A question for citizens of the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Thank you for asking amannamedquest, no one else has. Voter turn out is at all time lows because no one feel represented.
I agree with this statement.

Originally posted by Mystery_Lady
The other thing I don't like about this is that I seriously do not see Mexico coming up to US or Canada's standards. I see US and Canada's standards being lowered to Mexican standards. They will swarm in US and eventually Canada, and be willing to take over the available jobs for less and less money. They are not above working under the table. You could possibly have a job that paid over minimum wage all of the sudden being filled by someone willing to take it at minimum wage.
[edit on 5-4-2007 by Mystery_Lady]

It's going to get worse before it gets better, and with China leading the way in the world market economy, with both a manufacturing sector and a growing consumer class that is not dependent on credit debt, we can't expect much example of the inalienable nature of individual rights.

NAU?

Don't hold your breath....

United States here...If we get some of Canadas rights and privileges that would be great, but that wont happen. We would more than likely fall into the Mexico category seeing we are headed that way now.

I'm against it. The last thing America needs is even more Mexicans in it. It'd just create more ghettos.

This is an old project going back on the table. At first, it was a partnership between Canada USA and Mexico to have coast frontiers. At first, it was supposed to help every North American to move between USA Canada and Mexico without crossing the borders. They where supposed to abolish the frontier that we know. At some point, they still have Customs regulations for merchandise but it help travellers to go where they want without crossing a border.

For this i am for it. As a Canadian, if their is a sub governement and we loose sovereignty i am agains the project. Better life in canada...

I am a proud Canadian and I am against the NAU. I am not willing to loose my rights and freedoms. The NAU will never work.

Thanks for all the post. I wanted to get a feel for what everyone thinks. The NAU isn't a given, but there are people trying to get it started. Heck, they even have a flag created. There are people in the senate and congress who are finally standing up against Bush and Co.

Originally posted by Mystery_Lady

The other thing I don't like about this is that I seriously do not see Mexico coming up to US or Canada's standards. I see US and Canada's standards being lowered to Mexican standards. They will swarm in US and eventually Canada, and be willing to take over the available jobs for less and less money. They are not above working under the table. You could possibly have a job that paid over minimum wage all of the sudden being filled by someone willing to take it at minimum wage.

Imagin driving your kids to school, and you look to the right, and see this:

As a Canadian, I find the entire debate surrounding the North American Union an empty and useless endeavor. I applaud those that would try to make it a reality, but in truth it will never happen. At least not in our lifetimes. ( I am not old BTW - just old enough to be cynical about the process ).

The cultural differences between Canada and the United States are huge, we have a history of Social policy initiative that you can only dream about, while Mexico is rather anarchistic in my opinion.

Any chance of merging the three without a forceful change, is not going to come about. Perhaps that's why all of the camps that conspircy theorists have talked about for decades, abound in America. Who knows. That's just my fifty cents worth.

I am deeply saddened by what has happened here in the US (where I now reside) since my childhood. I grew up in Canada with my eyes locked on the American border since I thought I would receive better funding and opportunities in my chosen career. Sadly, my dreams are evaporating, medical bills are choking my budget, research funding is diverted to pay for the war, and manners seem to have gone right down the toilet! Perhaps this is simply because I live in the city but it was not like this when we used to visit here years ago! As a North American, I am considered a minority in a field most Americans still believe they dominate (as foreign grad students fill US graduate programs, they squeeze out domestic candidates, shrinking the pool of employable American scientists & voila! American scientist shortages help foreign researchers stay & in desparation they end up working on sensitive projects because there are too few Americans to do them!). I am seriously considering fleeing back to Canada. At least there, illegal immigrants tend to be passing through (to get here), creationism is still a joke, TV isn't total trash and most people are civil to each other in public. As high as taxes were up there, it was nothing compared to the cost of living and perpetual billing errors down here! I think Canada should take its people and run! Honestly, I just don't feel safe down here & sooner or later it will come back to haunt the US. No one ever perceives Canada as a threat...
NAU?

Originally posted by Xtal_Phusion
No one ever perceives Canada as a threat...

