Peter Zeihan says Alberta would be better off as 51st U.S. state
CBC – Tue, 17 Mar, 2015- Reuters - An oil pump jack pumps oil in a field near Calgary, Alberta, July 21, 2014. REUTERS/Todd Korol
Western separatism is an old theme in Alberta, but Peter Zeihan is bringing it back into the spotlight.
Zeihan's new book is mostly about the United States and its place in
the world, but he's dedicated an entire chapter to Alberta.It's there that he lays out the economic case for why Wild Rose Country should bid farewell to Confederation and join the United States.
"Alberta as a U.S. state would not simply be rich — the richest in the Union, in fact — but would have a vibrantly well-financed and diverse economy that would put its former (and a lot of its new-found) countrymen to shame," writes the American author in The Accidental Superpower.
He argues that demographics are another reason why Alberta should jump ship."Alberta produces more energy than the rest of Canada put together, their primary export market is the United States and a merger would eliminate everything from tax liabilities to foreign currency fluctuations," said Zeihan.
Zeihan says the province is a lot younger than the rest of Canada and as a wave of baby boomers starts to retire, the rest of the country will become increasingly dependent on Alberta.
"As the price of that retiree bulge rises, and it's already pushing the Canadian budget to the limit, there is really only one place that Canadians can tax to fund their retiree system that they have promised their citizens. And that is Alberta," said Zeihan.
Zeihan says if Alberta ever did
choose to go out on its own, he suspects Canada's second richest
province — Saskatchewan — would follow.
I predicted on a former MW board that the Central and Southern US would eventually succeed and merge with Central Canada (Alberta and Saskatchewan) forming a new United States. This dynamic energy and agricultural region from Texas to Alaska would dominate world oil and gas production, and farming. Pipelines from Alaska's North Slope to Texas Gulf refineries, and Florida and Arizona residential areas, would flourish with cheap never ending supplies and exports.
The Northeast and West Coast progressive liberal States would reform their own Country.
Like minded individuals would be free to follow their own forms of government and regulations. A free trade pact and open boarders between both nations would facilitate trade.
This may well happen in my children's lifetime.
William, why copy and paste? if simply to make a point, you have demonstrated the decades long US thirst for control over natural resources of other nations. The Middle East is a prime example.
ReplyDeleteIf as I suppose, you support the direction in which Ziehan is trying to take your people; It is somewhat presumptuous to believe your countrymen will follow and even more so that Canada would allow succession. Perhaps you may like to remember what happened in your nation when secession was attempted. Your second amendment may well allow you to behave badly, the Canadians have no such millstone round the neck of their citizens. As Ziehan points out, Alberta is the richest (in natural resources) province and why therefore would Canada as a nation permit secession?. I guess Texas is in some ways a comparable “Province” in the US so why not negotiate a deal whereby Texas becomes Canadian and Alberta replaces Texas thus maintaining at fifty the number of states for schoolchildren to remember. If we follow Tea Party philosophy, it is likely that the rule of the wild west will prevail Doc Holliday, Billy the Kid and the James Brothers all lining up for a crack at the best seat in the White House! Come on mate, you are better than this. As you have copy/pasted your contribution, try going to the source and read what Canadians have to say about the idea. The Canuks have no Bill of Rights as you do, they have however made a good fist of responding to Ziehan>
Cheers from Aussie.
King you just can't grasp the concept of nonviolent succession. Entire groups of people (States) just stop sending it in to DC in reaction to not being represented by the nobility.
DeleteIn 1985 did you foresee the breakup of the Soviet Union? Did you see the iron curtain falling? If 30 or more States organized and phased in an orderly succession who would stop them? If red states got tired of being poorly led by coastal electoral college misbalances who could blame them?
A majority of States already oppose Obamacare. If Federal judges find against these groups another marker along the road to separation Would be in place. The coastal States have their our awesome resources. Two stand alone power houses could easily exist.
Again King, open your mind.
William
DeleteThank you but I wonder how many others here would support your position on secession? I am concerned at your use of "if" in your theses. you do not provide an example for secession in the US. The Soviet Bloc was another matter and I venture to suggest that its breakup was inevitable, The attitude of the Soviet government in the year or so before the collapse made the final act a certainty.
Your argument on secession fails on two points. One is in your history and no one would ever risk 1860 all over again, As you know, the civil war was not only about the slaves, although that alone was cause enough. There were economic considerations and of course the overriding view of Lincoln that he would preserve the Union at all costs.
Your proposition fails also on the likely response by the Federal government. Do you think Washington would sit idly by while the wealthy states, or even the politically red states walked away from the union? Of course the people would have a voice in addition to the State legislatures or ad hoc revolutionary committees. If the people were asked if they wanted to separate from the strongest and wealthiest nation since the Roman Empire. I suggest perhaps one in 100 would be tempted to even consider the question seriously.
No one doubts your sincerity William, a Prophet is often without honor in his own land. Think of the practicalities and work at reforming an imperfect system rather than creating a new set of problems even your great nation would only solve by shedding the blood of its citizens once again.
