In most European countries, I know that it's possible to rent CD's, either in video/cd shops or in cultural centers and libraries. You can also rent video games or PC programmes in the same places or in specialised video game shops. I wonder why it's not possible in the US - but that wouldn't be the only freedom restriction Americans wouldn't be aware of. In most US states, people can't drink before 21 or even 25, and cannabis can bring you in jail (except maybe in California or Colorado ?). Take a country like Belgium were there is legal age for drinking (it's perfectly ok for 12 years old to drink beer at a pub after the school exams), or the Netherlands were you can legally buy cannabis. Of course, consumption and possession of small quantities or cannabis is either legal or not punishable in most EU countries. There has even been 4 "cannabis cafe" opened in the UK recently (to copy Amsterdam). From a European point of view, I think life in the US has quite a lot of restrictions - except for driving a car when you are 14 and keeping a gun at home, both of which I wouldn't want to see in the EU.

I personally don't drink or smoke, but I would feel insecure in a country like Singapore (as rich and civilised it is) for fear of being executed for drug possession because a jerk has slipped some herb in my bag when I wasn't looking. Hmm, yeah, the US also have death penalty, though not everywhere.