"Hardheaded Socialism Makes Canada Richer than US"

[Tradewind]

I presume there is a point to your post, but you seem to have concealed it in such an exceedingly clever manner that I am unable to locate it.

Just following the trend major leftist tinfoil hat wearers are setting. All the while stroking their beards in approval as the media latches on to stories that are nothing more than the Cons cleaning up the Liberal Party's mess.

Now if you actually want a "point," then perhaps it's your turn to explain what those "little things" they're destroying are. Because from where I'm sitting, things are looking pretty good lately. Despite my taxes paying for more equality payments for the floundering East who can't get their shit together.

[mistuhbull]

It amuses me that whenever an american says "socialist" they do so like it was an explative/swearword. Get your country out of the 50's, this ain't the Cold War and there are no "commies" to be afraid of.

Senator McCarthy, succeeding in villifying helping others since the 1950s

[Masark]

It amuses me that whenever an american says "socialist" they do so like it was an explative/swearword. Get your country out of the 50's, this ain't the Cold War and there are no "commies" to be afraid of.

Yes, I know. In America, socialist is an accusation. In the rest of the world, it's at least one major political party's platform.

Just following the trend major leftist tinfoil hat wearers are setting. All the while stroking their beards in approval as the media latches on to stories that are nothing more than the Cons cleaning up the Liberal Party's mess.

Now if you actually want a "point," then perhaps it's your turn to explain what those "little things" they're destroying are. Because from where I'm sitting, things are looking pretty good lately. Despite my taxes paying for more equality payments for the floundering East who can't get their shit together.

Which "mess" would that be? The surpluses they managed to piss away before the economy went interesting? The GST cuts they decided were absolutely essential and are fueling the current deficits and providing them their excuse to cut services?

I'm taking a guess you're from Alberta.

[Deadvolcanoes]

This is the result of essentially two factors - a superior banking regulation system and a much smaller real estate bubble. Neither of these has anything at all to do with socialism.

Nothing at all to do with socialism? I mean I understand it isn't pure socialism unless the banks are govt owned. But banking regulation by government, and not allowing banks to merge would be considered what exactly? It's certainly more socialist leaning than capitalist, right?

---------- Post added 2012-07-23 at 06:33 PM ----------

It amuses me that whenever an american says "socialist" they do so like it was an explative/swearword. Get your country out of the 50's, this ain't the Cold War and there are no "commies" to be afraid of.

Since that was in response to my post you should probably know that as an American I support political socialism.

[holyunholy]

The deficit was bought down by politicians (Chretien and Martin, both liberals) who cut spending and lowered taxes. Hardly a socialist approach. Though the previous prime minister (Mulroney, a conservative) introduced VAT which helped cut down the deficit in the long run.

[Daumaenis]

To an extent. The bubble is mostly limited for Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary. There's also a problem with rental availability in Regina, but otherwise things are functioning more or less normally.

Calgarian here, my viewpoint is evidently skewed.

[Tradewind]

The deficit was bought down by politicians (Chretien and Martin, both liberals) who cut spending and lowered taxes. Hardly a socialist approach. Though the previous prime minister (Mulroney, a conservative) introduced VAT which helped cut down the deficit in the long run.

Jeanie almost destroyed the health care in this country to try and pay down the deficits. Cuts in funding to the provinces (mostly in the west...don't hurt the dense clusters of voters!) Cretien manipulated votes to his favor by calling elections early and had no real opposition as there was no properly unified conservative party at the time.

...then there was AdScam.

[Fuzzzie]

I feel like whatever system is working elsewhere might be something worth looking at as the US continues to struggle. Then again American politicians seem so adverse to change in any way that it's unlikely to ever happen until something seriously breaks. Even the "Change" president is pretty much a carbon copy of everything I've seen before. Sure he is more eloquent than some recent presidents but pretty much runs the same shit show as always.

Canada isn't without it's problems either. Trust me I live here. Looking at our kinda broken system underscores how broken the American's really is.

[Gnarles Malarkey]

What can the USA learn from Canada? Same thing it can learn from most countries; having a political system that isn't completely polarized. The USA really needs a third major political party.

Doesn`t make a lick of difference when there`s a majority-government in place.

Harper could declare himself Eternal Emperor of the Canada and her Minions, build fences around Saskatchewan and Newfoundland, and train Ottawa`s massive stray cat population into becoming his personal army of the night; there`s absolutely nothing anyone could do about it.

[Tradewind]

Which "mess" would that be? The surpluses they managed to piss away before the economy went interesting? The GST cuts they decided were absolutely essential and are fueling the current deficits and providing them their excuse to cut services?

