Slashdot Mirror
Canada Moves to Keep Skilled Workers
ashitaka writes "Just in time for all those who have vowed to leave the United States in response to government policies and mainstream cultural malaise, the Canadian government is announcing a C$700 million initiative to help skilled workers stay in Canada and become citizens. If you had the choice, would you really uproot to a new country especially one where the lifestyle isn't that much different than your own?"
If you had the choice, would you really uproot to a new country especially one where the lifestyle isn't that much different than your own?
It seems to me that a lifestyle that includes warm weather would be reason enough.
is that you have to dress like a mountie.
The question, however, is what is then going to happen to the immigration laws. Presumably they are going to have to do something to prevent just anyone jumping in and claiming. Will this preclude the majority of people? Will they lower the immigration requirements? Who can say?
~HTP~ Hug that tux
Having done alot of travel to the US, both for business and pleasure, let me assure you Canada's lifestyle is far different. We live in a much more secure, comfortable and friendly environment than most places in the United States. We have very little crime (Toronto, our largest city, has about 70 murders a year), we have the best health care system in the world, we have tonnes of green land, and are well respected by most of the World.
Psst... I think the similarity is part of the atraction....
What are you a Hurrican chaser?
Given that I travel up to B.C. about twice a year, and that I'm going to be looking for employment up north after I graduate (two years down the road), I say 'Hell, yes!'
No worries about healthcare, low crime, fantastic local beers, hockey in the winter, Tim Hortons...er, what am I not supposed to like, again?
--
I Hit the Karma Cap, and All I Got Was This Lousy
For those unaware of Canadian politics, the government faces a non-confidence vote Monday or Tuesday. It is expected to fall and call a December election.
For campaign reasons, the government has announced a flurry of new spending over the last week, most of which is expected to never materialise, whether the governing party wins again or not.
No, but i'd still like it better than Canada, i think..
You just got troll'd!
Are there jobs available in reasonable numbers and at reasonable rates for, umm Java/J2EE programmers? Sysadmins? Systems architects? Other geek professions?
I'd go in a heartbeat if I could get my girlfriend to uproot.
When one person suffers from a delusion, it is called insanity. When many people suffer from a delusion it is called Rel
Well respected? Maybe but I keep sensing that other countries find us about as annoying as a nat flying around your head.
Saying that, I love this country and would never move.
"Thanks to the remote control I have the attention span of a gerbil."
As a Canadian living and working in the States, I wish the Canadian government would have done more to keep skilled citizens rather than attracting skilled immigrants. Unfortunately it is really just too easy to max out in the Canadian market place and the only option is to move south.
The difference between Canada and the USA is that in Canada healthcare is a right and gun ownership is a privilege.
If American citizens are frustrated and annoyed with their government's behavior, can someone please explain how expatriating will do anything but make the problem worse?
If they have any interest in achieving their goal, shouldn't they be sending a loud message to the rest of the world, inviting like-minded individuals to come live there instead? Or perhaps convince their neighbors to read a newspaper?
Oh, wait. That would involve effort. Never mind - I forgot who I was talking about.
--
As an American I am in a better position to fix the problems than anyone. If I move to Canada (and even if I become a Canadian subject, or whatever) I have given up on influencing the course of events because I don't want to deal with some sort of guilt over my failure to do so recently?
We don't know how much worse things might have been, either. We say, and it's true, that the domestic opposition didn't prevent the administration from invading Iraq. Well, that was a failure. There is literally no way of knowing what else they might have done if given free reign - Miers on the SCOTUS is only the start of it.
In case you haven't been paying attention - the two last US elections have been very close, and their outcomes (especially in 2000) have had a tremendous impact on the rest of human history. In spite of those election results, public opinion here in the US still plays a big role in determining what the administration can and cannot get away with. If you're really concerned with human civilization, and not with melodrama, you move to a purple state, not to Canada.
The good and new comes from no quarter where it is looked for, and is always something different from what is expected.
Well i'm not in the US, i'm in the UK, although the same logic applies... That said, we haven't exactly done a grand job of keeping anyone out anyway...
