Regarding the rep about my post from yesterday: I will expand on that. If in some crazy parallel universe US would decide to join the EU as a member state it would not be able to do so, at least not without some very heavy reforms. Therefore here are the problems in that regard.
The main problem would probably be the public debt of USA. Which is totally out of control by almost all standards. Trillion is thrown here or there on regular basis and in EU that isn't really acceptable. Especially since as member you must not have a planned deficit above 3% of your GDP. While US doesn't have a problem going much much higher than that on certain years. Plus US would need to reduce it's public debt by about 50 to 60 percent to be considered stable and desirable member (if we go by the books). EU has much bigger and more developed welfare system but you need to fund those with tax money. What is vital for keeping the budget under control. The spending practices are really big problem in the whole story.
US is known for having legalized GMO food, while in the EU such food is banned and people are on the streets at first signs that this might change. Therefore GM food from US is banned and illegal to sell in EU. Therefore if you decide to become a member of the union you must ban it as well. Since being in the union means having a single market between it's members. The same goes for may other low quality food practices that are illegal in EU while they are not in US.
Another huge change would have to be workers rights, since in EU you don't really get to own people who work for you. Therefore there you can't ask them to piss in the bottles. It is ok if E-mail isn't answered over the weekend. The standard is that every employee gets 4 weeks or a month of paid leave to experience life a little bit. Also since gig workers are becoming a thing there are plenty of new laws that are regulating that to lower the open abuse. Paid leave due to pregnancy is a standards (in some places even for the father). Paid sick leave is also a standard, which tries that the rest of the workforce doesn't get infected.
When you take a look at European Unions at large there is not a single member state that doesn't have socialized healthcare. Or the one that allows owning the assault rifles and other such weapons. Also the death penalty is banned in all members and that is one of the requirements for being a member state. In general crime, border security and all related issues would be considered to be a pretty big issue in the process of joining. Since the union means the creation of borderless space between the members. Therefore your house my be in order to be accepted. The green new deal would also need to be taken seriously, since the union is already heavily in the process of making it real.
When it comes to consumer rights there are huge difference that have to be lowered. Since the EU protects it's people from evidently harmful practices (as stated before). One such concrete measure is the digital shield. Which asks you when you come to some website do you want to accept or reject it's none essential cookies that usually belong to advertising and third parties. In real life store doesn't have the right to force you to anything at the very door so this should apply to online as well.
There is also a problem of political system, since the opinion would be that US system is unfair. Plus that it tries to suppress political plurality. In other words system of two blocks with shenanigans is "democratically problematic". Therefore EU has 8 blocks. 3 on the left, 3 on the right, centrists and some kind of a mix of independents. Plus the rules allow the creation of new blocks if the requirements are met. But there is no real need for that, 8 of them cover the issues well enough for just about everyone to be able to find where it belongs politically.
Of course there would be plenty of hot topics when it comes all kinda of details but these would probably be the top issues if such process of joining would ever occur. It probably wouldn't ever happen and therefore this is just a mental experiment for the sake of providing picture in cultural differences.
