How many people heading north would be accepted by Canada?
A friend of mine was asked to chair a conference in Toronto recently. The Canadian government paid his airfare/etc and he felt honored to be chosen. Going through immigration/customs he was asked if he had ever been arrested in the US. He answered yes, 22 years ago on a marijuana possesion charge. He was told he could not visit.
He was told he could apply for citizenship with a $200 fee and they would allow him in. By the time they investigated his request the conference would be over. He told them “fck you and fck hockey” and began arranging his flight home.
Jeb has stated unequivically that he will not run for president in 2008. I’d put this in the category of Democratic porn-- much more so than “Hillary will run” is Republican porn, since, AFAIK, she has never said flat out that she won’t run.
She flat-out said a number of times that she wasn’t going to run in 2004, and that didn’t stop anybody from speculating right on through the primary process, or even later.
He was very angry. The Canadian Government had requested that he chair a conference. The least they could have done was to give him a heads up if there were going to be possible problems entering the country. A minor charge over 20 years old? Sheeeeesh.
Oh, and he was purposely digging for a nasty thing to say. He is a big Pittsburgh Penquins fan.
This is hardly unusual. Many countries don’t allow foreigners with criminal records in, regardless of how minor those records are. I believe the US has this selfsame policy. There are, of course, ways of remedying the situation, involving forms filled out in triplicate and lengthy waiting periods for some bureaucrat to get off his ass and sign something, but this is not particularly remarkable either.
I’ve been reluctant to consider Canada. My distinct impression is many of them don’t much like us up there. I certainly can’t blame them, but I’m not sanguine about the prospect of living where I might be told I suck all the time. I seems there’s a significant risk of simply replacing one cultural problem with another.
New Zealand, now, that’s a whole 'nuther thing. I really, really liked the Kiwis, and they really treated my wife and I with an almost absurd amount of hospitality and kindness. Beautiful country, wonderful people, socially liberal, with an independent streak (ANZUS, anyone?) that actually counts for something. Only trouble is, I’m a 20-hour journey, then, from all of my immediate family, who I cannot afford to move with me, even in the event I could swing the move myself. I’m resigned to being more-or-less stuck. It’s too bad, because I saw NZ as an ideal place to raise children; much more humane and sane than the US, free of the guns and predominance of conservative Christian madness. It’s a sincere regret of mine that I just cannot seem to find a way to move out that doesn’t hurt myself and my relations in the process. They most emphatically want me around (I discussed the idea with them, to ask them what they thought of it, since I do not wrestle with such concerns idly); and I certainly don’t want to be in a position where I can only see them maybe once every year or two years. That would be especially painful in the case of my nieces.
::sigh:: Canada? Maybe. It just seems to be not far-enough away. It’s someplace else, but close enough that the poison has infected it too, meaning they rightfully resent the condescending scorn their US neighbors show them, but sadly, that scorn perhaps has bred a generalized dislike* in return that I just don’t want to deal with, if I don’t have to.
*I base this sentiment on the cold shoulder I’ve been shown both in Canada, and by Canadians abroad, when they recognized my nationality. Again, I really can’t blame the Canadians for feeling the way they do, but it’s not the kind of sentiment I’d gladly surround myself with.
I think you’ll find that most countries ask prospective visitors about prior arrests/convictions. The US government certainly does. There are often stories in the press here about Australians refused entry to the US due to some minor, twenty year old infringement.
If Jeb Bush were elected President, I wouldn’t even think of moving to Canada. There are very few people that might run that I would want in office less than Hilary Clinton, and even if she were elected (God forbid), I’m not moving anywhere.
I can’t believe there are actually people who would threaten to move because of the President. Unless, for some inexplicable reason, someone like Hitler or Hussein actually ran and had a chance to win…which I don’t foresee happening. Seriously, the President’s actions hardly impact your life so much that it warrants emigration. :rolleyes:
Malodorous:He’s not wealthy enough to take a 400k a year job! Sheesh those Bush kids are spoiled.
Well, to be fair, it’s the campaigning that costs the big $$$. Admittedly, a Jeb Bush presidential campaign would probably be amply backed by a lot of big-money donors, but I’m not sure I’d care to take on such a commitment unless I also had a big war chest of my own. Sad but true, it’s very hard for non-millionaires to get on the radar as Presidential candidates these days.
Othersider: * Seriously, the President’s actions hardly impact your life so much that it warrants emigration.*
Depends who you are, doesn’t it? If you’re serving in the armed forces, for example, the President’s actions can have a fairly huge impact on your life.
I’m a sophomore in high school, and my plan has been to go to school in Canada, vote absentee, and if the election goes badly for me, which would include Jeb Bush running and winning, apply for citizenship. I might apply anyway, though. I like Canada. But this relies on finding a school in Canada and being accepted. But if Jeb Bush were elected in 08, it’d definitely be a factor in whether or not I apply.
Why is it that even during the height of irrational Clinton hatred from the far right, I never once heard any conservatives speculate about leaving the country?
Bricker:Why is it that even during the height of irrational Clinton hatred from the far right, I never once heard any conservatives speculate about leaving the country?
Because conservatives knew that Clinton was actually far less radical and power-hungry than Bush is, and that their fundamental rights and prosperity were not seriously threatened by him.
(This may or may not be true, but man, you really left your ass hanging out for it, Brick. ;))
Actually, a more serious response to Bricker’s question might be: Where is there for American conservatives to move to?
The US is pretty much on the right edge of the spectrum of what the average American would consider livable countries, especially those within Western culture. There are quite a few clean, law-abiding democracies somewhat similar to the US but with governments somewhat to the left of ours—not just Canada but the UK and several other Western European countries, and even Australia and New Zealand if you don’t mind going far away.
But where is there a similarly free and democratic nation that’s farther to the right—lower taxes, more socially conservative, fewer social services, and so forth? Israel? India? Ecuador? Hong Kong? Most Americans considering moving to such places would be looking at high linguistic, cultural, and/or geographical barriers, plus some sacrifices in quality of life.
(Of course, there are always the various tropical tax havens that some wealthy people flee to, but we’re talking options for the average conservative here.)
