Not denying corruption doesn't exist in other countries, including EU.
However, if you look at it closely from a 3rd person perspective, you'll see that the laws in US are designed to snatch rights away from citizens vs laws in most other countries are designed to give rights to its citizens.
One may ask where it comes from? It seems comes from a place of profit for a lobby.
No payment for student athletes? NCAA and others suck in value of labor of young kids by denying right to earn money for their labor
No universal healthcare or clean competition in healthcare? Private insurance and healthcare institutions suck in value of humans by denying right to get basic healthcare as a service.
No cheap education? Lenders racketing on student's worth by denying students access to low cost capitalistic education.
No rights for private prisoners? Immigrants? Civil forfeiture? Every thing is designed as a system to take away rights for the benefit of a few.
The US govt and private industry are a nexus of money making for large lobbying groups.
This won't fly in another non-corrupt democracy, let alone in EU.
> It seems also deeply cultural. What would count as greedy and offputting behavior here, is seen as laudable and ambitious in the US
Yep, there's another way of looking at the fundamental difference. The govt exists to make money for a few at the expense of others.