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We will always remain the best, independent, god-fearing, courageous, flag waving and freedom loving people in the world. Our education and religious indoctrination makes sure of that. If we fall short on any of those things that we so strongly believe, only an outsider will notice. To us he/she would just be an other lefty or commie.
This Canadian thinks it is time to speak up for the Americans as most generous and possibly the least appreciated people on all the earth.
Germany, Japan and, to a lesser extent, Britain and Italy were lifted out of the debris of war by the Americans who poured in billions of dollars and forgave other billions in debts. None of these countries is today paying even the interest on its remaining debts to the United States.
When the franc was in danger of collapsing in 1956, it was the Americans who propped it up, and their reward was to be insulted and swindled on the streets of Paris. I was there. I saw it. When distant cities are hit by earthquakes, it is the United States that hurries in to help. This spring, 59 American communities were flattened by tornadoes. Nobody helped.
The Marshall Plan and the Truman Policy pumped billions of dollars into discouraged countries. Now newspapers in those countries are writing about the decadent, warmongering Americans. I'd like to see just one of those countries that is gloating over the erosion of the United States Dollar build its own airplane. Does any other country in the world have a plane to equal the Boeing Jumbo Jet, the Lockheed Tristar, or the Douglas DC-10? If so, why don't they fly them? Why do all the International lines except Russia fly American planes?
Why does no other land on earth even consider putting a man or woman on the moon? You talk about Japanese technocracy, and you get radios. You talk about German technocracy, and you get automobiles. You talk about American technocracy, and you find men on the moon — not once, but several times — and safely home again.
You talk about scandals, and the Americans put theirs right in the store window for everybody to look at. Even their draft-dodgers are not pursued and hounded. They are here on our streets, and most of them, unless they are breaking Canadian laws, are getting American dollars from ma and pa at home to spend here.
When the railways of France, Germany and India were breaking down through age, it was the American who rebuilt them. When the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central went broke, nobody loaned them an old caboose. Both are still broke.
I can name you 5,000 times when the Americans raced to the help of other people in trouble. Can you name me even one time when someone else raced to the Americans in trouble? I don't think there was outside help even during the San Francisco earthquake.
Our neighbors have faced it alone, and I'm one Canadian who is damned tired of hearing them get kicked around. They will come out of this thing with their flag high. And when they do, they are entitled to thumb their nose at the lands that are gloating over their present troubles. I hope Canada is not one of those.
Yes yes!! The conservative American attitude is "I've got mine, I'm not going to share, you worry about and take care of yourself (unless you've got something I need, then that's mine too)." They seem to prefer giving their money to a multibillion dollar corporation than a poor person who can barely feed their family, all while touting Christian values .
I love being American, I love my Christian values, and I really LOVE my stock portfolio, which I definitely will not share with you or any other poor loser.
Gotta go, my landscapers are here, and I love watching them cut my lawn while I throw down a nice cold American brew!
I love being American, I love my Christian values, and I really LOVE my stock portfolio, which I definitely will not share with you or any other poor loser.
Gotta go, my landscapers are here, and I love watching them cut my lawn while I throw down a nice cold American brew!
Have you got a couple of cold beers for the landscapers for when they're finished, Joe?
You mentioned the concept of the "cowboy who stands on his own ".
By accident, you have touched on one of the VERY basic differences, in thinking, between Americans and Canadians........
To me, the average American seems to have the attitude of " To hell with you, I'm all right ". Ignoring the huge social problems that are all around them, if they would only open their eyes. Blindly mouthing the jingo phrases of their party.
Canadians have the attitude that "if we all work together, we can live better lives " The American cult of the "rugged individual " is distasteful to us. We would rather take care of the poor, and the weak, and the elderly, than make another hundred thousand dollars.
It works for us.
Jim B.
Canada and the US are the most similar two nations in the world. For the most part the people are the same, (Quebec withstanding) but you have touched on the very base of what difference does exist. The difference between Canada and the US is political, and it always has been.
We Americans are more individualistic, we are more distrustful of government and yes we do act like cowboys sometimes. This has always been our way, and it is what drove the creation of our nation. We resented British rule, British regulation and taxes and we wanted to make our own decisions. We value individualism and admire those who make the most of the capitalist system. I wouldn't say that we ignore our social problems but you are right that we do not like to use the government to fix them. Government solutions to social problems are usually the last resort for us, or it has been historically. In recent years we have moved to the left, but most of our history we have distrusted government solutions.
Canadians remained loyal, saw more value in government and have always worked for good government rather than less government as we have in the US. The differences were enhanced after our revolution when Canada's population was boosted with Tories fleeing the new USA in the wake of the British defeat. Modern Canada reflects this long standing tradition of valuing good government. Canadians today rely more on government for things like health care, retirement and social safety nets than do their neighbors to the south.
