[Cali Panthers Fan]

Been living here for almost 4 years now and there is a distinctive cultural difference that I don't think a lot of Canadians can stomach. It's a very individualistic culture in major cities with little caring or compassion for your fellow human being, especially on the road. That being said, when I've travelled to less urban areas people are warm and friendly and good natured, but then they like their guns a LOT in those areas.

The bay area in particular is one of the most amazing places to live in terms of culture, science, food, nature etc. but it's so overwhelmed with people that the economics of living here permanently are not feasible unless you're making a ton of money. There is serious economic disparity in this area and it's a microcosm of the U.S. as a whole. The "American Dream" is disappearing quickly and the U.S. is becoming a permanent class system. Yes, there are less very wealthy people in Canada, but how much do you really need? Greed is still the way of life in the U.S. for most people, but there are pockets of progressives trying to change the culture…it's just not going to change anytime soon.

I'm also wary of the U.S. taking all of our resources for a song, leaving behind the environmental impact for us to clean up and the locals to deal with. Also, this would exacerbate the problem of Canadian "brain drain" to the U.S. as there would be fewer restrictions to working in the U.S. and there's a lot more money for the same position down here than there is in Canada, especially in the health care field.

This isn't a great deal for Canada and the argument that we can't patrol our northern border is a red herring. People are talking about an EU type situation, well IMO we already have that with so many distinct economies and cultures within Canada to manage. I don't think we need to take on more than that.