Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: GtoRA2 on July 23, 2003, 07:40:07 PM
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NEW YORK (AP) -- For all they share economically and culturally, Canada and the United States are increasingly at odds on basic social policies -- to the point that at least a few discontented Americans are planning to move north and try their neighbors' way of life.
A husband and wife in Minnesota, a college student in Georgia, a young executive in New York. Though each has distinct motives for packing up, they agree the United States is growing too conservative and believe Canada offers a more inclusive, less selfish society.
"For me, it's a no-brainer," said Mollie Ingebrand, a puppeteer from Minneapolis who plans to go to Vancouver with her lawyer husband and 2-year-old son.
"It's the most amazing opportunity I can imagine. To live in a society where there are different priorities in caring for your fellow citizens."
For decades, even while nurturing close ties with the United States, Canadians have often chosen a different path -- establishing universal health care, maintaining ties with Cuba, imposing tough gun control laws. Two current Canadian initiatives, to decriminalize marijuana and legalize same-sex marriage, have pleased many liberals in the United States and irked conservatives.
New York executive Daniel Hanley, 31, was arranging a move for himself and his partner, Tony, long before the Canadian announcement about same-sex marriage. But the timing delights him; he and Tony now hope to marry in front of their families after they emigrate to British Columbia.
"Canada has an opportunity to define itself as a leader," Hanley said. "In some ways, it's now closer to American ideals than America is."
Though many gay American couples are now marrying in Canada, virtually all return home, hoping court rulings will lead to official recognition of their unions.
Hanley's situation is different because Tony -- a Southeast Asian -- is not a U.S. citizen. The men worried that Tony could be forced to leave the United States after his student visa expires in two years: They were elated when Canada's immigration agency said they could move there as partners.
Hanley, who works for a Fortune 500 company in Manhattan, doesn't know how the move will affect his career.
"It's a challenge, it's scary," he said. "We'll have to drop everything we know here, go up there and figure it out."
Thomas Hodges, a computer systems major at Georgia State University, said his dismay with American politics started him thinking last year about going abroad. He recently wrote an article in a campus journal titled, "Why I Am Moving To Canada."
"I'm thinking about Toronto, though I hear it's cold up there," Hodges, a lifelong Southerner, said in a telephone interview.
Hodges, 21, complained about a "neo-conservative shift" in the United States and praised Canada's approach to health care and education.
"The U.S. educational system is unfair -- you have to live in certain areas to go to good schools," he said.
Rene Mercier, spokesman for Canada's immigration department, said any upsurge in U.S.-to-Canada immigration based on current political developments won't be detectable for a few years, because of the time required to process residency applications.
During the Vietnam War, U.S. emigration to Canada surged as thousands of young men, often accompanied by wives or girlfriends, moved to avoid the draft. But every year since 1977, more Canadians have emigrated to the United States than vice versa -- the 2001 figures were 5,894 Americans moving north, 30,203 Canadians moving south.
Mollie Ingebrand, 34, said she has felt an affinity for Canada for many years, fueled partly by respect for its health care system. Her doubts about the United States go back even further, to a childhood spent with liberal parents in a relatively conservative part of Ohio.
"In school I was always told this is the best country on earth, and everyone else wants to be American, and that never really rang true to me," she said. "As I got older, it occurred to me there were other choices."
Her husband, George, 44, has spent little time in Canada, but said it seems to offer a more relaxed, less competitive way of life. He has no qualms about leaving his law practice and selling the family's upscale home in Minneapolis.
"I don't idealize Canada the way my wife does, but I'm ready for an adventure," he said. "I don't know what I'm going to be facing. That's what I'm reveling in."
The Ingebrands have completed the first batch of paperwork to apply for Canadian residency, hoping their talents and finances compensate for lack of specific job offers. As Minnesotans, they look forward to Vancouver's wet but mild climate: "Green all year, no mosquitos," Mollie said.
At Georgia State, Hodges said some conservative schoolmates have challenged his proposed move to Canada, saying he would be abandoning his homeland.
Conversely, Mollie Ingebrand says some of her friends -- people who share her left-of-center views -- argue that she should stay at home to battle for changes here.
