John:

I did not say our top 3% were smarter than your top 3%. In fact I would give it to you that your top 3% are smarter. But I honestly believe that our average intelligence level is higher.

You have the Harvard Business School that is better then any university in Canada but I honestly believe that our elementary and high schools produce a better education than the average elementary and high schools in the US. And its because we spend more on education than you do. We can aford this because we do not spend very much on our military as you well know from our recent submarine scandal.

John, you have a very strong view that Americans are better than Canadians. Its true that we cannot produce a F18 or B52 Bomber but we can produce flu vaccines and drugs at reasonable prices. I know you don't like our beef and softwood lumber but GM, Ford and Chrysler keep expanding their production in Ontario. Could it be the free medicare that we give to their employees, our low crime levels, our good education for the employees' children, a properly funded Social Security, a balanced federal budget and our employee productivity?

I have worked with a lot of Americans and most are really nice people but one thing that concerns me is that often Amercians do not want to travel to any country but their own. This leads to a single minded feeling of superiority because the quality of life in other countries is not obvious to them.

I do not know if you have come to Canada or if you have visited Vietnam. I would encourage you to visit both places and talk to the people to more properly develop your views on these parts of the world.

Mike Smith