Canadians now richer than Americans

[Thor]

lol for good times, I recommend the fox news spin on the story:

Similar, too, is the fact that the study ignores Canada’s microscopic defense spending, which amounts to a fraction of the U.S. military budget. For decades, Canada has relied on the U.S. for its own defense and protection, and instead blows its money on a flawed single-payer health system that is growing more expensive and whose long wait times for exams and doctor or hospital visits has Canadians flying down to the U.S. for health care.
Pundits on the study also ignore the fact that academic data shows health spending is growing at a faster clip in Canada than in America, that heart disease and cancer mortality are worse in Canada, and that lack of MRIs and scanners are worse in Canada, as are the long wait times for care.


Read more: http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2...#ixzz215YA9MG8

http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2...igher-than-us/

[Senator Clay Davis]

Boy US Americans sure do get their panties in a bunch when they perceive a slight against them.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by Thor

lol for good times, I recommend the fox news spin on the story:





http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2...igher-than-us/

I love the typical "Canadian flying in droves to 'Murica for health care" argument. Are there any actual hard numbers to back this up? The only notable case I've heard of in recent years was Danny Williams.

[linecook]

Average life expectancy of a Canadian - 80.8 years, US - 78.2 years.

Just posting this in response to the Fox article about our healthcare system.

[Azure]

Is the article wrong though? We have a huge problem with wait times, and many people turn to private diagnostic clinics to get better care.

Also, you have to pretty naive to not believe that we get away with spending so little on our military despite having the 2nd biggest land mass in the world because the US spends $600 billion a year on their military.

We REALLY benefit in many ways from having them as our neighbour.

At the end of the day though, we simply have better policies. Better welfare programs, better financial system, actual austerity policies, better energy policies, better political system.....better everything.

[MarchHare]

Is the article wrong though? We have a huge problem with wait times, and many people turn to private diagnostic clinics to get better care.

To be fair, long wait times are only really a problem for those with non-life threatening health issues. If a doctor suspects you have something serious like cancer, you'll get access to an MRI and other needed treatment very quickly.

[SebC]

http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/...-conservatism/

Here in Canada, the 2008 financial crisis, and its piggyback recession and foreclosure epidemic, also has created a massive upheaval in conservative politics. Before that, the real dynamo behind right-wing ideology in this country was always, at heart, wealth-envy of the United States, which we saw as a bastion of prosperous laissez-faire capitalism. What happened in 2008 showed us that we were worshiping a false god, which shrunk, like a deflating parade float once the crowds are gone, before our eyes.

[...]

These numbers should be a source of pride for Canadians. Yet they highlight awkward questions for the country’s small-c conservatives: If Canada was, relatively speaking, on the right track policy-wise all along, what exactly were we doing jumping up and down, demanding that our leaders look to the United States for their policy solutions?

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by SebC

http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/...-conservatism/

It's kindof dumb to be making economically ideological pronouncements or even commentary based on Canadian real estate being worth more than US real estate (One bubble popped, one is in the process of popping) at one moment in time. Every other item that goes into the wealth calculation favors the Americans, even at a time when they are suffering. Hardly a ringing endorsement of Canada.

[Azure]

I think most people would agree that we're in such good position because of work done by the Liberals in the 90s.

Look at what they did, and tell me again why any small C conservative would disagree with it.

[Kipperriffic]

CBC keeps talking about this. Whole country seems to have an inferiority complex to US. It's like an idendity now, imo: how-better-are-we-doing-today-as-conpared-to-US.

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by Azure

Is the article wrong though? We have a huge problem with wait times, and many people turn to private diagnostic clinics to get better care.

Also, you have to pretty naive to not believe that we get away with spending so little on our military despite having the 2nd biggest land mass in the world because the US spends $600 billion a year on their military.

We REALLY benefit in many ways from having them as our neighbour.

At the end of the day though, we simply have better policies. Better welfare programs, better financial system, actual austerity policies, better energy policies, better political system.....better everything.

For the average patient, the wait and care is better up North. It ain't great, but I've BEEN to a public hospital in LA, and yes, that was worse. Sure they have some awesome private options that we don't have, but for the 99% to steal a phrase, it is better up here.

And I always get a little perturbed with the 'Well the US protects Canada argument'. First of all, the US isn't protecting our interests, they are protecting their own. They aren't doing it out of the kindness of their hearts, they are involved in our policy (probably a little too much) because they feel it keeps them safer. Secondly, who the heck is going to attack Canada? The threats the US faces aren't the same threats that we face. If they are protecting us from anything it's from conflicts they started. Heck we had a terrorist attempt on our own soil and the RCMP and Canadian organizations did nicely. Did they share info with the States? Maybe, perhaps even probably. But only because the US wants access to our information and our borders because they feel they need it to keep their own country secure.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by Daradon

And I always get a little perturbed with the 'Well the US protects Canada argument'. First of all, the US isn't protecting our interests, they are protecting their own. They aren't doing it out of the kindness of their hearts, they are involved in our policy (probably a little too much) because they feel it keeps them safer. Secondly, who the heck is going to attack Canada? The threats the US faces aren't the same threats that we face. If they are protecting us from anything it's from conflicts they started. Heck we had a terrorist attempt on our own soil and the RCMP and Canadian organizations did nicely. Did they share info with the States? Maybe, perhaps even probably. But only because the US wants access to our information and our borders because they feel they need it to keep their own country secure.

Not to mention that the American military budget wouldn't be nearly as high if they reduced the aggressive nature of their foreign policy.

[Barnet Flame]

There were probably a lot of CPers skewing the sample.

[Daradon]

Heh, Colbert did a small segment on this last night. Was good. Not rip roaring funny, but good.

[Ark2]

Originally Posted by TheGrimm

I love how in the comments section everyone in the US simply blames Obama. Classic.

Is it any different than people simply blaming Bush?

[Azure]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Not to mention that the American military budget wouldn't be nearly as high if they reduced the aggressive nature of their foreign policy.

What was the budget under Clinton? $300 billion? Spending that much still helps us get away with spending so little.

[WilsonFourTwo]

Originally Posted by Azure

Also, you have to pretty naive to not believe that we get away with spending so little on our military despite having the 2nd biggest land mass in the world because the US spends $600 billion a year on their military.

This argument annoys me whenever I hear it.

WHO are we defending the land mass from? Are the Chinese going to send 100,000 troops over to claim Nunavut?

I'm not naive enough to say that we don't benefit from America's (ridiculously oversized and over aggressive) military being minutes from our borders, but Canada is more than capable of protecting its own interests.