Addison & Jace ::: en route

“I’m moving to Canada.” It’s a common sentiment uttered by progressives (also known as liberals / liberal Democrats and left wingers) following the election of a right-wing candidate or the stripping of people’s rights. But few actually move their families to the Great White North. In part because it’s not as easy as packing up the car and driving across the border; it requires time and money. And in part because I think that we all want to believe that the country, our country, will get better. That it will become what we want it to be, one day, if we just keep working at it.

Lately, I’m starting to question whether or not I can continue to believe that anymore. I’m starting to question if we progressives can really turn this thing around. I’m starting to question if my blind hope in my fellow Americans is ill-conceived.

I know I’m making bold statements here. I know that many folks will consider me a kind of traitor, will call my concern about the US an act of treason. But while I want to support my country and to be a proud American, I’m just not sure I can do that in good conscience. Let’s take a look at the facts, shall we?

DISCLAIMER: I am a progressive through and through, and I believe certain things about how a government and country should function. Naturally, if you disagree with me philosophically, you will likely dislike Canada as much as I dislike the USA, and I think that’s okay and that we can still be friends.

Fact #1:  Marriage Equality
In the USA, after decades of fighting, six states and Washington, DC have given same-sex couples like Addison and me the freedom to marry. In six states, I can stand up with the woman I love, declare my commitment to her, and be given the protections, responsibilities, and rights of marriage. On the other hand, 29 states have written in their state Constitution that Addison and I can’t marry. Twelve additional states prohibit my marriage to Addison by state law. The federal government doesn’t recognize mine and Addison’s relationship, no matter where we live, even if we live in one of the six states that allows us to marry.

Looking at the numbers, you can see the disheartening picture being painted. Over the past decade, our movement has made incredible strides. But we’re facing obstacles and barriers at every turn. And while we fight, couples like Addison and me are being torn apart by the discriminatory laws of our country.

But in Canada, the federal government and all provinces have legalized marriage between couples like Addison and me. Anywhere in the Great White North, we can take care of one another; we can make decisions for each other in the hospital, we can file taxes together, we can raise a family together. We are granted the same protections and responsibilities that are given to straight couples. And it’s been this way since 2005 — one year before dozens of US states amended their Constitutions to exclude couples like Addison and me from marriage.

In Canada, the picture is very different. Same-sex couples aren’t treated as second-class citizens. The government recognizes these couples equally — and it’s the kind of recognition that doesn’t just make families stronger; it makes communities stronger.

Fact #2:  Healthcare
In the USA, our healthcare system is broken. We pay thousands of dollars to get health insurance that doesn’t cover the care we need so we get into deep debt following a medical emergency or procedure. We get insurance through our employer so that, when we lose our job, we lose our coverage. And given that personal insurance is outrageously expensive and that insurance companies can turn you away for any reason at all, an unemployed person often can’t afford or can’t get approved for coverage.

President Obama’s Affordable Care Act will help to fill some of the gaps in our broken system. But it doesn’t do enough. Why? Because provision after provision was stripped from the bill so that it could, after years of struggle, be passed and approved by Congress. And now, the Republican candidates for President in 2012 are pledging to undo the progress that was made, before the law has even been fully implemented. And polls show that, despite all the good it does, Americans generally don’t support the Affordable Care Act. Rather than supporting a measure that helps to close the gaps in our system, my fellow Americans (the people I’m supposed to have so much faith in) would rather stick with the old way — where millions of people are uninsured and millions of others just can’t get what they need.

In Canada, healthcare is the government’s responsibility — a drastically different approach to providing people care. In the USA, we put the responsibility of healthcare onto private insurance companies, employers, and people. In Canada, as in many European countries, the government provides every resident of Canada with access to care, whether they’re employed or not, whether they’re in good health or not. 

The care that’s provided by the Canadian government even includes the full range of women’s healthcare (yes, including abortion). In states across America, we’re trying to strip away women’s reproductive rights, but in Canada, the government directly ensures that all women have access to whatever care they need.

Fact #3:  Taxes
I once heard it said that, when the USA speaks of itself, it says “I,” but when Canada speaks, it says “we.” To me, this sentiment says it all. In Canada, people care about the community, and they are willing to do their part to fund the common good. In the USA, people care about having lower taxes so that they can achieve the American dream of prosperity.

For example, the federal healthcare system I mentioned above is paid for by Canadians through taxes. The people of Canada commit to supporting public health and pay taxes that some Americans might consider a bit too high (though, in my opinion, the difference doesn’t seem that significant) to ensure that every person has access to care.

Another example is maternity leave and parental benefits. In Canada, a mother is given paid maternity leave for 15 weeks, and then she and her partner have access to parental benefits that allow one parent to stay home and care for a child for up to a year. Again, it’s a difference governmental philosophy: Canadians believe that it is the government’s responsibility to support new families.

Where do American tax dollars go? Are we funding the common good? Are we taking care of people? Are we providing support to new families? I’m no expert, but I don’t think so. In the USA, a significant portion of our taxes go to fund the expansion of our ever-growing military. But the dollars aren’t providing mental health services to veterans or additional benefits for military families. They’re equipping us to fight more wars, to launch more attacks on those we don’t like. We’re not taking care of the service members and their families who have given so much; in these tough budget times, we’ve actually been taking benefits away from folks who have made incredible sacrifices.

I don’t know about you, but I think I’d feel a lot better about paying taxes if I knew that my dollars were taking care of people and making my community a better place for all of us. I wish I believed that’s what my US tax dollars are doing, but I don’t think that’s the case.

These three reasons are really only the beginning of this discussion. The differences between Canada and the USA are vast, and I’ve simply pulled out three of the issues that are most important to me personally. But the list could go on and on.

The more I learn about Canada, the more sad I am to be living here in the USA, a country that thinks of itself as the greatest nation in the world. Canada makes no such claim of greatness, but I’m starting to believe that it’s a place that’s far more in line with my values — a measure of greatness for me, at the very least.

Am I moving to the Great White North tomorrow? No. Might I think about it in the coming years as I consider where I want to raise a family? Maybe. Until then, I’ll keep working to make the USA a place that aligns with my values, even if at times, the fight feels hopeless.

-Jess