You are responding to the wrong person.

And also mischaracterizing the state of things. Some HOAs say you must have a lawn, not a garden, in your front (or street-facing) yard. They do not prohibit you from growing carrots in your back yard. They do prohibit other things.

I'm not a fan of HOAs. But HOAs are voluntary communities. You sign the contract, you are bound by the terms. That's true in your country too.

And as for American Freedom.. It's just part of the exceptionalism mythology. Just like the One True God, or the World Champions of Sport, or what have you. Intelligent people have a more nuanced view. Unintelligent people are more common, alas. And so the world turns...

And what was the point of coming into this thread and pushing that attack specifically at the US? The world is overflowing with highly regulated economies, including all across affluent Europe. The article didn't claim the US was more free than xyz, people in this thread weren't claiming that either. You set up a straw issue so you could knock it down.

You're relatively new here, so here's a tip: what you're doing (trying to incite, posting flamebait) is specifically against HN's guidelines.

> Just don't say that you Americans are more free than other nations. Because you are simply not.

But your example is shit, because Americans are free to move a place without an HOA (I’m in one).