~HTP~ Hug that tux
Just as I am researching what it takes to immigrate to Canada, job opportunities, quality of life, housing prices, etc.
I come from Europe and, no offense to our American friends, find Canada a much more appealing choice than the USA - exactly because I perceive Canada and Canadian mentality to be much closer to a European mindset.
I admit this may just be a whim, but coming from a country where everybody under 40 years of age is suffering from financial rape from the older generation, Canada sure does look appealing.
Nowadays a guy can go a whole day in Toronto without ever seeing a single igloo.
Patrick Doyle
I mod down every jackass who puts his moderation policy in his sig. Oh, wait a sec....
>>Canada Moves to Keep Skilled Workers
No one can move an entire country, not even Superman!
Feel free to leave this "hellhole." Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.
I'm not a troll, but I play one on Slashdot.
"Ottawa will spend $700 million over the coming years in a two-pronged initiative to make it easier for skilled immigrants to stay in the country while at the same tackling a big backlog of people waiting to get into Canada."
Also:
"Immigration Minister Joe Volpe will join the flurry of pre-election promises with his announcement today."
The minority government in Canada is about to fall, this is just one of the many, many promises the Liberal Party is making before they lose a no confidence vote next week, think of all these spending promises as the beginning of their campaign and react accordingly.
I'm a Canadian (Quebecois actually) and plan on moving to France in a couple of months. So long, square heads! No government subsidies will keep me here!
All Hail Discordia. Hail Eris. Fnord.
I would argue that the united states has a much better healthcare system, based on my experiences so far with canadian facilities.
Tim Hortons though, its fantastic.
Idle hands are the devil's workshop, but idle minds are much worse
...and that's if your HMO doesn't deny the request for a specialist outright. And THAT's if you have health insurance at all, which many don't.
I've already uprooted and left the US for another country.
Japan in this case.
I just couldn't get past America re-electing the failed
ideologues in the White House. Pity the people have seen the err of
their ways all too late. (ref: Bush's declining approval rating)
Barring stumbling into marriage over here, I can't see myself
staying forever though. A place like Canada is *extremely* attractive
to me on a number of levels - it's similarity to America being just one.
Having spent a bit of time in Toronto and Vancouver, they're both places
I can easily see myself living in. They're not New York or Tokyo, mind
you... but they do seem to be everything America believes itself to be -
with Jesus wonderfully absent.
The only problem I can see being an issue is that I don't particularly
care for hockey... Is that a deal-breaker on naturalization?
If you had the choice, would you really uproot to a new country especially one where the lifestyle isn't that much different than your own?
:P
It's not like people are being asked to move across the border to Mexico. There's a world of difference. The Canadian cockroach speaks English and French when saying, "You fat, ugly American!"
I say "NO!" You are either mis-nformed or lying. You [once] had the best health care system in the world, but you are now near the middle I should say. I know because my relative who is a Canadian citizen, had to go India for hip replacement surgery. And thousands are. Yes, and the SARS crisis was mis-handled. The experts in the health care system admitted incopetence with SARS.
For skin surgeries, people are going to Mexico. The aboriginals, who are the real Canadians, are being left on reserves with contaminated water. Do not tell me the problem was solved because it came a decade late! Yet the government has been running surpluses for that long.
By the way, how are you treating the skilled immigrants in Canada? Even those who speak and write better English are not treated that well. But everyone knows they are more educated and carry a better work ethic than those they find on the streets.
One thing I find good in Canada is Toronto. It's multiculturalism is awesome. On Toronto streets, you see all shades of people, and on the subway, it's hard to hear English. That's what I see in Toronto and it's good.
I can see this initiative as targeting the citizenry of the United States. It makes perfect sense to target them, and here's why:
US citizens already speak english, work with dollars and cents, drive cars on the right, etc. At the core, they're basically the same (less some cultural differences) as Canadians. Less government money spent on teaching them english or how to drive.
Right now the Canadian dollar is at $0.85USD. The minimum wage in Ontario is at $7.45CDN/hour for an adult (slightly less for people who serve food/beverages and are subject to gratuities), which is more than $6.25USD/hour. Bear in mind too, that minimum wage is typically only paid to entry level jobs, and most other jobs pay more. I've heard horror stories of US Wal-Mart workers making maybe $5/hour - come up here and get a pay raise!
