Even more appalling than the average Americans lack of knowledge concerning Canada, is the average Americans lack of knowledge of its own country, and how things work. Conservatives polled in North Carolina proved this. 4% of them said that Hawaii was not a state, and 8% didn't know if it was or not. And it is voters like that who are going to the polls. But that doesn't stop a very large part of them from hearing an opinion from a friend or news media, and all of a sudden being an expert on the subject. In so many sad ways, China is showing itself to be smarter than our own government and people. Like the American Indian, when threatened with extermination, we patriots may have to move to Canada to be free. I sure hope not. The way we are allowing China and other countries to buy our country, in pawn, and in reality, even Canadians may have to learn to speak Chinese.

WOW JCE :) Big Hugs my friend and very well said :)
Our countries are each others largest trading partners but, I sometimes find the lack of knowledge Americans have about Canadians and vice versa a bit troubling . I have corrected a few misconceptions on both sides of the border .
I , myself have learned a great deal about the political system in the US and a host of other facts from coming here and posting .
Our countries history and lives are often very intertwined and so its important to know more about each other.
I have on a few occasions had to explain why as a Canadian am I interested in the politics of the US and why am I on a US blog site . I have family living in the US and many many American friends would certain top my list of why . In short there are more good reasons as to why than reasons not to be here :)

Further, Catharyne and I don't agree on everything, and being human, I am not right about everything. But you might take note of the fact that even when she disagrees with someone, she is very civil, and she backs up what she says with facts, statistics, common sense, and compassion. So far from not taking her opinion seriously you might just listen and learn. There is plenty of room for that, not only for you, but for all of us. When she confronts me on something that she thinks I am doing wrong, you would notice the lack of meanness, the lack of attack. She believes what she is saying, and thinks that if I look at it, it will help me. She talks to me with respect and friendship. How could anyone say that that doesn't count? She makes nice posts for reasons far beyond her being a nice person, which she is. Does that account for why you make mean, spiteful, nasty and unhelpful posts? Perhaps you should listen to her posts AND your own. Much to be learned here.

To OMT , Thank you for your kind words and you are correct I am not an American citizen but I have family and many friends that are Americans and because of that I try to stay up to date and current .
Sometimes with the exchange of opinions ( even foreign ones hehe ) it gives a better over view and it also can dispel misinformation about Canada and or the US . This better understanding of each other can only be a blessing and further peoples understanding of each other . Also my impartial view point is sometimes used for some as a form of checks and measures .

Religious comments shouldn't even be coming out most of you people mouths on here especailly you conservatives right-wing nuts.That's all you guys are a bunch of bible thumpers and hyprocrites.Faith-based anything don't even cross you people minds on here unless someone bring it up and then you still don't care.
The Bible is the most quoted and the least clearly understood book of this time.Different things at different times.The Bible spans thousands of years and different kind of literatus and so you can go in the Bible and find pretty much what you want to be said on any subject.What you have to do is look at the whole sweep of the Bible message and what you find is instructions to treat God as God,Government as Government,and to treat other people with respect and dignity.If you want to be religious you go not just to quoting scriptures you act like the scriptures tells you to act.

jce you really take to much med's and then go off on your tangents and go on and on and on.
Catheryn likes you and deals with you, that is the goodness in her heart and that she does not live in America so really what really does her opinion count? she does not vote, she just makes nice posts because she is a nice person.

JCE you are the hateful bitter one and a true dem
so good for you, really JCE WHO CARES????

JDB More double talk that misses the point. When the Christians themselves, and the civic and spirital leaders decide to act like true Christians, we will see a return to positive values. If we were a Christian country, 75% Christian, with a government based on Christian values, that wouldn't be a problem at all. So those are false premises.
casey42 Very well spoken, and very true.
Catharyne Sadly, casey42 is right. You can't expect the faith based programs to give the same treatment to people who don't believe as they do. It isn't working that way. Not as long as they are against human rights, like sexual freedom, abortion, family planning, contraception, end of life planning, freedom for all especially different religions. And that just isn't historically and traditionally the case. They will help those who believe as they believe. We have a church here in town that gives out food. But first, the members get first shot at it. Then a very political male help program gets next shot. And the public last. And the good stuff is gone. Most churches here don't do that. But it happens a lot. It may be different in Canada, but it is par for the course in the US. It was easier when everyone of importance was a white christian, and people actually cared about each other. In my Grandmothers day, when someone was sick, neighbors came by to help, and even the preacher would help with the rent. Now all they do is pray for you, unless you belong to that church. I saw some of that coming thru Canada as well. A church turned us away when they found we weren't of their faith. We refused to lie to them, but that would have worked.

