Happy Canada Day Image Blizzard

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am on a Canadian love-fest tonight. I so love this land. When I say the word CANADA it means the following things:

IT MEANS that you are the best example of European sensibilities that respect people enough to offer a basic level of support to all who live within our borders.

Sure it may cost you in taxes sometimes but what you get back when the government combines that revenue is worth far more than what individual people paid to get it.

I have never found waiting times to be severe when compared to nations who do not offer socialized medicine to their people. In those systems the rich get great treatment but the poor, handicapped and disadvantages do not.

IT MEANS there is no profit motive in our medical system. No one is making money off the misery of their fellow human beings.

IT MEANS big corporations cannot have undue and harmful influence in our system.

Regulations are in place to insure that Corporations must follow certain guidelines if they want to exist. They are forced to be more responsible with their actions or pay a heavy price of their greed so they don't take risky chances with peoples lives or their health or their environment. Check out how Alberta's oil and gas industry is regulated. The 'tar sands' would look like the Gulf of Mexico does now if the Oil companies were allowed to do whatever they wanted here.

 

IT MEANS the lives of your young men and women are not tossed away fighting futile wars in foreign lands for selfish reasons.

IT MEANS we are Peacekeepers and not war makers.

IT MEANS that our 'blood and treasure' are used to enrich our country not enrich the military industrial complex whose lack of need for should have led to them being dismantaled after WWII.

If there is no one to fight then there is no need to built weapons to fight them. If the weapons are there then politicians will find an excuse (or create one in the case of the recent invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan) to use them especially if they are heavily influence by large campaign contributions. Power for a few becomes more important than the price the society is forced to pay for individuals holding on to their politcal power.

IT MEANS peace of mind that medically you and your family are protected in times of emergencies.

IT MEANS your population is progressive and educated. It's giving your children the best possible chance to create a good future for themselves because they are educated and the opportunities are there for them if they choose to take advantage of them.

IT MEANS that your politicians can't create disharmony by pitting one group against the other for selfish gain because, again, there is less discontent to exploit. Any politician trying to do that is run out of town on a rail for even suggesting that our problems are the fault of the blacks or the Jews or the browns or immigrants.

IT MEANS our two cultures, English and French, have found a way to compromise with each other that benefits both cultures and elevates the nation as a whole. In other places a difference in language and culture leads to many atrocities, misery and death (Serbia, Kosovo and Albania for examples)

IT MEANS we learn the lessons of history and avoid repeating our mistakes.

IT MEANS the people are not fearful or distrustful of those who are 'different' than them and accept these differences far more easily (Gay marriage, immigrant's rights, fairness between the genders ect).