the "vast sums" the feds spend "on advertisements to turn citizens into snitches." Zeal for ratting out anti-social behavior, he notes, has spread to private industries and local governments.

According to Caldwell, "the busybody model of social control poses a special problem to the US. For America's war on terrorism involves it in a struggle for the hearts and minds of the world. And it is an open question whether America's domestic society is still free enough in practice to woo the unaffiliated to its way of life."

He asks, Is the U.S. freer than, say, France? "Yes, if you are an entrepreneur. No, if you are a person who wants to smoke a cigarette with your coffee, or drink a beer on your 20th birthday…."