[DennisP]

That's a good point. There's been a lot of scaremongering on this issue, which ignores the fact that in various other countries the general public has been able to invest in startups for a long time, without the ill effects so many people predict in the U.S.

[beagle3]

For whatever reason, the US seems to dislike experience from outside the US - that goes for both regulators and voters.

Despite Canada, Europe and Japan having efficient functional socialized medicine for at least half a decade, the discussion in the US was about "death panels" and "health welfare queens" and other completely nonexistent issues anywhere else.

There are a lot of other such issues, such as gay marriage, gambling, etc - that I don't find it surprising that crowdfunding is also part of that group of subjects. I only find it sad.

(On the other hand, significant gun-associated violence is practically unheard of outside the US, even in places that have comparable gun density such as Switzerland and Israel, where almost all males have access to guns, and some cities in Canada; So maybe the US actually is a special case)