corrente

OK, so I tried to avoid the outside world while we were vacationing last week in the Canadian wilderness. Still, I managed to learn the following:

• It's possible to present a political issue without resorting to an instant poll.
  
• Conservatives can present their case without spraying the airwaves with spittle.
  
• Liberals can present their case without having to apologize for it.
  
• The poor don't have to be cast either as objects of condescension or contempt, but can be recognized simply as human beings entitled to community support.
  
• Universal health care can be a bipartisan issue.
  
• There are more important things to discuss than tax cuts.

I'm sure our thousands of Canadian readers will rush to correct this pollyannish judgment. For example, I realize that our northern neighbor has its share of problems, such as mad cow disease, which has apparently spread to parts of the human population. Still, it's worth being reminded that there is an entire world outside of the asylum we call home.