Quote:
Originally Posted by BENZ-LGB
Canadians are already almost like Americans. Call Canada "America light." The major differnece is that: 1. Canadians are generally more polite and 2. highway speed signs are in kilometers and not miles.
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Zeus already pointed it out, but it bears repeating. Our attitudes towards social issues are widely disparate. And not only disparate, but are also diverging. I read a very interesting book a few years back called "Fire and Ice", written by one of the principals of Environics, a major market research firm. It showed how even the most "conservative" regions of Canada don't even come close to the level of conservatism found in the most "liberal" regions of the US, and how this gap was widening. An interesting read.
Aside from that, I would offer this idea when trying to counter the "war for oil" argument. I agree with you that the idea of going to war directly for oil is ludicrous and overly-simplistic. GWB and company didn't invade Iraq to steal their oil resources and anyone who claims they did isn't worth arguing with. The stats you posted illustrate a point that many people have known for a long time, that Canada and Mexico are the top individual suppliers.
However, when you look at the larger geo-political context it is very important for the US to have a strong and stable influence in the Gulf region. 40% of the world's crude supply moves through the Straits of Hormuz. Saudi is the world's largest independent supplier and if I remember correctly Iran is either number two or number four. US military action to stabilize that region keeps the oil supply flowing, which keeps prices down and world supply met. This protects the integrity of the US economy by making sure that the supply keeps happening. Every barrel of oil that Saudi, Kuwait, Iran, Iraq, UAE, etc sells to someone else keeps world demand met, which keeps the price of Canadian and Mexican oil at a reasonable level. I agree with the war for oil argument when you consider the integrity of the global market, not on the tactical "steal it from Iraq" argument. If it wasn't for the oil there, the US wouldn't have any reason to be interested in the region.