"I've been there and done that," Molly said. "I don't want to stay and fight anymore. I can have that bittersweet love for my country from somewhere else."
Link (http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Northeast/07/19/considering.canada.ap/index.html)
I could care less about gay getting married, hell let them... But the rest is crap. Don't let the door hit ya...
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http://216.91.192.19/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=91886
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How did I mis that?
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<>
we have a serious emigration defict with canada, people like this will help to ballance it out.
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Sweat Jeasious Sandy who appointed you "old post monitor"???
:)
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Sorry... it was only three days ago. :)
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So we're loosing a puppeteer, a pencil neck, and an 'Im pissed I missed the 60's' student?
...and Canada is ok with this?
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I agree! :)
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Hoooray!!! Gays and liberals are talking about leaving the country!!! Gosh, who will be on welfare if they all leave? I might be able to keep more of my tax dollars!!!
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we share THE biggest border in the world......
we are the BIGGEST trading partners in the world......
we are americanized...like it or not.
only diff. is that we try to keep a little of our own identity.....EH!!!!:D
so even if they do move here....no diff. really.....
but the Grass is much better here tho:D......
education....hmmm you guys got more Specialized schools....but we do have some pretty good schools too....
as for free Med.....well if you like to wait for 10hrs for a broken leg to get casted...welcome
:p
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lol. reality bites sometimes.
the grass is always greener on the other side.
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SLO,
WARNING WARNING, the puppeteers are coming.
I can think of no worse fate for your country...
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bah...I'll smoke a good 1 and laugh at em:D
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Oh yeah?
We're sending you our mimes! Muaha. :)
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You better smoke more than 1 if you plan on taking in a puppet show and actually enjoying it... LOL
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Originally posted by Nash
Oh yeah?
We're sending you our mimes! Muaha. :)
Nash, that was cold man.... Just downright cold and heartless... LMAO
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LMAO!!! this shows how well thought
out their plan is:
"I'm thinking about Toronto, though I hear it's cold up there.
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So. Some of our liberal friends are headed north to settle in Canada. I'd like to make a few observations about the reasons being given by some of them for making the move.
1. The granting of legal status to gay marriages. About this I'm neither hot nor cold. While I do not consider homosexuality to be natural, neither am I a torch-carrying gay basher. I believe that in some cases, homosexuality can lead to pedophilia, but that's just my opinion. Anyway, if gays want to get married, so be it. Whatever butters your buns babe. I'll leave the courts and the legislature to decide what legal conundrums gay marriages might create.
2. The U.S. is growing too conservative and Canada offers a more inclusive, less selfish society. Oh REALLY? Whatever happened to all those self-righteous, moralistic platitudes about the values of DIVERSITY? By moving to Canada you are stating that you do not want to live near people who do not share your point of view.
3. Canadian universal health care is more desireable than the American health care system. Sounds like you want something for nothing. That ties in very well with the beliefe of some liberals that the government should "handle" most, if not all, of life's little problems. Although it is definitely more expensive, the American health care system is almost universally recognized as the best in the world. Many wealthy foreigners come to the U.S. every year to take advantage of treatments that they cannot get elsewhere. Oh, and quite a few Canadian doctors are moving to the U.S. in order to be free of Canadian salary caps.
4. The U.S. educational system is unfair...you have to live in certain areas to get a good education. Well...doh! Do you really think it's going to be different anywhere else in the world? How well do you think the schools in the Canadian tundra compare to those in Toronto? The same inequities exist in every society.
It sounds to me like many of these "discontented" souls are leaving for their own "selfish" reasons. They seem to believe that the Canadian government is going to be more willing than their own to fill their outstretched hands.
As GtoRA2 said...don't let the door hit ya...
Regards, Shuckins
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Originally posted by Shuckins
So. Some of our liberal friends are headed north to settle in Canada. I'd like to make a few observations about the reasons being given by some of them for making the move.