I'm taking a guess you're from Alberta.

Those surpluses generated by massive funding cuts to health care and western provinces? The GST cuts that were part of their election platform and subsequently, timely, and completely followed through on? No, not those issues.

The current one is the F35 jets...and how the Libs have latched on to it now even though it was their party who signed us up for the Level 3 Industry commitments. So now, we're essentially committed to buying them or losing billions in aerospace and engineering contracts for the 100+ Canadian companies who have gained contracts into the JSF program. Apparently the Libs forgot that.

You still haven't said how the Cons are dismantling all the work crooked Martin was doing in the 90s. Aside from crushing the west under austerity measures.

Oh yes, from Alberta. I'm guessing you're in Ontario? If you'll forgive me the air of superiority. How's it feel to know that my taxes subsidize your province's terrible Liberal Party economy.

[madethisfor1post]

Harper has a pedo smile.

[holyunholy]

Jeanie almost destroyed the health care in this country to try and pay down the deficits. Cuts in funding to the provinces (mostly in the west...don't hurt the dense clusters of voters!) Cretien manipulated votes to his favor by calling elections early and had no real opposition as there was no properly unified conservative party at the time.

...then there was AdScam.

Except the reform party then wanted even more cuts. What else were they supposed to do anyway ? Canada was a basket case and following conservative economic policies bought this nation back to good economic health.
Deficits have to be cut and debts have to be paid, that's just the way how it is. If you cannot pay something back, don't borrow. Better yet don't spend excessively in the first place.

[Nadev]

I feel like whatever system is working elsewhere might be something worth looking at as the US continues to struggle. Then again American politicians seem so adverse to change in any way that it's unlikely to ever happen until something seriously breaks. Even the "Change" president is pretty much a carbon copy of everything I've seen before. Sure he is more eloquent than some recent presidents but pretty much runs the same shit show as always.

Canada isn't without it's problems either. Trust me I live here. Looking at our kinda broken system underscores how broken the American's really is.

I've never understood this belief.

He's as clumsy with his speech as Bush was.

[Algearond]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-0...than-u-s-.html

For the first time ever, the average net worth of a Canadian household is higher than the average net worth of a US household.

Canada: $363,202
US: $319,970

Their unemployment rate has also dropped to 7.2% while it remains stagnant in the US at 8.2%.

This can be attributed to a number of factors including but not limited to: financial regulation, socialist-leaning policies, the disallowance of banks to merge, "brutal" cuts to social programs, cutting corporate taxes, and of course, an abundance of natural resources.

It seems like Canada has taken ideas that both Democrats and Republicans like, though not mutually, and implemented them to great success.

So what can the US learn from Canada?

I don't know about you but I don't know anyone with a household net worth of that amount.

[saffi]

You misinterpreted what I said.

I meant to say: Its easier to become rich by selling your own natural resources.

Selling human resources (high tech, labor) is better in the long run, but you don't make as much money.

Guess that's why China, Africa etc are so rich..Oh wait.
In case you decide to debate me on this, here is what I mean :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tertiar...of_the_economy

For the last 100 years, there has been a substantial shift from the primary and secondary sectors to the tertiary sector in industrialised countries. This shift is called tertiarisation.[1] The tertiary sector is now the largest sector of the economy in the Western world, and is also the fastest-growing sector.

Check out the table with how much of the world GDP is tertiary sector income.

[Algearond]

What's so bad in being socialist that so many people jump? It's not communism. It's just that the state takes more care of people and tries to balance incomes more. So when a country has a healthcare system payed by everyone as a tax, that's socialism. When a country has a system where everyone pays their own healthcare alone, and if you don't have money you die, that's not socialism. Even your dear USA has socialist measures, some countries have more though.

Because my hard work should not pay for those who refuse to. And before the arguments to help the poor come in, we both know their are plenty of people who want to live off the welfare stare (SOME not ALL)

[Fuzzzie]

I've never understood this belief.

He's as clumsy with his speech as Bush was.

He pauses a lot and does it audibly, but at least when they words come out they're real words.

[ishootblanks]

He pauses a lot and does it audibly, but at least when they words come out they're real words.

like "forwards"?

Obama bumbles as bad as Bush ever did... he's just really good at reading a teleprompter.. must I link the video of 7.5 minutes worth of umm and uhh taken from a single 41 minute speech again?

[Kalis]

He pauses a lot and does it audibly, but at least when they words come out they're real words.

I used to find Bush's speeches hilarious, he had near perfect comedy timing.

[madethisfor1post]

"Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream"