Richard Florida (born 1957 in Newark, New Jersey) is an American urban studies theorist. On Sunday, August 29, he was interviewed on CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS and pointed out that the United States seems to have forgotten its basic message to the world. That message was that this is the country that will take “…your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,…” Guesting on that show from Toronto, Canada, he pointed out that ½ of all the residents in Toronto and Vancouver, Canada are immigrants from around the world. The mayor of Winnipeg, Manitoba is an expatriate from Israel. Canada has taken the mantle from the United States.
Here we are arguing about legal versus illegal immigration. We are not alone. Business Week reports in its September 6, 2010 edition that Australia is concerned about the impact on their nation of Chinese investments for the purpose of mining their minerals. They haven’t visited Vancouver, Canada. The first thing you notice driving into the city is that Mandarin is the primary language on many building signs and English beneath in a smaller font. Check out this article by another Canadian. Canada’s Teck Resources has the Chinese government’s China Investment Corp. sovereign wealth fund as a strategic 17% shareholder.
All races, all religions, all sexual orientations are accepted without reservation. Taxes are high but more American cars are manufactured in Canada than in the United States. The taxi driver said, “medical care is free.” It isn’t. They pay for it in higher taxes. Canada is growing despite its major reliance on the United States.
There is a lesson here. Will the United States learn too?
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