1. The granting of legal status to gay marriages. About this I'm neither hot nor cold. While I do not consider homosexuality to be natural, neither am I a torch-carrying gay basher. I believe that in some cases, homosexuality can lead to pedophilia, but that's just my opinion. Anyway, if gays want to get married, so be it. Whatever butters your buns babe. I'll leave the courts and the legislature to decide what legal conundrums gay marriages might create.
2. The U.S. is growing too conservative and Canada offers a more inclusive, less selfish society. Oh REALLY? Whatever happened to all those self-righteous, moralistic platitudes about the values of DIVERSITY? By moving to Canada you are stating that you do not want to live near people who do not share your point of view.
3. Canadian universal health care is more desireable than the American health care system. Sounds like you want something for nothing. That ties in very well with the beliefe of some liberals that the government should "handle" most, if not all, of life's little problems. Although it is definitely more expensive, the American health care system is almost universally recognized as the best in the world. Many wealthy foreigners come to the U.S. every year to take advantage of treatments that they cannot get elsewhere. Oh, and quite a few Canadian doctors are moving to the U.S. in order to be free of Canadian salary caps.
4. The U.S. educational system is unfair...you have to live in certain areas to get a good education. Well...doh! Do you really think it's going to be different anywhere else in the world? How well do you think the schools in the Canadian tundra compare to those in Toronto? The same inequities exist in every society.
It sounds to me like many of these "discontented" souls are leaving for their own "selfish" reasons. They seem to believe that the Canadian government is going to be more willing than their own to fill their outstretched hands.
As GtoRA2 said...don't let the door hit ya...
Regards, Shuckins
Point 3- you don't have a clue. We pay 7 percent tax on EVERYTHING we buy to pay for our health care. And we don't have to wait 10 hours like handsomehunk said to see a doctor. More like 5 minutes and not a single form to fill out.
Salary caps? Where the fediddle did you dream this one up? Salaray caps do not exist here for any profession.
"many wealthy foreigners come here every year to get treatment." Of course they do. They can afford your chitty private health care INDUSTRY. Or they could come here and get it for free.
don't let the door hit ya? how about stay the hell out.
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Lol Loser, who peed in your Wheaties?
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Loser,
Perhaps you didn't understand what I meant. The perception held by some our more liberal citizens is that universal health care in Canada is better because the "government pays for it." Ultimately, health care is paid for by the citizen, regardless of whether one is talking about that of Canada or the United States. That little fact sometimes gets lost in all of the rhetoric. The social-welfare system of Sweden is often cited by liberals as an example of the types of programs that the United States government ought to implement...but the 75% tax rate necessary to sustain it is rarely mentioned.
I stand by my statement that Canadian doctors are leaving Canada to practice in the United States. I read about it in an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association a few years ago. The Canadian government regulates the fees that doctors may charge for their services in order to keep prices down. As a group, Canadian doctors make nowhere near the salaries that their U.S. counterparts do.
By-the-by...why were YOU so po'ed by my comments. My remarks were mostly about the hypocrisy of Americans who preach the gospel of diversity and acceptance and yet practice something else. No disparagement of Canada or it's people was intended. I merely pointed out the inconsistencies in their comparisons of the two health care systems. If you prefer Canada's health care system, then, more power to you.
Regards, Shuckins
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I love Canada. Its the Canadians that I hate.
MiniD
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Originally posted by Mini D
I love Canada. Its the Canadians that I hate.
MiniD
lucky I'm French Canadian then:D
and loser.....calling me handsomehunk is kinda harsh EH!!!!:p
and stop being so damn defensive.....they just havin a little fun.
btw....since when did anyone living in Saskatchewan have a clue about anything:eek:
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Moving to Canada is kind of like buying a Mercury instead of a Ford. Different label, some cosmetic differences, different option packages, but it's still the same car.
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Yeah, but they have such a ***** National Anthem.
'Oooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Caaaaaaaaaannnnnnaaaaaaaaaduu uuuuuuhhhhhhhh Je jour hoooooooooockey au glaaaaasssssssssss!!' (or something like that)
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This is beautiful. There is nothing better than folks doing exactly what you want without your even having to ask!