Come on up boys, We've got plenty of room!
Frink: Nice try floyd, but you were designed for scrubbing, and scrubbing is what you shall do.
Sure.
Why not? America has become hostile towards it's citizens, I mean obviously the government has chosen to bite off the hand that feeds it.
What with all the outsourcing and offshoring and imported crap from third world countries, it would seem obvious that the US Government doesn't care about the people, only about the profiteers on Wall Street and the Elite Banksters that pad the pockets of the politicians that make the laws that keep making the rich richer and the poor poorer.
If there is a country that is intelligent enough to understand that the well being of ALL it's citizens is the key to it's survival then I would say that sounds like a pretty good place to be.
Pick a season then. In the summer it's about 25-30c (77-86f), in the winter I've been as low as -40c/f, but generally we're in the -10 to -20 (14 to -4) range or milder. Right now it's about 4c (39.2f)
Better economy?? The Toronto Stock Exchange index is up 20% so far this year - the Dow Jones is down. The past few years have had similar results - and that is without taking into account the changes in the currencies. The Canadian federal government has posted a surplus each of the past seven years. The US government, uh, has not. Canadian unemployment levels are nearing record low levels....
What's your feeling about people immigrating TO the United States? If one applies your position equally to all countries of the world, nobody should ever leave their native land. Are you advocating that? This country is largely populated by immigrants and those descended from immigrants. I don't know the details of your family background, but chances are they were immigrants at some point. Should they have stayed in their home country? Should you have instead been born and grown up there instead of here?
Please note that these changes are directed at people already in Canada - foreign students, for example. Canada already has the highest levels of immigration in the world from outside the country (at least on a per-capita basis).
At the core, they're basically the same (less some cultural differences) as Canadians...
You can't say that Canadians are "basically the same" as Americans simply because you drive your car on the right hand side of the road. That is like saying you are "basically the same" as a polar bear because you are both mammals.
Canadians and Americans are very different when it comes to politics. What is considered a liberal politician in the U.S. would normally be called a conservitive politican in Canada. Canadian citizens generally swing far more to the left than Americans on most issues.
There are also huge differences in economic policy ond diplomatic policies between the two contries. There are also huge culterual differences between them, mostly due to the fact that Canada was founded by people who *wanted* to remain loyal to the Crown, while Americanw as founded based on the idea of seperating from the Crown.
Oh, and Canada has less fat people per capita :)
He may be, but then the Canadians want to keep all there skilled staff including those
- http://www.howstuffbreaks.com/ We break stuff so you don't have to
Canadian unemployment levels are nearing record low levels....
And your "record low level" is 6.6%. During our "recession," we hit a high of 6.3.
The Canadian government wants to rob the citizens of $700,000,000 and give it to programmers. Why not just arm yourself, go to your neighbor's house in the U.S., and take their money?
It is the same thing. Don't believe the hype, read deeper.
The question of living in Canada vs USA depends a lot on your skill set (job qualifications), home language, tolerance of bad weather, politics, and intoxicational preference.
Let's say you have a good job skill set and can get a job more or less either north or south of the 49th parallel. If you speak French as a native language, you'll most likely feel more comfortable in Quebec. If you speak Spanish as a home language, Miami, Los Angeles, or New York would be more confortable. This issue is neutral for native English or other language speakers, eh?
If you don't really like the cold, but don't mind dark gloomy rainy days (say you're a goth programmer or gamer), Vancouver BC would definitely beat the rest of Canada, New England, California, or Florida (too much sunshine).
Fascists, either Christian or racial, will definitely feel more at home in the USA. It's your kind of place.
Cannibus lovers, ('Stoners' to everyone else) will be more comfortable in British Columbia than anywhere in the USA, except possibly Maui. Not even the Humboldt Thunderbolt beats the BC bud. And you're less likely to have a Hummerload of psycho Iraqi vets kicking in your door and sticking machine guns or tasers in your kid's faces at 3am if you smoke in British Columbia instead of the USA. That's important to some people, less to others.
