My comment: Well, nobody places Taiwan side by side. Up to the mid-1980s when I left Taiwan, the political system was sclerotic. I have lived in Massachusetts since 1989. What I can not understand is that in Massachusetts, only the governor has a state trooper who doubles as both a driver and body guard. The lieutenant governor, as well as presidents of public or private colleges, drive--but the cars are supplied by their respective employers. In the bad-old-day Taiwan--what is it like presently, I do not know--there were a myriad of officials, many of them had full-time drivers.