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Originally posted by loser
Point 3- you don't have a clue. We pay 7 percent tax on EVERYTHING we buy to pay for our health care. And we don't have to wait 10 hours like handsomehunk said to see a doctor. More like 5 minutes and not a single form to fill out.
Toronto Star (http://www.torontostar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1059084624371&call_pageid=968256290204&col=968350116795)
I guess your milage may vary
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Any way I can be of assistance? May I help with the packing, drive the truck, do they need bus fare?
I'm just asking, I'm really a nice guy, really can I help? do you have any other friends?
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GScholz,
It appears that the truth about Sweden's tax rate lies somewhere between the figures that you and I stated in our posts.
It has been awhile since I read the text that I got the 75% tax rate figure from. Quoting from memory can be an iffy thing...especially at my age...:D So I went on-line looking for information and found it at the following site. http://cf.heritage.org/index/country.cfm?Id=38
This is an article printed in the Wall Street Journal that was submitted by the Heritage Foundation. It contains a short summary of Sweden's economy and is part of a larger work called the 2003 Index of Economic Freedom. It has the following things to say about Sweden's tax and unemployment rates:
...The U.S. Department of State also reports that Sweden levies "low corporate taxes (at 28 percent, one of the lowest corporate tax rates in the {European Union})." At the same time, however, the personal income tax rate is high. In fact, Sweden's taxes are among the highest in the world, and this encourages entrepreneurs and university graduates to leave the country to pursue opportunities abroad. These taxes also fuel a system of economic redistribution. Sweden has a high level of unemployment; according to reliable sources in the business community, when the number of people taking sick leave or a leave of absence is taken into account, the actual unemployment rate is at least 15 percent, which is much higher than the government reportrs. Overall, if it is to expan economic growth successfully, Sweden must drastically reform its welfare state and cut taxes."
Sweden's tax burden is one of the heaviest among the world's industrialized economies: a 60 percent top tax rate, a 20 percent marginal tax rate for the average taxpayer, and a 28 percent top corporate tax rate...government expenditures equaled 52.5 percent of GDP.
Regards, Shuckins
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Originally posted by Shuckins
Loser,
Perhaps you didn't understand what I meant. The perception held by some our more liberal citizens is that universal health care in Canada is better because the "government pays for it." Ultimately, health care is paid for by the citizen, regardless of whether one is talking about that of Canada or the United States. That little fact sometimes gets lost in all of the rhetoric. The social-welfare system of Sweden is often cited by liberals as an example of the types of programs that the United States government ought to implement...but the 75% tax rate necessary to sustain it is rarely mentioned.
I stand by my statement that Canadian doctors are leaving Canada to practice in the United States. I read about it in an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association a few years ago. The Canadian government regulates the fees that doctors may charge for their services in order to keep prices down. As a group, Canadian doctors make nowhere near the salaries that their U.S. counterparts do.
By-the-by...why were YOU so po'ed by my comments. My remarks were mostly about the hypocrisy of Americans who preach the gospel of diversity and acceptance and yet practice something else. No disparagement of Canada or it's people was intended. I merely pointed out the inconsistencies in their comparisons of the two health care systems. If you prefer Canada's health care system, then, more power to you.
Regards, Shuckins
Sorry mate, must say i kinda flew off on your post. I was just having a relapse of some chitty treatment i got while in the states last week. (border guard giving me **** while spitting sunflower seeds out of the corner of his mouth, some waiter in Wisconsin worrying that i had SARS just because i was from Canada etc...) I hope I didnt offend you or anyone else in this thread. I'll try to be less defensive in the future.
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GScholz,
I don't know if they count absences and sick leave in the U.S. to determine the rate of unemployment...but given the source of this information...the Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal...I suppose they calculate it this way to better graph a nation's economic productivity in order to compare it to other nation's.
Regards, Shuckins
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Loser,
Don't sweat it. We all have our bad days. I traveled to Fairbanks, Alaska via Alberta and British Columbia back in 1992. There is only one other trip in my life that I enjoyed as much. My entire family fell in love with the Kluane Valley. You live in one of the most beautiful and, in my opinion anyway, most desireable countries in the world. Hope to be able to go back someday.
Regards, Shuckins