In general, everything that you buy in a store is cheaper in the USA. Canada has insane sales taxes on top of high prices. This is the big issue for most people deciding USA vs. Canada. Big income taxes too. However the money collected in taxes mostly gets back to the Canadian people in some form, whereas in the US taxes paid go mostly to giant corporations with fat government contracts.
However if you're gonna get sick, try to get sick in Canada instead. With the new bankruptcy laws in the USA, along with a corrupt and insanely expensive health care system there, you'll be in debt forever if you need medical care in the USA. Like if you get shot. The US has more guns than people, Canada doesn't.
I bet they will be trying to repatriate Pamela Anderson, though. I've seen some home movies demonstrating just how skilled she is (acting abilities notwithstanding).
If you can read this sig, you're too close.
If American citizens are frustrated and annoyed with their government's behavior, can someone please explain how expatriating will do anything but make the problem worse?
:X
That's like saying If Windows users are frustrated and annoyed with the viruses/trojans/crash that they get, can someone please explain how moving to OS-X will do any good?
**runs away from OSX Zealots**
The attracting of skilled workers to Canada is a bit of a scam. It turns out the only credentials which "count" in practice are ones mainly of Canadian and/or American sources. Sometimes credentials of British, Australian or Western European sources may get by. Otherwise you're shit out of luck. Many folks with credentials from other places, are relegated to working at McDonalds or other minimum wage type jobs. Some are willing to tough it out by going back to school to get Canadian approved credentials.
Main reason why immigration to Canada isn't very popular for "skilled workers" is because it's harder to find work in comparison to the United States. If you don't have Canadian and/or American experience and credentials, most employers will just delete your resume.
I highly discourage any skilled workers from immigrating to Canada, unless you're willing to work blue collar jobs and/or are willing to go back to school to get Canadian approved credentials.
Attracting "skilled" foreign workers and then relegating them to blue collar or minimum wage jobs is largely a waste of resources and time.
Hockey. 'Nuff said.
Don't piss off The Angry Economist
So why am I not yet living there myself? I am just too lazy to leave for now. Also, I wonder if enough Americans moved there, would we eventually mess the place up and make it an extention of our own country? Ohwell, to fully grasp the reality of this subject, I think you would need the experiance of being a resident both in the United States and in Canada. Even then, keep in mind that not all of the United States is alike, certainly different places in Canada must have some sort of social/economical distinctions from other places. Okay, I think this post is long enough now, I will stop here.
I'm a Canadian. You Merkans would hate it here. This place sucks. Don't come here. We regularly eat children and stab puppies for sport. It's cold and everyone has a dog-sled. This is a horrible purgatory. I beg of you, please don't come here.
The MRI thing is a myth. I work at University Health Network. At the Princess Margaret Hospital, the MRI staff works in two 10-hour shifts. The delay is for people who do not want to go in before 9am or after 6pm. My mother had to have one and she was booked for 8pm appointment merely four days later! Yes, convenience is great, but sometimes is not an option.
But then again, outside Toronto it may be a different story.
no offense, but what is a $3.50USD programme going to do to help anything?
Don't kick the baby...
Don't take it personal though, eh?
Toronto Stock Exchange?
What's that?
It seems a reasonably fair system. Canada seems to be keen to embrace skilled professionals, an area perhaps where other countries are lacking. One of the key things to see is that the UK (where i am) seems to let just about everybody through, so you take the bad with the good. In the US of course, only the cream of the professional crop make it, and some of them don't. If you don't know people there, you're screwed. With the canadian system as described it seems they manage to get the good without the bad.
~HTP~ Hug that tux
Turns out, income taxes for median incomes (roughly CAD$52k in the US per household, roughly CAD$56k in Canada per household) are more or less equivalent dependant on province vs. state. You'd be better off anywhere in Canada than, say, Texas. If you make 60k or less, you'll probably pay less tax in Canada. If you make 60k or more, you'll pay more. Particularly if you're a landowner... Canada doesn't give big tax breaks for land ownership, which is unfortunate... but you can get a significant portion of dividend income tax free, so if you're getting started in the investor class, you've got some advantages.
