While I am going through my stack o'magazines, here's a little ditty from this week's Newsweek about Canada of all things. We've heard about the financial crisis in Europe, Britain's better bailout plan, and Iceland's government meltdown, but what you ask is happening to the north of the US? Heh? Well it would appear that Canada has done showed us all up.Yes, home prices are down in Canada too, but only half as much as they are in the US—they don't let people deduct mortgage interest on their taxes. Canadians are also still responsible for their mortgages if they go bankrupt, not the banks. But you say—it is is the American dream to own your home! Well, the Canucks got us beat on that too. Their rate of home ownership is 68.4 percent. Ours? Just 68 percent.
I could go on and Fareed Zakaria does (I am swiping his info for above). But I think you get where I am going. Sometimes I think we as Americans get too caught up in being the flashiest, having the latest and greatest, and we don't look at the big picture. From the sounds of things, these are not afflictions those in the Great White North suffer from to the same degree. Perhaps we should pay some more attention to Canada, and not just when it comes to hockey, actors or comedians . . .
2 comments:
Holy shit Broad,
That sounds almost conservative. Wow, imagne a place where the govt. does not bail out people that bought something that they new they couldnt afford by giving them money that they didnt have while ignoring those struggling to do the right thing and pay their bills. I guess I would feel a little better about the pork bill that the dems in congress just passed if there were any dems in congress that paid taxes. I guess it is easy to spend money when you know that yours was not in the wealth re-distribution pot. If we do get the Swiss to give up the names of the Americans hiding money in Swiss banks to avoid taxes, I wonder how many reside on the hill that list the big D behind their title.
oh anon . . . glad to see that your little tiny conservative heart still eeks out a few drops of blood.
well, maybe it does sound a wee bit more conservative than you would expect from me, but i think if you pay close attention, what i am also alluding to is that if the GOP hadn't lead the charge in the 80s to deregulate the entire world so they could get richer then we wouldn't be in as big a pickle as we are now. the canadians have their housing and banking industries much more regulated then we do, hence less monkey business by the corporate dudes in suits - maybe those expensive silk ties really are cutting off the blood flow to the suits' brains????
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