The water in French hotels is way hotter than the US.
There seems to be no governor on water heaters like the paternalistic US with its weak water heating thanks to regulatory condescension.
Then again, France is widely considered more socialist than the US. Everyone is always on strike, entitlement is common, taxes are high, and employment laws stifling.
This is why it’s quite hard to compare how free or unfree any two polities are. As a visitor to France, the things that most affect you feel refreshingly more free. Few smoking bans, lax alcohol regulations, and of course truly hot water.
But things that affect a permanent resident get worse.
The US has a bit lower taxes and fewer regulations on business, but a ton of nanny state laws on all the day to day stuff.
It’s hard to predict how government control and redistribution will emerge in each place. I try to not judge too harshly and find and appreciate the freedom in each.