Having just
returned from a two-week sojourn in the U.S., I couldn’t help but notice some
factors that I’m sure will play heavily in determining the occupant of the oval
office for the next four years.
The
Great Recession is much more obvious south of the 49th parallel than
north of it. Boarded up gas stations, empty storefronts and motels with
shuttered doors were a common sight on my route south to the Grand Canyon which
admittedly traversed the rural heartland which has been hardest hit by the
economic downturn. Reflecting this, prices are incredibly low like the
casino/motel I stayed in Nevada for $35-a-night and they gave you $5 cash to
play the slots! (I used it to buy breakfast.)
Gas
was anywhere from $3.69 to $4.19 for regular, still cheaper than Canada, but
while I was there gas spiked to more than $5-a-gallon in southern California
and motorists were howling. But the recession is the best card in Romney’s deck
even though blame could just as easily be laid at George Bush’s door as
Obama’s. Unnecessary wars cost a lot of money.
And
there are other signs of Americans’ frustration. “Proudly made in America, not
China,” was one sign I saw over a vendor’s stall. “We really appreciate your
business,” was another one I saw at more than one gas station where I fueled
up. And gas is cheaper at some stations if you pay cash.
Americans
are proud people and I’m sure their angst is running deep as they look over
their shoulders at the economic behemoth of China getting ready to surpass them
as the greatest economic power on earth. CBC Radio ran an interesting item just
before I left pointing out that for the first time in history the average
Canadian family is worth more than its counterpart in the U.S. Of course, there
are still far greater personal fortunes south of the border than here, but
that’s largely confined to the infamous “one per cent” and does nothing to
diminish the anger on Main Street as opposed to the plutocrats of Wall Street.
Having
said this, I must also say something else. I’ve travelled quite a lot in recent
years and nowhere have I been better treated than I was in the United States.
Whether it was at a gas station , a restaurant, a motel or hiking on the trail
people were genuinely friendly and service standards were outstanding. It
doesn’t matter where you go in the States, when the waitress comes over to get
your order, she has a cold glass of ice water in her hand as well as a menu.
That may not sound like much, but it seldom happens here. And if you say you’re
from Canada, their eyes really light up. I even met two older American couples
that said they were considering retiring in the Great White North though the
possible election of Romney may have had something to do with that.
And
yes, the election. I did sense that many Americans are war-weary, but maybe my
own bias had something to do with that.
Ironically, one of the best cards in Obama’s deck was his extra-judicial
order to murder Osama bin Laden instead of capturing him and putting him on
trial as a war criminal like you’d expect any civilized, law-abiding country to
do. I guess after 9/11 that’s a forlorn hope.
Another
thing that’s obvious down south is they’re a deeply divided country. It’s right
in your face wherever you go – rural/urban, liberal/conservative,
rich/poor – you can’t avoid it. Who was
it that said “two nations feuding in the bosom of a single state?” That’s what it’s like down there. The twain
doesn’t meet, at least politically
But
it’s still a great nation and they know how to treat their guests. I’d go back
in a heartbeat.
Gerry Warner is a
retired journalist. His opinions are his own.
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