The Cosmopolitan Blog

I love canada. it’s that simple. i’ve lived in 3 other countries in my life: UK, switzerland and the US. and you know what, Canada is awesome. everything about canada is inclusive, not exclusive. canadians are proud to welcome their new immigrants. canadians are proud of their country and are not always complaining about it (well, apart from its weather). canadians care about their environement as much as their care about their families. In the UK and in the US, these things are not the case. switzerland, on the other hand, compares to canada.

I listen to the news and look at what’s happenning in the US, and everything is so negative, the economy, the borders… listening to lou dobbs (why i do this to myself, is a whole other question), watching Pelosi’s daughter’s documentary today where a bunch of rednecks (they called themselves that, i didn’t) complained about how the world was changing so fast and they still wished black people weren’t heard from and women couldn’t vote… i can’t help but think… u know what? canada’s really figured something out.

i applied for immigration in 2003. the process took 8 months. in feb 04 i arrived at the montreal airport as a canadian resident. Then and there, the officer gave me documentation and flyers on where i could attend free classes on learning / integrating in canada, this included telling us how we could get our driving licenses, our health cards, our social insurance numbers… even the driving license process was fast and efficient, i just exchanged my massachussets license for my QC one. Later as a french citizen, i was sent the address of a joint french-quebec organization that helps french nationals find jobs in QC (yes, for free). Then, i applied for citizenship 3.5 years later, and was canadian before my 5th year living here. The process was fast, the ceremony was emotional and something i will remember forever. i got a certificate, a card, and a warm fuzzy feeling inside. and yesterday, i got an unexpected diploma.

seriously, how often can you say that a bureaucratic process was seamless from beginning to end? let’s take a moment and be grateful for well oiled, well run, efficient democracies with smart, caring and welcoming citizens. Congratulations Canada, you rock!

Are you an economist? I’m not. And we’ve already established that I fell asleep in finance classes. So i’m in NO way qualified to understand the differences in stump messages between the Obama and the McCain campaigns when they talk about taxes, mortgages, and other economy issues. Are you?

In the last debate, when speaking about taxes, McCain said Obama would raise taxes. Obama said McCain would raise taxes. HOW DO YOU KNOW WHO’S LYING? The truth is, they both are. They twist the truth to make a point. Today on CNN, i heard that in the past, BOTH McCain and Obama have voted for the highest tax increases in history.

As i mentioned before, it’s about how well each candidate convinces YOU that they will solve your problem. And so, if that’s the case, then it’s not about the economy, stupid, it’s about personality! It’s about how good they are at convincing you that their view on economy is better than the other’s. The truth is, neither will probably do anything that will ACTUALLY put more money in the average Joe-6-pack’s pocket.

This reminds me of Lou Dobbs’ favorite saying “Doesn’t anyone deserve a government that works?”. My answer: no, Lou, that’s the least of the candidate’s concern. You’re right, Lou, we should all be independants!

*Note to self* Must stop quoting Lou Dobbs, i don’t actually like the man!