HHJ The church was doing fine until prohibition, and after that it really began declining. From being a help, and following Jesus, to trying to control peoples minds, and then going the path of the so called Christian Mafia, that which the Family calls itself. People stopped doing, and the government tries. Not working. Maybe if people started working together, not against each other, and focused on getting our government under control, we could do right again. There is no way the government can put love into peoples hearts, and when people have lost so much, their fellow man is not top of their priority. And the church is failing in its leadership as well. It is up to the people to become role models again, and demand it from their civic and spiritual leaders. And that isn't happening. More hate on here from those claiming to be Christian than those who leave religion out of politics. It is supposed to be lived, not just talked about, used against people to deny them human rights, or forced onto others.
Tim I listen to your lies and accusations about me that aren't at all true, because I am civil, and you don't hurt me a bit. You only hurt yourself. You forget that it was the right who incited the Tiller murder, and who is inciting the disruptions of the town hall meeting, and encouraging people to carry guns to the meetings, and to kill politicians and the president. The left is defending against the right. You are far more hateful than I could ever be. Bridget is angry, but HHJ, you, Redneck, Shaman, to name a few, are as hateful as anyone can be. Catharyne is one of the half a dozen really civil ones. And most of the civil ones are either moderate or liberal. The hate comes mostly from the right.

To Tim ,One problem that often occurs is when people misunderstand and then delve into the most improbable scenario's due to their own misunderstanding of certain issues . Then they defend those misconceived notions as utter undeniable facts . Its kinda funny if the consequences of that didn't have so many negative impacts.
To casey42 , The reason that governments look at faith based aid programs that SUPPLEMENT existing government ran ones was best explained by HHJ :)
The tradition of these faith based charities goes way back before most countries even had a Human Rights division . They are time tested and well noted for their successes.
Different governments realize they can improve their existing systems and so look at similar ones that are far more successful ei; "faith based" ones. Which is a bit of a misnomer because none require that you share their theological beliefs before they extend a helping hand to you.

Your first assumption is that Christian based organizations will be taking over aid programs and thus deleting government programs . That is not the case nor is it even question.
Second any of this organized churches that provide those services do not require first that you follow their theological teachings nor have they ever required that before giving aid .

I cannot see how a "faith based' aid program can be expected to provide equal service to all, if a person handing out the largese is a homophobe how can a homosexual expect to get aid? If the person charged with distributing the welfare hates people who get an abortion how can one who has expect fair treatment. Who is going to distribute birth control devices and information, it darn sure won't be the groups that teach that the only reason a couple should have sex is to create a baby.

"God is no respecter of persons." He is truly non-partisan in His approach to dealing with people and their needs. Unfortunately, the "hands and feet" of God, people, are human and, being human, they fall into two essential qualifications: good and bad. Two teams naturally develop from an identification with, and appreciation of, and bias concerning these qualifications.
Why it is that the "team mentality" dominates in government, when a consistency of definition and identification with regard to good and bad is considered, can only be relative to cost; personal, monetary and political. In a liberal attempt to satisfy all without regard to cost, the biblical concept of reward and punishment based on the qualifications of "good and bad" is disregarded. Secular humanism sees no qualification other than one's humanity and charging government with the cost of one's human needs is somehow perceived as fair in the mind of the liberal. Resorting to a re-definition of the "separation of church and state" as a fundamental justification for disallowing principles of good and bad, right and wrong and behavior patterns as qualifying factors in reward and forfeiture of reward is a common tactic employed by left-wing liberals.
The conservative is viewed as "discriminating" when identifying and qualifying factors are introduced into the equation of compassion for people.
Money betrays us when we throw it around until its meaning is trivial and, in not appreciating its value, we accumulate debt. Since it is "legal tender for all debts public and private," does it not seem logical that it ought to be used to pay off the debt? "Owe no man anything."
This is good.
The purposes of the media are so multifarious that they can not adhere consistently to any principle other than the money factor.

JCE, you, and bridget are the most negative and hateful people that post here. I disagree with allmost everything you post, but I don't tell you to shut up, I don't tell you to die, and I don't blame democrats for blood shed. However it WAS union workers (SEIU) who beat up a man at a town hall meeting.
Catharyne, you must remember, bridget is the one who had to pay $94 to her doctor to get paper work so she could get her Social Security. Now we find out she is only 61, and we all know you can't get SSA unless you are 62, or older. I think she must want SSI. I know some people on SSI, and most of them are crazy (nuts)

AMEN, Sister Catharyne !! You go girl !!

Catharyne Stauffer, gotta love your comments. You are on a roll today!!

