Apparently some lefties are serious about fleeing to Canada after Bush won re-election. At first I figured it was just post-election blues, but some liberals are actually going through with it. And Canada, says they have a lot to offer liberals:

Canada suddenly has utopian appeal for many left-leaning Americans. Its universal health care, gay rights, abortion rights, gun laws, drug laws, opposition to the Iraq war, ban on capital punishment and ethnic diversity mirror many values of the American left. Immigrants, including an estimated 1 million Americans, make up nearly 20 percent of Canada's population. The United Nations named Toronto the world's most multicultural city.

Sounds like a liberal utopia, doesn't it. I cannot wait until they realize that socialist health care means waiting 6 months to see a doctor, gun laws means paying for expensive registration programs that are ineffective and unenforced, and that high taxes and lack of tax breaks make buying a home a difficult and expensive ordeal.

And, as Michael Moore pointed out in "Bowling for Columbine" - required viewing for many lefties - in Canada there's apparently no reason to lock your door. Combine that with hockey, terrific needle exchange programs and moose - hey, what's not to love?

Well, all the extra U's (colour, neighbour ...), for one thing. It's cold. The baseball's not very good - so long, Expos. And the taxes are higher, eh?

But, as one American who has his bags nearly packed likes to say, at least the taxes go toward good causes.

"I just like their way of life a lot better, and with everything the Bush administration has done - for the American people to give him their seal of approval, it's basically the last straw," says Ralph Appoldt, a resident of Portland, in the barely blue state of Oregon.

"Canada's basic population is much more intelligent, polite and civilized. I like their way of government a lot better. Their tax dollars go to helping those who need it, instead of funneling money back up to the wealthy and feeding this huge military-industrial machine."

Ahh, the liberal credo. Confiscatory taxes are alright as long as they fund helpful programs like free clinics, "free" drug needles and socialist health care. But don't dare spend them on silly things like national defense.

I hate to break it to these lefties, but the only reason Canada (a/k/a the 51st state) can afford all these social programs is because they are under the protection of our huge military-industrial machine. Imagine where they'd be if they actually had to buy more than two tanks for national defense.

Oh, and one other thing. There's a reason that Canada's biggest export is their people.