I've lived and worked in Asia, Central America, Middle East, Europe, Africa and here is the USA. There are many many good places to hang your hat at the end of the day. I could have continued to lived and work in those places but I keep coming back here to California.
If I was restricted to only three descriptors for the USA they would be Freedom, Diversity and Opportunity ... for All. Freedom of choices ... from your clothing, to sexual orientation, to education, to the arts, to pretty much everything. This country is ruled by law, now by a ruling party. Our legal system is distinct and separate from other divisions of government. Per the foundation of this country, we are all treated equally under the law regardless of ruling party or wealth or religion or ethnicity. Those civil liberties and our choice to protect and enforce those civil liberties under rule by law ... are what make Americans ... Americans.
Freedom:
Read our Declaration of Independence and Constitution. Those documents are the backbone of our government, republic, democracy and of our people. Those two documents are what binds this country together. The Constitution is a living document. Every single day the interpretation is challenge ... sometimes for expansion ... sometimes for restrictions. The Constitution is a people's document, any citizen can challenge or enforce the Constitution in many different ways, through our courts or through our legislators. And we vote, we vote for everything many times a year. (Unfortunately we vote so often that it is being taken for granted.) We vote for local issues, regional issues, state issues and national issues. We vote for people to manage our schools to people to manage our water, to people to manage our law enforcement, our cities, et al. As an example of our reliance with the founding documents, our armed forces do not swear to protect American citizens or American property but rather pledge to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic...".
Diversity:
I live in Los Angeles, one of those crossroads of the world. Los Angeles is amazingly diversified. When I was a city commissioner, I entertain delegations from every corner of the world who just wanted to observe who so many cultures lived together and actually benefitted from close association. There are 92 different languages spoken in the Los Angles Unified School District.
Opportunity
My father was the son of an immigrant farm worker (actually he dug wells). My father attended a segregated school. My father was restricted to where he could purchase a house. My father served 40+ years as a California State Senator, creating legislation for the sixth largest economy in the world (at the time). My father has roads, parks and a high school named in his honor. Often my father would end his speeches with "... Only in America." (The defense rests on opportunity.)
Earlier I said there are many many fine places to live other than the United States ... and Canada is one of them. I've never lived in Canada, but I feel that there isn't that great of a difference between Canada and the United States. But there is in climate. For example, the best farm climatically area in Canada butts up to the worst farmland in the US.
I am writing this from the patio where it is presently 73F. Mary Lou is trimming the Plumeria, I just finished cleaning the filters on the Koi pond. When I scan the backyard there are roses blooming, bright red and yellow peppers, melons, squash and cucumbers ready for picking. The Persimmons are thick on the tree and ready for picking are oranges, lemons, avocados, berries, tomatoes, et al.
In winter a drop on another 10 degrees, in summer 15 degrees higher. But the evenings are always cool with minimal humidity, usually the air is dry as a bone here. The worst you can say is that the SoCal weather is benign ... the best is something like fantastic. San Diego, may just have the best weather in the world (IIRC 65F in winter, 75F in summer).
In California from Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the CONUS, you can look straight down to the lowest spot on North America, Death Valley. We have glaciers and sand dunes, 800 miles of coast line, world class cities, our Central Valley is the bread basket of the United States, we have the oldest trees in the world (Bristle Cone Pine), the largest trees in the world (Sequoias), the largest organism that has inhabited the world swims off our coast (Blue Whale). We have the finest public university system in the world with arguably the the best public university, Berkeley and the best private university, Stanford.
In winter in Los Angeles, you can snow ski in the morning, surf or sail in the afternoon, catch a premier movie and dine at a five star restaurant ... all on the same day. Yosemite is considered to be the most beautiful area in the world and California Highway 1 is spoken to as the most beautiful road in the world.
In summary, I think the differences between Canadians and Americans is the very strong American patriotic spirit based upon our Constitution and Declaration of Independence. (I read somewhere that the US War for Independence was the first war declared to change how a populace was governed.)
The biggest difference is climate and ecological diversity offered by the United States.
Gary
(I friend told me that the difference between a Canadian and an American is that the Canadian is a little bit more boring.)
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