This great nation was founded as a liberal nation, one that valued liberty over most everything else. Naturally, this did not initially apply to women or slaves, but the idea was that the federal government was highly limited and that most rights would stay with the individual. This freedom had responsibilities, of course, in that you can eat poison if you want, but you'll suffer the consequences. As long as your actions didn't adversely affect others against their will, then your choices should be free.
Since then, a nanny or paternalistic form of government has taken over the U.S. It more closely resembles corrupt communism than what the founding fathers had in mind. What's interesting is that much of this problem is directly related to democracy.
The problem of democracy is related to the fact that people tend to vote for their self-interest even if it means imposing restrictions on others. The Constitution was supposed to prevent the tyranny of the masses, and it did a pretty good job for over 100 years. Unfortunately, new laws and regulations are created so quickly, telling us whether we can spit, smoke, swear, have sex, take this drug versus that drug, can work in this job, loiter, walk our dog or even put a window on a wall. This is the very definition of a nanny state, one in which the will of the majority as expressed through numerous laws imposes on others.
Unfortunately, people are not uniform, so creating laws to solve differences in opinion and taste are so nasty, often creating criminals out of people who otherwise harm nobody else.
One person may like escargot. Another may like opera. One may love Oprah, while I like The Daily Show. Some eat only raw vegetables, while others eat mostly meat. Some people walk or bike to work, while others drive huge SUVs. Some like to spend thousands for diamonds, while others snicker that far cheaper materials look as nice and often sparkle just as well. Some wear fur, others throw blood on them. Some people like to smoke cigarettes, others cigars, others marijuana, other crack cocaine, others opium, others herbs, others beef and salmon, and others just hate smoking in any form. Some people wear perfume, while others get ill at the smell. A liberal nation lets people decide for themselves so long as they are not harming others with their behavior.
For example, a pet peeve of mine is that I can walk my dog off leash everywhere in my city except when I'm in a park. Once I'm in a park, my dog has to be on a leash. This is pretty much the exact opposite of what I'd like. I'm fine walking my dog on a leash throughout the city, but when I'm at a park, I want my dog to run and play and a leash prevents that from happening. I'd prefer no law requiring a leash, and instead simply be held responsible for my dog. For example, if I leave dog poop, fine me. If my dog bites someone, sue me or press charges. It makes more sense to hold me accountable for my actions than it is to assume that all dog owners are bad and need to be regulated. I'm smart enough to keep my dog from bothering others and I pick up his poop. Those who wouldn't keep their dogs under control probably don't follow the leash law anyway.