Tighter security measures on the Canada U.S. Border? I'm all for it

http://montreal.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110511/report-reveals-us-myths-about-canada-110511/20110511?hub=MontrealHome

So they (the U.S.) want to tighten border security... I suggest that we (Canada) tighten security more than them, maybe build a wall and lay bear traps on their side.

Given the downward spiral of the U.S. economy it's just a matter of time before our job market is overwhelmed by the influx of illegal immigrants (with green cards). Perceptions be damned, most of them (the USG, and lawmakers) are only interested in our water and tar sands anyway. Maybe if they view this action as an insult they'll foolishly kick us out of NAFTA.

But isn't NAFTA good? Um, no... Let's ignore, for a moment, that NAFTA has opened the door to U.S. corporations suing our Government for unfair regulations governing, re-investment in the local economy, fresh water, environmental protection & public health, and ask the simple question: How did we benefit?

• Prices on consumer items have fallen in line with U.S. prices making cross-border shopping less appealing. 
• Prices have stayed the same on almost everything (and risen with inflation) and the GST increases this price difference more often than not. Cross-border shopping is still worthwhile and continues to put our money in their economy. Even the 'now higher than greenback' Canadian Dollar has not put a dent in our grocery bills.

• We've protected Canadian owned corporations from U.S. Corporate takeover and increased the available market as trade with the U.S. is now 'free' maximizing Canadian profits and strengthening our economy.
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_ownership_of_companies_of_Canada#Former_major_Canadian_Companies_acquired_by_foreign_owners
  All of these Canadian companies have become American companies since we signed the NAFTA agreement
• ATI Technologies: owned by AMD since 2006
• Stelco: owned by United States Steel since 2007
• Molson: merged with Coors in 2005
• Eaton's: bought by Sears in 1999, then closed in 2000
• JDS Fitel: merged with JDS Uniphase in 1999, headquarters moved from Ottawa to San Jose
• Terasen (previously the public utility BC Gas): sold to Kinder Morgan in 2005 despite 8000 letters of protest 
• Tim Hortons: bought by Wendy's International in 1995
• CCM: bought by Reebok in 2004
• Bauer, Cooper and Hespeler: bought by Nike in 1994
• While statistics do show Canadian GDP has had the highest growth of the 3 NAFTA countries, I do not consider it a by-product of NAFTA. The U.S. GDP would likely have grown much faster than ours had they not outsourced all manufacturing to China, and all Customer Service to India... The only thing they seem to manufacture in the U.S. these days is greasy fast-food.
• Cheap gas
• Do I even need to make a counterpoint to this?

And, back to that legal problem. NAFTA has opened the government coffers to theft by U.S. Corporations who want to whine that we're not playing fair by telling them how to do business in our country. Worse yet, I have not found a single incident that the government did not choose to settle out of court!!

Now is not the time for us to be economically tied to the Titanic that is the US economy. It's bad down there and most people expect it to get worse, especially while the U.S. Federal Reserve is printing new money like a teenager with stolen credit cards.

We don't want to back out of the deal, we can't afford that lawsuit... But we can become the unruly neighbour who plays loud music at all hours with a rusted out car on blocks in the lawn until the homeowners association kicks us off the block.

So YES! I am all for a WALL, Armed Canadian Border Guards hyped on too much caffeine, and even Sharks with lasers on their heads for the great lakes! They can keep their mess, they created it and I want nothing to do with it.

This post is a republish of the post I had actually posted (on May 14th 2011) during the the great blogger outage of 2011. which somehow overwrote my published article and pushed this into drafts @ 04:10 this morning.

---- Update May 20th 2011 ----
There's a greater threat of terrorism from the Canadian border than from the Mexican border... Are we sure of this? Really? I would be inclined to think it's more likely that the Mexican border is supplying a better flow of drug money to the Tennessee police forces making it easier to look the other way. Geographically speaking: who is the other way? Canada, of course.

The 'constitution-free zone', in most people's point of view, was originally supposed to assist in stopping the flow of illegal immigrants and drugs across the California, Arizona and Texas borders. Mind-you, that is not what it's true purpose has become as is evidenced by the fact that it's the drug money they were interested in on the south border, not the terrorist threat presented by the drug cartel who are kidnapping and murdering people...

Kidnapping and murder are tactics that many terrorist organizations use. Even terrorist organizations in Quebec, by Quebec, for Quebec (as in the FLQ October crisis of 1971). I am fairly certain that kidnapping and murder are even on a list of 'top ten signs you may be dealing with a terrorist organization' posted somewhere (or everywhere) within the military-industrial complex. Granted, ordinary garden-variety thugs also use these tools so maybe 'drug-dealing billionaire-kidnapping-murderous-thugs' are on an exemptions list so long as they remember to pay their taxes.

Maybe Canadians are less prone to suspect that every mosque is a terrorist bunker. Maybe we do not point the finger at every person who chooses to dress differently than us. Maybe we don't choose to harass every single person who doesn't fit the cookie-cutter 'American lifestyle'. I consider our 'acceptance' of cultures different to our own part of being a Canadian and something that should not be lost.

Stop trying to slaughter the chicken because it laid a couple of bad eggs.

Canada is neither perfect nor are we completely innocent, but I will address those issues in other posts.

-DIrtyKID©