GST does make things more expensive, but cost of living varies so widely based on region both in Canada and the US that it's essentially useless to make comparisons.
"People will pay big bucks for the luxury of ignorance."
How about giving up the Socialism, eh?
People leave Canada for a country with a better economy, and the government's solution is to spend more tax money! Brilliant move, eh?
I presume you're talking about the US - one of the most socialist countries on the planet (or have you opted out of the endless socialist pork projects, massive socialist war machine, and corporate welfare? Is that a checkbox on your income tax return?). Of course it isn't to benefit the poor, so Americans lift their chins up and talk about their great "capitalism" versus the evil "socialism" (of the REST OF THE 1ST WORLD), strangely imagining some moral high road.
Absolutely amazing that any American, with the enormous pork and tax-grabbing bloat of its government, can bleat the word socialist in any manner other than humor or self-deprecation.
What's even more remarkable is the fact that the all-in tax load in the US is, in many cases, similar to or greater than a comparable person in Canada. Don't tell Americans this, though - it might upset their imaginary world.
America is just as socialist as Canada or any European country.
...). In Canada and most European countries, the socialism is more towards things like a health care system, welfare state, etc ...
...
Only difference is that most of the American style "socialism" is more towards the military and defense sector (ie. Halliburton, Bechtel, etc
America has all kinds of socialistic institutions like:
The Federal Reserve Bank,
Fannie Mae,
Freddie Mac,
Social Security,
The US Postal Service,
Pension Benefit Guarnaty Corporation,
Medicare,
Medicaid,
Amtrak,
etc
The shotgun in your pickup's rear window is got to go.
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."
I'm pretty sure that no one was lambasting you about not supporting Bush. Most outspoken people on the internet love to jump on the bush bashing bandwagon. Don't believe me? Enter "failure" into Google and hit I Feel Lucky. People love to hate Bush and come together in hating Bush. They get their iPods and only listen to the BBC and sit around hating Bush. Cry elsewhere.
Globe and Mail article on MRI's I've been trying to find statistics about MRI machines per captia without luck but on a radio show where I heard of this story, they mentioned that Japan has ~34 per million, Korea has ~7 and Canada has about 4 per million. Some 3rd world countries have more MRI machines per captia than we do.
"Thanks to the remote control I have the attention span of a gerbil."
I'm a US resident and citizen, born and bred. I had to wait 3 months for a dermatologist appointment. I had to wait 4 months for an oncologist. I had to wait 6 months for an endocrinologist. I had to wait 2 months for a dentist appointment. My serpents got same-day service for their ills - ninety year old pythons need lots of medical attention.
Not much difference in capitalism or near-socialism as far as I can tell
BZZT! Wrong.
Do you know why your reptiles got instance service? Because you PAID for their service. Now, imagine how long it would take for them to have gotten attention if your pet's had to have government subsidized and controlled health care coverage from a government run animal clinic? You'd have more paper work. More delays. Less coverage. More frustration. Just like you have now with health care for humans.
Indeed. You hear about the MRI anecdotes often in heavily taxed areas, but in other places it's a complete nonissue. My mother got an MRI within 1 week here in Halifax. My youngest son was able to get a same-day CAT scan for a relatively innocuous issue involving his sinuses.
Therein lies the rub though, Canadian media does have myopia... they consider the big cities (particularly Toronto) as representative of all of Canada, and therefore any problem in the major urban centers is a problem everywhere. Yes, waiting lists are an issue, but not nearly as grand as some would like to make it appear in order to score political points.
"People will pay big bucks for the luxury of ignorance."
Collateral damage who?
... you're a fucktard. What? You think when UBL is caught that all your troubles are over? That's just the thing with abstract enemies like "terrorists". They're all around you. It'll never end.
... oh yeah that worked so well for you on 9/11 didn't it?
Every Iraqi civilian who dies in the name of "Freedom" is just another martyr for a new society hell bent on war.
