Say no to SE2. This essay is about the Canadian reaction to the proposed SE2 powerplant in Sumas Washington.

"Say no to SE2! Say no to SE2!"

We can't have those Americans building a power plant only a few kilometers away from us! It would devastate our communities here in the lower mainland. I realize that SE2 would only be burning the cleanest source of fossil fuels available to us, natural gas, but that still pollutes our air and our water. Why should we care about their energy crisis anyways? It's not like it affects us, after all, we are Canadians and they are Americans.

An SE2 supporter came up to me the other day and, trying to convince me to change my opinion on the topic, told me how badly the Sumas area needs new sources of energy to support increasing demands for it. SE2 would provide enough power for over 400,000 residences, however, all those residents are American, therefore why should we care? It would be one thing if it was Canadians who needed electricity, but it's not, so why should we care? Another thing this supporter told me was about how badly people in the Sumas area need jobs, and how during the construction of SE2 at least 400 jobs would be created, with at least another 20 jobs inside the plant once the construction was completed.

United States

United States

Water Pollution with Trash Disposal of Waste at th...

So what? It's not really giving Canadians jobs, so why should we support it? I personally care more about myself and my fellow Canadians a great deal more than those scavenger Americans. So what if they and their families are going hungry and can't afford decent housing. I know that the United States doesn't have the same type of welfare system that we do here, and that the majority of unemployed workers are on there own to find ways to survive, but who cares? They are American and therefore...