I'd imagine we could debate the ins and outs of the USA in another thread.
One thing Aussies do not understand is the Bill of Rights are inalienable rights. The founding fathers were well studied and educated people, they knew history and they believed human beings had inalienable rights, not rights gifted from government, but from above and that these were basic ingrained rights humans should have and that could not be taken away. Reading the 9th and 10th Amendment might help people get the complete picture.
The US has always been a bit different from countries like Canada and Australia in that we fought for total separation from the Brits and that we are not subjects to the Queen but rather citizens instead.