The framers of the US Constitution saw this. I believe that the problem with the current US society, is that we do not apply the ethical practices, that we are taught, to daily life. Rather we are content to mind our own business, or cut a corner or two. Even in saying these rather trite excuses, we tacitly admit that we know we are acting wrongly, and are trying to justify our actions. The ethics, are consistent, or at least relatively so.
Most religions define the same principles.
The code of ethical behavior is pretty much universal, and Judaism is not alone. Each religion defines essentially the same ethics in different perspectives, but the ethics are the same. As for your last sentence in the above paragraph, I believe that is the root of the problem. The only time we need to justify ethics is when we know we are wrong, and don't want to do the right thing. Even when two ethical principles conflict, there is usually a priority ranking between them.