Cheers from Aussie
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DeleteKing, I live in a deep blue union controlled state. We have two democrat senators, a majority of democrat house representation, and a democrat strangle hold on our State legislator. We have uber liberal Princeton and Rutgers Universities and strong political ties to both deep blue New York city and Philadelphia. We are arguably one of the richest places on earth per capita. Yet our State remains deeply in debt, we have some of the nastiest cities on the planet, parts of our infrastructure is crumbling, and citizens are leaving in droves to escape onerous taxes and regulations.
DeleteNevertheless there are dozens of Tea Party and other related groups above ground, and many groups underground that support some sort of partitioning of our own State. Wisconsin until recently followed a similar path until Scott Walker, a real leader, turned around their Statehouse. Wisconsin recently passed Right to Work legislation and has regained control of their Statehouse and uber liberal University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Perhaps these "local" facts on the ground are to esoteric for an outsider to understand. I do appreciate your inquisitiveness that enables those like me to bring to the floor what is actually happening all around our great country. Government and media driven sound bites, or might I say propaganda, deliberately shed little light on the subject.
No one would ever suggest a repeat of Lincolns War of Aggression. Their are few if any parallels between then and now over 150 years later. What remains is our Constitution and Bill of Rights which guarantees our Pursuit of Happiness. When people are truly led by despots, reprobates, and nannies it is very difficult to be happy.
Our difficulties are not specifically a situation concerning one national party. Both parties show no embarrassment whatsoever in displaying their progressive petticoats. Numbers do not lie, when a child is born here today he/she assumes a share of debt that is estimated above one million dollars. In our papers yesterday was a "republican proposal" to close our budget gap over the next eight years. The hero's were so happy with themselves that they had found a way to extend and expand our debt crisis. Of course the opposite party will fight tooth and nail against even this paltry effort to get our grand children's future indebtedness under control.
Romney's famous 47% will never of course budge off their couches. Never pull away from their popular culture (circus) entertainment. Being quite happy with getting their check reliably in the mail. This is human nature I suppose. What has been a miracle has been the other half of the populace that has retained the yearning to remain free and pursue their individual goals in life. This is where the ideas stated above come from. This is where they live. This is what is held deep in their hearts. If division of a once great nation is the only path then division always remains in the calculation.
Cheers King
Kudos William, your first para here is perhaps the best thing I've ever read from you. I may disagree with your conclusions, yet, your description of your state accurately and very precisely describes the US as a whole.
DeleteWilliam and Max my thanks. Your exposition William is something which requires much consideration. I shall now retire to the far end of the house where I am mostly left undisturbed with my books and the infernal computer. I shall pull up the drawbridge and give your reply the deep consideration it richly deserves. again my thanks. I must begin again with 1860 and” Lincolns war of aggression”. I have previously met with those who consider Lincoln less than the great man history records. Perhaps another subject for productive debate in the future.
DeleteCheers from Aussie
Scott Walker is not a real leader. His state is facing huge deficits and Wisconsin the University is still uber liberal.
Delete47% of Americans do not get a check William. 47% pay no taxes. It doesn't mean they don't work they just make so little that they get all they pay back. You talk as though everyone who works for a living feels as you do.
Number of Taxpayers Who Renounced U.S. Citizenship Skyrockets to All-Time Record High, quoting Andrew Mitchel. Under U.S. tax law, it is not relevant why someone expatriates. Whether the expatriation was motivated by tax avoidance or something else used to matter, but the law was changed in 2004.
ReplyDeleteSince then, the tax and other consequences do not depend on why one leaves. Yet after Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin departed permanently for Singapore with his Facebook IPO riches, there was an angry backlash. Mr. Saverin’s post-Facebook fly-away prompted such outrage that Senators Chuck Schumer and Bob Casey introduced a bill to double the exit tax to 30% for anyone leaving the U.S. for tax reasons.
So far, that bill remains unpassed. Meantime, are people following Tina Turner’s lead? No, and not Eduardo Saverin’s either. Most expatriations are probably motivated primarily by factors such as family and convenience. Many people like Ms. Turner have built a life somewhere else and may not plan to need a U.S. passport.
Complex or costly taxes can help sway a decision but are often only one factor. Although statistics are not available for why people say a final good-bye, many now find America’s global income tax compliance and disclosure laws inconvenient and nettlesome. Some go so far as to say that the U.S. tax and disclosure laws are downright oppressive.
No group is more severely impacted than U.S. persons living abroad. For those living and working in foreign countries, it is almost a given that they must report and pay tax where they live. But they must also continue to file taxes in the U.S. What’s more, U.S. reporting is based on their worldwide income, even though they are paying taxes in the country where they live.
Many can claim a foreign tax credit on their U.S. returns, but it generally does not eliminate all double taxes. These rules have long been in effect, but enforcement was historically less of a concern with expats. Today, enforcement fears are palpable.
Moreover, the annual foreign bank account reports known as FBAR forms carry civil and criminal penalties all out of proportion to tax violations. The penalties for failure to file these forms, civil and criminal, are severe. Even civil penalties can quickly consume the balance of an account.