Progressive Bloggers // Blogues progressistes

Go ahead, read it. At least the first two pargagraphs. Apparently, Canada’s relative success in weathering this recession is nothing to be particularly happy about. It’s some kind of accident that we did better than the Americans. And anybody who is proud of how our previous government reined in corporate

Go ahead, read it. At least the first two pargagraphs.

Apparently, Canada’s relative success in weathering this recession is nothing to be particularly happy about. It’s some kind of accident that we did better than the Americans. And anybody who is proud of how our previous government reined in corporate greed, refused to participate in banking shenanigans and what not … well, those people are just exercising their “latent anti-Americanism”.

Or not.

A cure for that smugness lies in the Bank of Canada’s latest review of the financial system, and its warnings that Canadians are still spending money they don’t have. Some facts leap out.

Yes. That’s what we need: a “cure” for our “smugness”. Right on. ‘Cause we all hate Americans, see, and we need to be taught that we’re stupid, too!

So here’s how it worked. The American government struck down decades-old (even century old) laws regulating banks. They let very wise, very wealthy people run roughshod over the economy and the poor people. Those people left the economy dry as a bone and left the taxpayer holding the bag.

The Canadian government didn’t do that.

So then the United States got sick. Really, really sick. And it started to affect us.

So our government and the Bank of Canada, working in tandem, cranked our interest rates down to historic lows in order to stimulate the economy by making it cheap to borrow money.

And we borrowed. And we’re in debt.

See?! We’re just as dumb as the Americans! Take that you pinko, leftist whackjobs!

Yeah. Yeah.

The difference, in case you missed it, was that we were smart enough not to leave Conservatives in power for too long. We can see their greed. We can see what they’re going to do us. Either they’ll go directly for the money, or they’ll try to take out the education and health care systems first. We notice, and we kick them out.

As long as we had the Liberals in, they marched us toward surplus and conservative (!) fiscal policies with a proper long term outlook. You put Conservatives in, as the Americans did year after year after year, and you get a financial mess.

That, in the end, is the difference. We’re willing to take a long term view, tax our wealthy people, and make things work. The Americans took Reagan and two Bushes, let their economy spin downward out of control and instead believed what the liars were saying instead of what they were doing.

No, that’s not “anti-Americanism”. It’s just what happened.

And it’s journalists like Derek DeCloet, Americaphiles all, who refuse to see that there are characteristic differences between the populations. It’s people like that who are hurting our country by spreading this myth that we’re only being different for the sake of difference.

It’s time people like that, people who truly hate what this country is about, get called out for what they are: anti-Canadians.

With Vic Toews at the front.

They’ve been secretly crafting a North American security agreement. Why is it done in secret? Why, because Canadians are too stupid, naive and anti-American for this sort of agreement to take place in the light of day.

[a leaked document] provides a rare insight into how the government regards Canadians: as a nation ignorant of the true scale of the security threat it faces and more concerned with privacy rights.

See that? You’re too dumb to comprehend the horrid terrorist threats coming our way! You stupid left-wing whackos keep quoting these statistics that say 100 times as many people have died in car accidents as terrorists incidents. Stop doing that and learn to be afraid, dammit!

Is there some reason that Canadians should be worried about their privacy?

“Greater information sharing is part of the initiative. The safeguarding of privacy and sovereignty will be of concern for Canadians,” the document says.

See what your government thinks of you? You’re worried about your privacy. Don’t you realize that in order for shipping containers to be properly inspected at Canadian ports, the American government needs to have your biometric data, medical history and a bunch of other things they’ll use against you. I mean, seriously, people: the guys who are going to interrogate you in Syria need that information to torture you effectively!

“The Canadian public may underestimate the security threat to Canada,” the communication plan says.

No, we don’t underestimate it. The problem is that the government overestimates that threat. Here, you do the arithmetic if you want. It looks to me like about 350,000 people have died in traffic accidents since 9-11. That’s a hundred times the number who have died from terrorism.

I think Canadians have a pretty shrewd idea how dangerous terrorism is. I think our government is exaggerating so it can get deeper in bed with the Americans.

So let’s just get to the meat of this issue:

“Notwithstanding our significant investment to date, a perception exists in the U.S. that Canada has not focused enough on security,” the Public Safety document says.

That’s right, puppy. You’re a good dog, but not good enough. Now roll over and play dead for Uncle Sam. Uncle Sam wants to handle your immigration for you, so he can extradite refugees he doesn’t like to someplace where torture is legal. He wants to see your records, examine your people, know what they’re up to …

And once he has all your records. Once he know exactly what you’re doing every moment of every day, then maybe – just maybe – he’ll let some of your trucks cross the border without a tonne of harassment.

Or not. Whatever. Terrorism, you know.

With Vic Toews at the front. They’ve been secretly crafting a North American security agreement. Why is it done in secret? Why, because Canadians are too stupid, naive and anti-American for this sort of agreement to take place in the light of day. [a leaked document] provides a rare insight