It's all good to be guns ablazin but if you think "stopping at nothing" is the cure
People like you say "it's because of the USA that Canada never gets attacked"
Point is you can enslave all the citizens [*] you want for your pointless wars. 20 years from now you'll still be fighting some other "enemy" and you'll never know peace.
[*] What else do you call funding cuts for education then scholarship enlist bonuses for the military?
Tom
Someday, I'll have a real sig.
vowed to leave the United States in response to government policies and mainstream cultural malaise
Given that the current Executive and Legislative branches at the Federal level are (nominally) conservative and mainstream cultural malaise is driven by Hollywood liberalism, who is offended by BOTH of these categories???
I left Arizona for Vancouver BC in Jan 2003. I've been telecommuting with the little web services outfit (still in AZ) ever since. I married a local last June, and she's sponsoring me for Perm Residency soon.
It was a great relief. My first coherent thought after 9/11 was "This is how tyrants are made". I seem to have been right.
I have absolutely no regrets. Answer your question?
If we fall even UBL knows Canada won't lift a finger to help us
Funny, given that Canada has been singled out by BL several times. Funny given that Canada was a critical ally in the war in Afghanistan, and that Canada's special forces eliminated much of BL's network. Funny, given that plans and threats against Canada have been found.
And your "record low level" is 6.6%. During our "recession," we hit a high of 6.3
Only because people dropped off unemployment completely and thus disappeared from the statistics. Had we been counting actual bodies and not just checks we'd still be in the hole right now.
"Bah!" - Dogbert
The only problem I can see being an issue is that I don't particularly :)
care for hockey... Is that a deal-breaker on naturalization?
Well that's pretty close to a deal breaker, but if you like any of curling, poutine, the Tragically Hip or beer we may be able to make an exception.
Compare for yourself using indeed.com for Canada and the U.S..
These numbers only reflect the number of job postings (as opposed to actual jobs), but it's one indicator.
I presume you're talking about the US - one of the most socialist countries on the planet ...except for all of western Europe, hmm?
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
Comment removed based on user account deletion
That's because the US is already falling to Christian fundamentalism. Not much difference.
Canada is not a socialist country and it has a pretty damn good economy. Here is a graph of the Toronto Stock Exchange vs. the S&P500. By your metric, if Canada is Socialist then almost every western country other than the US must be too. Checkout The Economist's factsheet for Canada. Also, Canada has the second largest oil reserves in the world.
If you run for pres, I will vote for you and heartily encourage everyone to do the same...
Most Slashdoters should at least like the part about keeping their jobs...
Right now there is a 4+ year backlog on immigration - in short the system is broken and is desperately in need of funding to reduce the backlog. This affects me because I am Canadian who moved to the US in 2002 and I am married to a foreign national (Romanian).
Canada may have a pretty good immigration system relative to other countries, that still isn't saying much. One of the reasons we moved to the US was so that my wife (who is a medical doctor) could practise medicine. Despite physician shortages the medical system in Canada is very much closed to foreign medical grads (FMGs). Highly qualfied FMGs fight for the few remaining residency positions AFTER all the Canadian MDs have had their first crack (even the guy who graduated last in his class). In the US it is much more fair to foreigners, with merit playing a bigger role.
We have thought about moving back to Canada but the system makes it too much of a pain. For an MD it requires so many exams/money/time (although medicine is pretty much the same in English Canada and the US) that it is not worth it yet. Plus if we want to bring a mother-in-law from Romania to Canada we have to wait 4 years?! It's just stupid. BTW my wife is still not a Canadian citizen (because we are living in US) and if I were to sponsor her anyway with no assurance of success (huge amounts of paperwork and at least $1500 last I heard) she would still have to wait 18 months to get permenant residency! In short, the system really does need fixing.
BTW having experienced both medical systems (Alberta and BC versus Kaiser in GA and BlueCross/Shield in IL) I can tell you there is no one best system for everybody. However I can say that if you do NOT have at least an upper middle class income with a good employer you are better off in Canada (BC or Alberta). We paid a big sum of money for individual coverage in GA and even after calculating in the tax difference it was better to be in Alberta (by far) and just sligtly better to be in BC. Now however we are probably slightly better off in US moneywise.