Nobody perceives Canada as a threat for the same reason that nobody perceives Mexico as a threat... Nobody would dare attack either Canada or Mexico, because of the bristling military SuperPower with whom they share this continent.

Hey, Canada, how does it feel to be a military buffer zone for the USA?

— Doc Velocity

[edit on 4/7/2007 by Doc Velocity]

Originally posted by Cynic
The cultural differences between Canada and the United States are huge, we have a history of Social policy initiative that you can only dream about...

Trust me, real Americans never dream of socialism, of being disarmed by the government, or of substandard socialized medicine, except perhaps in our nightmares. Hate to burst your bubble, but we're not envious of your socialist state. And good luck with that impending totalitarian regime.

— Doc Velocity



[edit on 4/8/2007 by Doc Velocity]

Tsk, tsk. What bitterness! I rest my case.

You mean the same "bristling military SuperPower" that attacked a small developing country hiding invisible WMD?

The same country making pitiful attempts to replicate universal healthcare state-by-state by forcing the poorest citizens to pay premiums they cannot afford for substandard care? That failing, leaving small business to pick up the tab so they have to cut positions to make ends meet?

Great ideas, every one!

The same country that elected a president who thinks diplomatic prowess can be summed up with the words, "Bring it on!"?

"No Child Left Behind" leaves behind more struggling students than ever and drop-outs continue to rise. When I taught at a State University, I found 10% of students cheated, 1 in 30 could not read well enough to pass an open-book exam and 2/3 of the same class believed there was no gravity on the moon!

These traits are better suited to bullies than superpowers! Are these traits definitive of true Americans? Goodness, I sure hope not! I suspect many are just as tired of this crud as I am. It is difficult to demonstrate your intellectual capacity when your schools have textbooks older than you and covers plastered in disclaimers. Who can blame kids for checking out?

Bush would be proud of you for insulting two countries thoughtlessly at the same time. What's his approval rating again? So long as you lack the capacity to look beyond your own back yard, you will continue to live in a very small world indeed, my friend.

Buffer Zones? Is your geographical knowledge good enough to know what our OTHER bordering nations are? If so, you're ahead of the curve! Even if I stayed, I had no intention of sending my children to public school in this country. If it means boarding school or living with Canadian relatives, so be it.

Rather than tossing empty insults and childish names across the border, you may to better to recognize your faults, learn from others with better ideas and work towards that superpower status, you so desperately covet! Many Americans are embarassed by such behavior and I suggest you start making them proud.

By the way, Canada is a democratic nation; not a socialist republic. Check your facts before you post them next time.

Your seething points might carry more sting if they were directed at a right-wing conservative; however, they're not. I happen to believe that socialism has been eroding the foundations of America since WWII, set in motion and perpetuated by socialists posing as both Democrats and Republicans. Same is true for the socialist erosion of government in Canada, except to a greater degree than in the USA.

The partisan song-and-dance that we see on a regular basis in America is a vaudeville routine of democracy at work, designed to preoccupy the gullible masses as the theives and power-mongers in our government move forward with all manner of social initiatives (for more on this, see Canada), from redistributing wealth to completely disarming the citizenry — the last mile on the road to totalitarianism. In brief, the major political parties in America are one and the same, and they are not to be trusted. The differentiation is in name only.

I see the current American president as no more or less senselessly militaristic than the previous president, who pursued more military action on more foreign soil using more troops than any other president in the nation's history. For the record, I have never approved of the powers bestowed upon any president — as far as I'm concerned, the presidency should be a low-paying clerk's job, just as the Founders first envisioned it, subject to termination on a moment's notice at the will of the People. Fat chance.

Also, Canada is not a "democracy" any more than is the USA. Canada is a federal constitutional monarchy with parliamentary democracy, while the USA is a democratic republic, both of which are a far cry from a classical democracy as devised and implemented by the ancient Greeks. But, then, you're only a former instructer at a state university, so I wouldn't expect you to know that.

