Monday, November 01, 2004

A Tale of Two Countries

On September 11th, 2001, my then-fiancée crossed the border to the United States at the very moment the second plane hit the World Trade center. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Our personal joy was tempered by the corresponding sadness and fear pervading the world in that time of tragedy.

Three years later, Laurie and I made the decision to move to Canada. This decision has led to a certain amount of ambivalence on my part. Before moving, we discussed our options. While we were doing so, a friend of mine was shot outside his Minneapolis home while raking leaves in his front yard. Thankfully, he completely recovered, but it certainly tipped the argument about which country we’d like to raise our children in. It would be pretty hard to imagine the same thing happening in Goderich, Ontario. On other family issues, such as maternity leave, education, healthcare, and the environment, it’s also pretty hard to argue that America is the better option for young couples.
All the same, I feel a certain degree of loyalty to the country that provided opportunity and freedom to my ancestors; the country that enabled me to have an education and a decent standard of living.

The problem is, I’m not sure that same country still exists. When I was an infant, my father became ill. Because he had health insurance, life insurance, and adequate benefits, we were able to get by. I’m not sure an American family today would be so lucky. 45 million Americans are currently without health insurance benefits. Last week my 64 year-old mother was told she was not able to get a flu shot for the first time in her life. In addition, some of my friends are currently in Iraq, and God only knows when, or if, they’ll return.

I know Canada isn’t some perfect Utopia, but my experiences here so far have given me perspective. Last week, I sent in my absentee ballot. If you were in my shoes, who would you vote for? If you were in my situation, where would choose to live and raise a family?
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