Getting on with my life

Today, I have come to terms with the fact that I am highly unlikely to ever return to the US.  This is not a GBCW diary, I will continue to come here and post, but it will be from "self-imposed" exile in Canada.

There are many reasons, of which George Bush is one of the big ones, however, that is not all.  4 years ago, I moved to Canada to take a university job, believing that eventually I would return.  Today, I realized that I am much more at home here than in the US.

Join me below for the reasons of this awareness...

After listening to the threads on Kucinich's resolution to impeach Dick Cheney, I realized that the US is hopelessly lost.

When it was clear that the Democrats wanted to table the amendment so they wouldn't have to debate it, and the Republicans wanted to debate it on the floor, I realized that this debate, probably the most important in the world today, is completely politicized.  

Rather than discuss the almost irreparable damage wrought on the country and the world by this administration, the Dems and Reps just want to throw barbs at each other and create video clips for their campaigns.

It took me a long time to find the words to say why I am leaving the US for good, but I think I finally found them.  The country and its politicians no longer want to discuss issues and solve problems.  The citizenry only cares about American Idol and what's on sale at WalMart, and the politicians only care about getting elected and lining their pockets.

In addition to this, the nature and tenor of the discussions among citizens has become toxic.  Left and Right can no longer calmly discuss the issues.  To a large extent this was caused by the bloviators on RW hate radio, but it has been exacerbated by the debates in Washington.  It is sad to me how easily the American public has bought into this "us vs. them" mentality, and I believe that it gets in the way of progress in the US.  There is no more room for calm and reasoned debate, only the screaming of talking points.

The fact that this has occurred to the country of my birth, saddens me to no end.  That I am deciding forever to leave her also saddens me.  Note that I am not giving up on the USA, but I cannot stand to live there anymore.  My family is receiving excellent health care, we drive on good roads that are regularly repaired, our police believe in the mantra "to protect and serve", and my son is getting a first class PUBLIC education in an extremely culturally diverse school.  His best friends are a Korean Bhuddist, a Bosnian Muslim, and an Indian Hindu. (He is a white catholic).  I don't believe that this could ever happen in the US.

I am therefore, going to become more active and aware of Canadian politics, and to do what I can to keep this country from following the disastrous path of the US.  Once I get my citizenship, I will run for office in my local region.  I have no desire to go above the regional level, but feel that my adopted region needs me to help it grow intelligently (current population growth is 10% per year).

I want to repeat, that I have not given up on changing the US for better, but due to the reasons above, I feel the best way to do this is from a distance, and to continue to help Canada provide a good role model for the world.

Thanks for listening.