I am coming to the conclusion that this carry-on issue may just be one of those issues where we will have to agree to differ.

Looking at the postings in this thread (and previous similar threads) it would appear that those of us who were brought up in Europe are generally happy with the way things are done here - we expect to have to check our baggage, we don't see it as an issue. Most of the Europeans who have posted here seem to appreciate the advantages of the European carry-on regime: less stuff to lug around, less hassle and chaos at boarding time, shorter security lines because there is less stuff to be looked at in the x-ray machine.

As a European visitor to the USA I don't go round complaining about the way Americans do things with regards to carry-on baggage. I may prefer our way of doing things, but it's your country, and I accept that you do things differently. If Americans, in turn, accept that we do things differently in Europe then we should all be able to live happily ever after!