When this country was established churches(faith based) ran the benevolence (social) and the education systems of this country. Since we see our government has failed miserably in these areas and some politicians including Bush and Obama realize this and are using faith base organizations to complement social programs. Kids that are home schooled or go to private christian school are far better educated than in public school. Also food distribution to the hungry by churches is much more efficient and with less red tape. Our church is giving food to more than 200 persons each week on a budget of less than $20,000. By-the-way true christians are honest good citizens. Per you have my permission to do spell check and grammar check on my comment.

To Bridget , You are always angry and everyone of your posts start with something negative and that must be horrible for you to see no joy in life .
When we look for something whether its a negative or a positive we will find it .
If we look for hopeless situations we will find them .
If we look for a devil at every corner you will find one .
If we look for positive things we will find them.
If we look for the good in people we will find it.
If we look for God we will find him .
Joy in being alive and the good things in life is something we must all find for ourselves . It just depends on what you are looking for will depend on what you find.

Oops, i misspelled choir. How will anyone take my seriously if I can't even spell my name? Sorry :)

bridget wrote: "I am unchurhced and refuse to go.Faith stinks."

I am a senior citizen who had similar feelings thirty years ago. Your political beliefs don't have to get in the way of a relationship with God. In 2004 mine was the only car in the church parking lot with a Kerry sticker on it. Try to keep an open mind and not react automatically from emotion. I pray the Holy Spirit can get your attention. God bless you, sister.

Politics and partisanship should not be applied on this topic other than through learning how many Churches deal with the welfare of those less fortunate CITIZENS that reside in the US.
The good example of caring and the system of getting people back on their feet financially just with the Mormon Church ( LDS ) has been studied by a few governments . Their system does NOT strip the self respect of people being helped and it builds confidence and motivation for the recipient .
Many other Christian based Churches have also copied this model .
I find it rather interesting that their would be such political wrangling concerning this issue when 100's of Millions of dollars in Aid money and supplies leaves the US every year to help people in other countries and yet your own less fortunate citizens face political wrangling concerning their well being. Charity begins at home.

This is from the angry senior citizen who lives in seattle.Why is it all of the replies have been by these holy roller men who regard women as slaves? Excuse me...this is 2009 and Obama is truly a Christian and noone can sell your soul.Noone,please keep this to yourself.Faith belongs in the home,not in the board rooms or schools.I am a 1954-1962 Roman Catholic and i refuse to change some of my beliefs for these nuts.We cant have the churches in political affairs.They belong in preaching the gospel.And if I rejoined a church and the minister came out against the gays,women and such..I would leave.I refuse to become a part of this movement that the church is right.Far from it...by constantly having people preach on street corners,by constantly have high priced tv specials and having people like John Haggee who is always knocking my religion is one of the reasons why I am unchurhced and refuse to go.Faith stinks....

I shudder to think of the the lack of stability in anyones mind who actually believes that media such as Fox or CNN are pro Obama. Or that the media who refuses to cover the New York Times bestseller "The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder". The right wing extremist terrorists, or RWET, is using the media quite well to push its anti America, anti Obama message, the lies, the distortion, the call to violence, disruption, murder and treason. Obama hatred has so taken the racists and dirt baggers ( tea baggers, birthers and deathers) who are being willing stooges for the NWO that they are crawling out of the KKK Kloset. The good news is that there aren't that many. The bad news is that there are too many, and that they will cause rivers of bloodshed if wiser heads don't prevail. And listening to Fox, CNN, Rush, and conservative radio, one must be very afraid of the idiots. Bush, in his self proclaimed McCarthy like warrior of God, who could do no harm, did so much bad in the name of God, giving so much to the already too powerful churches, and doing so much murder in the name of God, that it is up to Obama to correct some of that damage. If he can. Between his NWO bosses, and the corrupt congress, and the stupid voter, that is debatable. But he must try. Bush would have installed a theocracy if given half a chance, and the right wing was ready to help. But not powerful enough. Yet.

THe article gives good, factual information, but is handicapped by the fact that it deals with the media's slant on faith-based programs, in regard to Obama and Bush. The problem is, of course, that the mainstream media has been in Barack Obama's back pocket since early in his campaign, and remains there yet today. And they have considered Bush (or any Republican for that matter) one of the Devil's minions at the very least. I believe right next to nothing I observe in the liberal mainstream media, and not much more from the conservative media. One has sold their collective souls to Barack Obama, and the other can't see the forest for the trees in that they condemn EVERYTHING that is from Obama or the Democratic Party.

took bush on faith and look where it got us who would want to be here

Maybe Bush gave too much to the churches, and maybe Obama isn't acting like the holy warrior who is fighting evil and therefor can do no wrong.