If the leader of the Netherlands was considered the most powerful and influential person in the world, you'd be stupid not to take these kinds of precautions.

Yes, I am not denying that. I am pointing out the problem is that such a person can even BECOME so influential such that these precautions are necessary in the first place.

I feel like people entirely misinterpreted my initial comment.

I swear that complaining about other countries as if they're all the same is all the Dutch seem to do

Now that's just rude generalizing. We also eat cheese and hagelslag and like to complain about anything else, especially the weather.

It's simply not the same, it's a ridiculous comparison.

It's not a ridiculous comparison at all, it's spot-on. I used it as a perfect example of a system where over-the-top precautions are not necessary, it's a perfect comparison because all the differences between the countries make up that different result. Otherwise, not a single comparison ever is valid, not even between a pear and an apple, despite being both fruits. They differ - no shit, that's what comparisons are for.

Your country wouldn't be half as nice (and I'll be the first to admit -- it is quite nice) as it is today if it has the power, importance, size, or population of the US.

This was my initial point. The USA should really strive to improve their political system to the best extend possible such that current measures aren't necessary and politicians are closer to citizens than they are now. Whether they take The Netherlands as example or not. We're not perfect, and some factors can't be changed easily - country size - but it's a start, right?