Canada shows how to recover

According to polls, over 65 percent of the American people think that our country is on the wrong track. Since the 2008 economic crisis, Canada has moved to the right while under Obama we have lurched sharply to the left.

Their Conservative government, which is pro-business, was just elected as the majority for a third term. They favor development of their energy resources instead of locking them up as our administration and the Democrats have. In 2001, one U.S. dollar would buy 1.56 Canadian dollars. Today, 10 years later, one U.S. dollar will buy 96 cents Canadian; a devaluation of over 38 percent. Canada’s national debt is $563 billion or $16,500 per person. Our debt is $14.3 trillion or $48,000 per person. Canada’s unemployment rate is 7.6 percent as opposed to our 9 percent. Our corporate tax rate is 35 percent; Canada’s is 18 percent and will shortly be reduced to 16 percent. By most any measurement, their economy is performing better than ours.

Unless things change, which country, Canada or the U.S., is going to have increased investment from around the world? How many of our U.S. businesses will be attracted to the more favorable conditions in Canada? While our federal government is attempting to keep Boeing from moving part of its operation to South Carolina to please the unions, why not move it to Canada or elsewhere? Except for their dysfunctional health care system we could take some lessons from our good neighbors to the north.

Robert Johnston
Camano Island