Oh, Canada!

Canadians just held a national election where people voted with their heads more than with their hearts. Although the New Democratic Party is more liberal than the "Liberal" Party - the moderate views of which parallel our nation's Democrats - the voters of Canada voted Liberal, making the more pragmatic choice, in their ultimately successful goal of getting rid of the much-hated incumbent Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper.  Harper is seen by many to have been comparable to an American Tea Party member long before there was a Tea Party, demonizing ethnic minorities, trying to restrict voting rights, and generally representing the narrow interests of voters in the country's western provinces.  And most Canadians had enough, giving the Liberal Party such a huge victory that it went from being a minor presence in Parliament to winning a solid majority.

The newly designated prime minister, Justin Trudeau (above), son of the late and legendary prime minister Pierre Trudeau, plans to move Canada in a different direction.  He plans to spend more money on infrastructure and he also plans to end Canada's participation in the air strikes against the Islamic State, preferring to build real security at home.   

To think - Canada had a dignified election campaign, and Canadians got so engaged in it that they voted out a nimrod and made a reasonable, sober choice. And they did it all in six weeks.

Whereas we in These States . . . yeah, I'd rather not go there.    

Oh, is today Election Day here? :-p