Happy Birthday Canada! America Could Learn A Lot from You

SAVE AS FAVORITE

VIEW FAVORITES

By Grant Lawrence (about the author) Page 1 of 2 page(s)

opednews.com Permalink

For OpEdNews: Grant Lawrence - Writer

Like
the U.S., we are a nation of immigrants. But while Americans are loudly
patriotic, we are demure and self-effacing. Just because Canada wasn't
spawned through revolution doesn't mean we can't wave the flag with a
little more vigour....

Commentary: Quietly Canadian

Today is Canada Day, the anniversary of the uniting of four Provinces into a single country on July 1st, 1867.

I don't claim to be an expert on Canada or its birthday but according toWikipedia,"...referred to as "Canada's birthday", particularly in the popular press, the occasion marks the joining of the British North American colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Canada into a federation of four provinces (the Province of Canada being divided, in the process, into Ontario and Quebec) on 1 July 1867."

Now
I know you Canadians don't like to brag or appear too egotistical. But
you are a great country and we Americans have a lot we could learn a
lot from you.

What could you teach us?

Well for starters,
you could show us how to have a single payer health care system, where
services are provided by private health care but the fees are paid for
by the government at the same rate.

I
know Canadians occasionally like to complain about their health care
but fortunately they don't have a large percentage of their population
underinsured or uninsured.

Canadians could also show us how
act as a global citizen. They don't have an Empire, like here in the
US, so they don't have a lot of enemies. It seems the only time
Canadians get enemies is when they team up with Americans, like in
Afghanistan, and help out with our Empire. Maybe they do that because
they still have a thing for the British Empire. But, generally,
Canadians are peace loving and thoughtful people. Americans might learn
something from peace and thoughtfulness.

Canadians spend just 7 cents of each of their tax dollars on defense (2007-2008).
In contrast Americans spend nearly 50% of their tax dollars to pay for
war and war debt. Canadians get a pretty good bang for their defense
spending because I don't think they have to worry about being invaded
any time soon (unless us crazies to the south get the idea that they
might have weapons of mass destruction).

Canada also has less crime, cleaner cities, better social services, and they believe (last I checked) in public education.

But
with all Canadians have going for them they don't like to appear too
patriotic. They certainly are patriotic, but they just would rather be
humble about themselves and their beautiful country.

Canadians
could also teach Americans about humility. Americans generally are very
pompous and condescending. That is because we are generally pretty
ignorant. How else could you explain the fact that we are still letting
corporations get rich off our health care system while many Americans
go without care. Americans have this fear of socialism unless it is
socialism for the rich then that is good.

See I told you Americans were pretty ignorant.
1 | 2

http://grantlawrence.blogspot.com/

I work as a school counselor and mental health counselor in Gallup New Mexico.

The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author
and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.

Contact Author Contact Editor View Authors' Articles

Book Recommendations for "American Foreign Policy"

American Foreign Policy Since World War II
by Steven W. Hook

$49.95
Lowest New Price $40.99
Number of pages: 465
Publisher: CQ Press

American Foreign Policy and Process
by James M. McCormick

$112.95
Lowest New Price $96.65
Number of pages: 677
Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing

American Foreign Policy: Pattern and Process
by Eugene R. Wittkopf

$112.95
Lowest New Price $86.00
Number of pages: 672
Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing