Seems they are all about the money now...
... because they were not until now?
Heck, even trains, the one kind of vehicle that could drive itself completely safely today, are still manned by "drivers" who spend their time pushing a button to tell the computer they're still alive, because passengers would be scared without drivers and unions prevent their removal from the trains.
Well except in at least Copenhagen, Denmark, where our metro is without in-train operators. As far as I know there is no union for the operating computers, as they have yet to gain sentience.
Most people are fucking idiots.
Not idiots, but ignorant. You can't blame them for that.
Well, you could, but they wouldn't listen, would they?
I do realise you're being sarcastic, but whereas "scary" and "inconsistent" are valid adjectives to associate with the continent Europe depending on what your opinion is, "nanny-state" isn't because Europe isn't a state, it's a continent, and furthermore The European Commission is a political body within the European Union, which is not the same as the continent Europe. Just the same way as [North] America isn't the same as the United States of America.
Top Ten Things Overheard At The ANSI C Draft Committee Meetings: (5) All right, who's the wiseguy who stuck this trigraph stuff in here?