Americans when they criticize Canada often bring up this " socialism" in the great white north. Canadians often say the things you did about American greed and individualism or the "cowboy mentality". If it were not for these differences in political values there may not be a need for us to be separate nations, as we really are the same people. Both political views have their pros and cons, and both nations are tremendously successful so they both can work. One thing I would like to remind you about the USA is that we are not as selfish and uncaring about the poor and suffering as you think we are. Americans are very giving through churches and charities to help the poor and suffering, we just don't like to do it through taxes and government. We prefer private charities instead. We give millions to other nations facing disaster, famine or war.
We have a much larger minority population than Canada that has a lot of social problems. Its easy to look at troubled places like Detroit, Saint Louis or Baltimore and judge the US, but Canada just does not have those kind of places. You can read up on the "war on poverty" and other government programs which have been tried in order to help some of these places in spite of the fact that we try to avoid too much government involvement . We are still trying to fix these communities, but clearly more work needs to be done. I think you may misunderstand us a bit. Im not sure how often or if you have ever been down here. By down here I don't mean crossing over to Niagra New York, I mean deep into the US. Come down and visit, see what we are really like. There is a lot more to the USA than the stereotypes. I think you would find a mostly friendly welcoming people, not the selfish greedy people you expect to find. You will also find a nation that is very different from region to region. We have more liberal places, we have more liberal ones. America is a very diverse nation in politics, ethnicity and of course climate.
A serious look at why being a Canadian is good for you.
Longevity, infant mortality rates, levels of educational attainment, net personal wealth, upward mobility, and universal health care, are all on this comprehensive list assembled by the leading Canadian new magazine. There are direct statistical comparisons to the American stats.
Please take the time to actually READ the article, before you comment. Thanks.
Jim B. In Toronto.
Why would you post this? It is an embarrassment to have someone from Canada even post this. You sound like one of those high and mighty Torontonians no one likes to deal with.
We aren't in any kind of competition with the US, and really, WHO CARES?
Canada and the US are the most similar two nations in the world. For the most part the people are the same, (Quebec withstanding) but you have touched on the very base of what difference does exist. The difference between Canada and the US is political, and it always has been.
We Americans are more individualistic, we are more distrustful of government and yes we do act like cowboys sometimes. This has always been our way, and it is what drove the creation of our nation. We resented British rule, British regulation and taxes and we wanted to make our own decisions. We value individualism and admire those who make the most of the capitalist system. I wouldn't say that we ignore our social problems but you are right that we do not like to use the government to fix them. Government solutions to social problems are usually the last resort for us, or it has been historically. In recent years we have moved to the left, but most of our history we have distrusted government solutions.
Canadians remained loyal, saw more value in government and have always worked for good government rather than less government as we have in the US. The differences were enhanced after our revolution when Canada's population was boosted with Tories fleeing the new USA in the wake of the British defeat. Modern Canada reflects this long standing tradition of valuing good government. Canadians today rely more on government for things like health care, retirement and social safety nets than do their neighbors to the south.
Americans when they criticize Canada often bring up this " socialism" in the great white north. Canadians often say the things you did about American greed and individualism or the "cowboy mentality". If it were not for these differences in political values there may not be a need for us to be separate nations, as we really are the same people. Both political views have their pros and cons, and both nations are tremendously successful so they both can work. One thing I would like to remind you about the USA is that we are not as selfish and uncaring about the poor and suffering as you think we are. Americans are very giving through churches and charities to help the poor and suffering, we just don't like to do it through taxes and government. We prefer private charities instead. We give millions to other nations facing disaster, famine or war.
We have a much larger minority population than Canada that has a lot of social problems. Its easy to look at troubled places like Detroit, Saint Louis or Baltimore and judge the US, but Canada just does not have those kind of places. You can read up on the "war on poverty" and other government programs which have been tried in order to help some of these places in spite of the fact that we try to avoid too much government involvement . We are still trying to fix these communities, but clearly more work needs to be done. I think you may misunderstand us a bit. Im not sure how often or if you have ever been down here. By down here I don't mean crossing over to Niagra New York, I mean deep into the US. Come down and visit, see what we are really like. There is a lot more to the USA than the stereotypes. I think you would find a mostly friendly welcoming people, not the selfish greedy people you expect to find. You will also find a nation that is very different from region to region. We have more liberal places, we have more liberal ones. America is a very diverse nation in politics, ethnicity and of course climate.
Well said. And this stems not only from the "cowboy mentality" but from the founding documents themselves.
From the British North America Act, 1867:
"Laws for the Peace, Order, and good Government of Canada"
From the Declaration of Independence, 1776:
"certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness"
These statements alone show the differences, and they go all the way back to day one for each country. One collectivist, one individualistic.
Even if you didn't know the text or the dates and wanted to guess which country is which you would get it right.
The argument of why Canada is better than the US (or vice versa) is ultimately silly, because you might as well argue why Australia is better than New Zealand. Or why Belgium is better than The Netherlands.
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