[CaptSpoogy]

It's true that a lot of immigrants want to go to the US. But for what reason? MONEY. It's true, I work with a lot of recent immigrants and while they choose Canada, they tell me how they considered or had been in the US to make MONEY. Not for freedom or rest from persecution, but MONEY.

I work in electronic assembly and they're always talking about how much MONEY they can get working the same job in the US. Blah blah, and SMT operator makes more in San Jose - blah blah.

But, in their final redemption I ask "Why did you come here to Canada then?" and they answer, it's for their families and the cultural mosiac that exists here etc. Shew, I'm glad not everything revolves around MONEY yet.

Interesting Story:

I met my wife on the internet. She lived in the Northwest US and I lived in Toronto, Canada. Long story short, I was going to immigrate to the US. Then I met the INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service) - the worst bureaucracy that ever existed in a democratic nation. I tried for months filling out forms and paying fees - to no avail. The INS works hard to keep people out of the country. Finally after wasting lots of money, we got married and decided to return to Canada. Within two months of filing her immigration papers, she was able to work, get free health care (that was my biggest fear when I was in the US - getting in an accident and owning $25,000 to some hospital!). The moral of the story: Come to Canada and still enjoy US television - but live happier and with less violence.

But for all my European friends and fellow US bashers (I know it's fun and all), while the US has lots of problems, everyday normal life there is not all that bad. The international media kinds of skews things.