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 . . .
