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Your saying it would be smarter for non-Albertans to hand over their social freedoms to a bunch of Alberta based politicians THEY see as set on the Americanization/Judification of everything they hold dear?
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Not in the least. I'm saying that regardless of whether they wear a Liberal or PC pin on their lapel, the government we get next will be a virtual carbon copy of the government we have now. Because that's what Canadians want.
But, that statement is exactly my point point about Canadians being intellectually lazy. Anything different becomes either the 'Americanization' of Canada. As long as Canadians think we can look down our nose and think 'well, at least what we have is better than in the states' we're happy.
Health care is a classic example. We're the only country in the world (with anything resembling a modern health care system) that clings to this idea of universal, 'free' healthcare. But to change that is to be 'Americanized'. Why not Swedishized', 'Australianized', 'Britishized'. Nope. Change = Americanized, American = bad, therefore change = bad. So we don't even talk about it. Lazy.
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The country recently ranked the best to do business in, the only country in the G8 to have a balanced budget this year, least year, and for 8(?) consecutive years, and a country with 4 strong federal parties/choices and many other provincial options is full of intellectually lazy people?
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Another great example. There are a host of other 'rankings' where our competitive position is sinking like a stone. We have balanced budgets based on skyrocketing taxes, not fiscal prudence. And our absolute debt position is virtually unchanged. Personal debt continues to grow at alarming rates. In short, we're living on borrowed time. Once the next recession hits, we're sunk.
But we won't talk about that in Canada. Our standard of living will continue its gentle slide down while we celebrate some narrowly defined ranking as though it mattered. Our productivity gains will remain weak while we look southward and say 'gee, glad we're not them'. And politicians on both sides of the House will pander to that, because that's what Canadians want.