They may have declared independence, but they got it by fighting off the thugs of the crown.
I agree that courts and cops may look good on paper, but the facts are there are many points of friction with it.
Not least of which is some killers get impunity to continue killing people that don't have it coming.

I'd probably support something similar to what we have were the positions of power rotated in some manner rather than bestowed for life or won in clearly rigged elections.
I say rigged because there is no way to count those that don't participate and those that participate are on one side of issue, generally.

Why do local taxes pass so easily?
Because the people against them don't vote in the numbers of the people that support them.