As previous comments have touched upon -- you 
have only noted shows that are on American TV, 
leading me to believe that you have only seen 
Americanized TV versions of anime.

These shows (except for Cowboy Bebop) are chosen 
for their appeal to the children's market in the 
US, and then edited to 

a) take out Japanese cultural references (why 
make the kids think? it might confuse them); 

b) take out anything that might offend the 
parents; and 

c) take out anything that might confuse the 
kiddies or dilute your target market for selling 
toys and ad space for kids' cereals (like, 
removing more complicated plot lines, or toning 
down character relationships -- removing any 
unconventional ones even if it makes Mac-truck-
sized plot holes).  

Even Cowboy Bebop, though chosen for a more 
adult market and aired in a later time slot less 
focused on kids, was edited to minimize offense 
(though less so than your average anime-turned-
kiddie-cartoon).  This is why you'll probably 
never see Evangelion, or Utena, or Trigun, or 
Fushigi Yuugi, et al, on network TV; too darn 
complex and mature for the kids (or for many 
parents, for that matter!)

Also, as many other folks out there have noted, 
dubbing for the American market is largely hit-
or-miss, with the misses outnumbering the good 
dubs by a good margin.  It's a pity, since 
Japanese voiceacting is almost always superb.

So, as so many other worthy folks have noted: if 
you want good anime, look to unedited stuff, not 
American TV versions; if you are really looking 
for the good stuff, then go subtitled.