— Doc Velocity

[edit on 4/7/2007 by Doc Velocity]

Actually, that was during grad school (PhD) as a TA-- not that my words carry any weight in your mind. In one ear and out the other... Sigh! For your information I am a researcher at an Ivy League Institution so don't get all puffed up just yet! I feel sorry when I read your posts. I really do because this is exactly the sort of thinking that has deteriorated this country into it's current state. Social programs does not by default mean that the government is a socialist one. I have no desire to engage in a pissing contest over which country is more democratic. Canada is NOT a monarchy and QE is merely a relic figurehead which will most likely get chucked when Chuck tries to succeede (you can't trust Wikipedia). She has no power over us whatsoever and we are not their subjects! WWII was the last time the US military had any respect and that was because you dropped 2 nukes on Japan! No other reason! In fact, the US drove the UK deep into debt during that war because it refused to come to Europe's aid and demanded PAYMENT for any weaponry sent to England! It's the same old, "Not in my backyard" mentality. Unless there's something in it for you, the morality behind causes doesn't even register. If Darfur had oil, the military would suddenly care! Canada on the other hand, jumped right in to help! Where the heck was the bristling military superpower? Sitting on the corner, "Spare some change? Got a spare dollar?" getting rich off the misfortunes of others. For shame! Canadian troops are still trying to clean up the mess YOU left in Afghanistan! Have you ever left your country? Have you ever been to Japan where trains are so accurate the population sets their watches to them? China where innovations often preceeded those in Europe? How about Italy where most of the world's most beautiful pieces of art reside? Have you ever participated in the festivals or learned a foreign language besides the basic Spanish taught in public schools? Mexico, a country you were so eager to stomp all over has some of the oldest archaeological sites in either of the American contients and who doesn't at least LIKE the food? Break free! Go travel! Open your mind and show a little respect so Americans can finally lose that "ugly American tourist" stereotype. Let me tell you, so many ignorant Americans came before me in the Japanese town where I lived for a year, they were thrilled that I was able to speak their language and reciprocate their manners! Let's stop insisting stubbornly that the US is too superior to have an image problem and fix this here! I am sorry to hurt your feelings by not expressing grateful praise for membership consideration in a little club with the US but we are so different, it simply would not work. Canada and the US are on very different levels and carry widely diverging levels of credibility with the international community. I have NEVER seen a burning Canadian flag! If things don't change, the only people who will WANT to come to the states will be unskilled workers from countries in worse shape. Hey, if I came here starving, unemployed with children in tow from Darfur, this place would be paradise! Let's not kid ourselves here, the US never tops the list of "Best Countries to Live In", "Greatest Longevity", or "Highest Literacy Rate". Canada ALWAYS tops the US on these surveys. Hmmm... I wonder if finding that old "Stupid in America" series might help (John Stossel)? In case you didn't see it, Belgian kids called American kids dumb and I can guarantee shows like "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader" will never even cross the radar screens at Canadian or European networks (unless the broadcast the American version as tragic comedy). I am trying to be patient with you but it must be difficult to hear me with your head in the ground... This is 2007 and MANY countries have caught up to the lead once held several decades ago. Once social security collapses here, it's all over!

xtal please check your member center you have a u2u waiting for you.

Spiderj

You can keep your gun violence too. That's one thing you are WELCOME to keep in your own backyard! People do hunt in Canada and have learned to tell the difference between people and animals... a lesson pending here. Oh, and to save you the trouble, I am a molecular biologist. What do you do? I am almost afraid to find out. I suppose as long as you are not a teacher or a member of another profession entrusted with human lives or young, impressionable minds society should be safe enough.

xtal check your u2us immediately

spiderj

Originally posted by Xtal_Phusion
I am a molecular biologist. What do you do?

I'm the Marketing Communications Manager for one of the largest BPM software companies in the world. So, how much is molecular biology paying these days? Seriously, I was this close to majoring in molecular biology, and then I took my dad's advice, got a haircut and went for the high-paying profession instead.

Originally posted by Xtal_Phusion
I suppose as long as you are not a teacher or a member of another profession entrusted with human lives or young, impressionable minds society should be safe enough.

No, my job as Marcom Manager entails producing and providing multi-level software marketing material that is so excrutiatingly simplified that even a Canadian PhD can understand it. BTW, nice job you're doing with the young, impressionable minds — keep up the good work.

— Doc Velocity

[edit on 4/8/2007 by Doc Velocity]