Occupy Canada?

The recent protest in the US has pushed some Canadians to suddenly feel like they are at a disadvantage now. Did people need a wake up call to see that some rich prosper while some poor fall off the radar?

Throughout history we have had a social structure that has been viewed differently around the globe but in good old North America its Capitalism at its finest. Now before you go and take up a post at the protest think about how this structure has forged the nation. Without capitalism we would heavily rely on the local and federal government to decide what we like or need. The government would dictate the countries rate of growth and prosperity. Competition is a healthy thing if its on the football field or in the boardroom it drives us for greater things. Without a reward some don't even want to play the game. This may sound like I am over simplifying a greater issue but these are the true roots of where we are today.

Companies build better products to win over the sales from their competition and in turn that loyalty turns to profits and expansion and new jobs. Its not a perfect system but greed and power have built a lot more equity in the nation than a communistic approach. The Soviet Union food lines used to be very long and the common good may have left less people homeless but hospitals were rundown, the roadways were in very poor condition and eventually supply and demand just meant you went without.

Our brightest and best have come up with unique products and services that have driven the world to support these capitalists. The banks have been fighting for your business and picking up their services as well. This has caused some banks to rake in some hefty profits on both sides of the border. We still have the power to choose. If you think your bank is some how sucking the nation dry to satisfy its board and share holders then take your business elsewhere. In the US I think their concerns are slightly different due to some bank bailouts. But in the end they were a necessary evil to combat the domino effect in the fragile economy. I think if the US had to do it all over again there would be some harsher clauses written into the bailouts but lets face it there was panic everywhere. I was in Argentina when the economy collapsed. Its hard to watch line ups at banks that have no money. I can even remember a policeman running out in front of my car to stop me and asking for a ride to get his family food. I thought he was going to rob me as he put one hand in the air and the other on his gun.

Governments are run by men and women and "we are human" that mans we make mistakes and rush to judgement in the face of uncertainty. We don't always do the right things for everyone every time. It is the best system we have and although I hate the taxes and the amount of government workers I do like the services that come along with being in this country. Imagine if these same protesters sat down and realized how many Canadian and American civil servants will go to work Monday morning?

The amount of people in civil service is staggering and many are redundant positions. If the government was a company it would run a lot leaner and if it wasn't efficient then it would be steam lined to meet the customers needs and to stay ahead of the competition. I would say a need to revamp the government is more pressing in the end. We need to look at why the debt is out of control in so many nations. Corporate CEO's didn't hand out billions in loans only to forgive them down the road.