Not at all the same…
The state of California can sometimes be a little parochial in its views, but…
I just read a CNN article about the Canadian Prime Minister employing a loophole to dissolve Parliament and to call for an election, with the hope of making the Conservative minority stronger, perhaps a majority!
The Liberal leader, Stéphane Dion, has described the Conservative government as “the most conservative government in our history.”
Although I realize that the Canadian government does not function in the same way as the U.S. government, whenever I hear of a conservative leader dissolving a parliament, I get a “flashback” to a very “conservative” leader (Chancellor, that time) who asked a President to dissolve a governing body (Reichstag, that time), because no single party could gain a majority. If I hear of any fires breaking out, I will get REALLY nervous! 
Although I realize that IT IS NOT AT ALL THE SAME, I still got a queasy feeling in my stomach, much the same as many people “abroad” must get at EVERY presidential election in the United States.
The present Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, pulled Canada out of the Kyoto Protocol, which commits industrialized nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. I realize that many U.S. politicians do not understand and/or do not care about science, either. In either country, failure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is a continuation of a move in the wrong direction.
That greenhouse gas emissions in Asia may cause a temperature rise in the U.S. is reported as “news” with a “U.S. slant.” Folks, we are riding on the same beautiful, blue planet. Greenhouse gas emissions ANYWHERE can raise average temperatures EVERYWHERE, and have!
The Canadian election will be on October 14, so we will all know the results before the U.S. election in November.
Here is a heartfelt “Good Luck!” message to folks in both Canada and the U.S.!
-Bill at Cheshire Cat Photo™
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