I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but what you're looking for doesn't exist. The US still has more protections against police interference in personal life than Europe. Europeans do tend to be more liberal than Americans and Europeans are more likely to force governments to their will. That is both good and bad. On the good side, democracy is more fulfilled. On the bad side, democracy can look like mob rule (especially when it comes to immigration today). This isn't to defend bad things in the US or make Europe look bad - more to point out that they're not as far apart as the original premise.
Every place has its faults. For example, Canada tends to be a bastion of liberalism and multi-culturalism. However, in the province of Ontario, Catholic denominated schools are public funded while schools of other religions must be privately funded. That doesn't mean that Ontario is a bad place to live or that its governors are bad people; it means that every place has these huge annoying faults that just suck.
So, the question isn't "where is better than America". That's a silly question. "Where do the annoyances annoy me personally less" is a better question. Maybe you care about domestic spying, but don't mind the state funding Catholic schools. Maybe you hate republicans for crying terror all the time, but don't mind European leaders yelling at immigrants for looking different. Maybe you hate the greed, but don't mind massive consumerism and vending machines selling everything everywhere in Japan.
For what it's worth, I'd have to agree with the couple of people that have mentioned Ireland. It's wealthy, immigrant-friendly, high-tech, with a good and stable government. It's environmentalist and a tad socialist without being anti-business. OH, and it's English speaking. The downsides? Well, broadband is crappy and everything costs a boatload. Police can stop and search without suspicion (as is the case in most countries); that mostly applies to things like drunk driving which has a zero-tolerance policy (as in, no driving if you've had a beer).
You have to figure out what you value - and whether a certain place has it. The Economist's Quality of Life Index (http://www.economist.com/media/pdf/quality_of_life.pdf) is a good place to narrow your list and it's important to note that there are only a dozen countries scoring higher than the US. I'd say, based on who I am, I'd be happy in half to three-quarters of those. Hope this has provided help.
Every place has its faults. For example, Canada tends to be a bastion of liberalism and multi-culturalism. However, in the province of Ontario, Catholic denominated schools are public funded while schools of other religions must be privately funded. That doesn't mean that Ontario is a bad place to live or that its governors are bad people; it means that every place has these huge annoying faults that just suck.
So, the question isn't "where is better than America". That's a silly question. "Where do the annoyances annoy me personally less" is a better question. Maybe you care about domestic spying, but don't mind the state funding Catholic schools. Maybe you hate republicans for crying terror all the time, but don't mind European leaders yelling at immigrants for looking different. Maybe you hate the greed, but don't mind massive consumerism and vending machines selling everything everywhere in Japan.
For what it's worth, I'd have to agree with the couple of people that have mentioned Ireland. It's wealthy, immigrant-friendly, high-tech, with a good and stable government. It's environmentalist and a tad socialist without being anti-business. OH, and it's English speaking. The downsides? Well, broadband is crappy and everything costs a boatload. Police can stop and search without suspicion (as is the case in most countries); that mostly applies to things like drunk driving which has a zero-tolerance policy (as in, no driving if you've had a beer).
You have to figure out what you value - and whether a certain place has it. The Economist's Quality of Life Index (http://www.economist.com/media/pdf/quality_of_life.pdf) is a good place to narrow your list and it's important to note that there are only a dozen countries scoring higher than the US. I'd say, based on who I am, I'd be happy in half to three-quarters of those. Hope this has provided help.