nutty buddy

O Canada (Part II): There's Gold in Them Thar Hills - and Plains

Canada has vast economic potential, but over the years that promise has been hijacked the Social Credit/NDP/Liberal party juggernaut. As a result, the Canadian government has enthusiastically explored all manner of Leftist philosophies. Many Canadians have grown up as belligerent socialists, believing such nonsense as: an implied social contract exists to nurture poor choices, or the nation’s resources entitle them to muddle through with minimal efforts, or that the rest of the world loves them.

Entities that survive and even thrive within Canada are the large multinational corporations. They alone have the resources to negotiate the regulatory and tax mazes. Where it’s appropriate, special exemptions can be carved out, in the national interest, of course. Canadians who actually try to succeed by starting a small business will quickly feel the pinch of high taxation and over-regulation, and if successful - creeping nationalization. The bottom line is that Canadian society provides a dearth of opportunities for active individuals. The safety valve has always been the Land of Opportunity.

Escaping to the US is often done grudgingly and with an air of inherent superiority. For Canadians, the US is the country that they love to hate. Entertainers are only the most visible strata of Canadian society to seek refuge from unspoken and unacknowledged oppression. Walk down any street in the US and there will be Canadians in the mix, going undetected - from the Ontario executive in Newark, to the Saskatchewan civil engineer in Philadelphia, to the Alberta chemical worker in Houston, to the Quebec exotic dancer in Reno.

Ironically, Canada’s downfall may come about from the US voting public’s fascination with Leftist teachings. Flirting with oppressive social and economic systems may risk choking off opportunities south of the border. Canadians and Canadian culture may end up wallowing in the post-1948 malaise that afflicted Britain between instituting the NHS, up to the election of Thatcher.

The real and present danger for Canada is that Americans will sacrifice future growth opportunity and prosperity to climate change, public medicine, and financial regulation, etc. When this happens, budgets for entitlements balloon out of control and the one item sure to suffer is national defense. The inability to fund credible military services is the price paid by governments that experiment too long with fulfilling comprehensive service to its citizens. When this happens to the US, then Canada will be laid bare.

Canada has long forsaken the anthemic line to “Stand on guard for thee.” Since the early 1950’s, it has left that thankless chore to Americans. The running joke in Canada used to be that there were more submarines in the West Edmonton Mall than in the Canadian navy. It is difficult now to imagine how something similar could happen to the USA, but as the negative reports mount and warnings go unheeded, as the electorate continues to make thoughtless choice, so less is required of any disruptive technology or ideology to precipitate a reversal.