We're still happy to move back though (for the lifestyle and cheaper high quality education) if things were made a bit easier for us.
I wonder why Canada even bothers attempting to be independent.
Why doesn't Canada just join United States? It would be most beneficial for both countries. Canadians would enjoy a large tax break while US would see twice our current landmass.
http://www.unitednorthamerica.org/
\
http://www.immigrationsask.gov.sk.ca/
Sask. has been saying they want more skilled immigrants, and will sponsor skilled individuals on their federal application for immigration. With our declining population of 1 Million, we can use all the skilled immigrants we can get, as the thousands a year we do get aren't turning the tide in our population loss.
Some industries where there is enormous potential in IT is the mining industry, including uranium mining, and the film industry is really taking off in Regina with the successes of "Corner Gas" on weekly TV and "Just Friends" in the theatres.
Saskboy's blog is good. 9 out of 10 dentists agree.
Dude, this is Slashdot; not being PC will get you modded +5 funny. And so will the post pointing that out...
'Yes, firefox is indeed greater than women. Can women block pops up for you? No. Can Firefox show you naked women? Yes.'
(Actually, in America, you might get turfed out in critical situations anyway. Many hospitals don't have an emergency room, as they cost more than they make and US hospitals are there for profit not care. Those ER rooms that do exist are hopelessly overcrowded, overworked and are considered by the CDC to be extremely high risk areas in the event of an outbreak of a contageous disease. If bird flu ever goes critical, it will likely do so in a US emergency room.)
The American situation, unlike the British and Canadian counterparts, is not fixable. Because hospitals in the US are profit ventures, not health-care centers, they have no interest in doing anything that will cost more than it will earn. Proper emergency care is expensive and earns little, as most accident and crime victims are uninsured and/or flat broke. They have no interest in lowering prices, because the bulk of "paying" customers have health insurance and so never see the real price tag and therefore have no reason to care what it is.
Insurance companies in the US are also money-grubbers and they know how to rake the money in. By charging the companies a "reduced rate" for bulk purchases, they can absolutely guarantee that customers never see the real cost to their paychecks. The victim - errr, employee - only sees a given deduction for their deduction. What they don't see is what the company is really paying and therefore what the company is really calculating payscales on. In the end, you pay the full cost but you only see a fraction of it on the pay stub.
By these accounting tricks and other fraud, the US employees are bilked billions of dollars and somehow consider themselves better off because they don't have the wait. Trust me, if you threw billions of dollars out the window in England, you'd get prompt healthcare too. Well, just as soon as anyone realized that was real money and not something from a Monopoly game.
(For that matter, there's always BUPA, if you insist on the insurance thing in more civilized lands.)
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
Its a tough thing; I can find something to agree with on both sides of the table.
America has absolutely fabulous potential... and used to live up to it... hell, back in the 50s, a high school JANITOR could pull in a decent enough living for his whole family... now both parents would have to double shift just to make due.
Everything feels so deliberate now... how can so many bad choices be bad so consistantly and so frequently? Hewlett Packard fires thousands of americans, hires thousands of indians (not that indians don't deserve jobs too, but...) and buys several 30 million dollar private jets... then puts them under a small corp to hide the fact when the press gets wind. Microsoft backs bill after bill to increase cheap foreign IT and technical labor importation TO the U.S. (H-1B madness).
Money has become the primary determing factor in elections. One of the SEVERAL national debt cap increases bush got just his first term was for more than the entire depth of debt we had under Reagan, and we/he burned through it in 18 months, asking for (and getting) more, of course. We don't know what they're lying to us about and what they aren't (if anything anymore).
Partisan propoganda has gone macarthyist (spelling?), and a recent poll on MSNBC had a majority of the polled suggesting it was time for a THIRD party. I don't think these people even remember who they work for anymore. The president, congress, judges, police, etc... they're not the boss. They must make hard choices in order to balance the wants and needs of one of the single most varied culture on the face of the planet, and you can never please everyone... but at the same time, its nearly dynastic now... if you are in a certain family, or just plain have enough money, you're in. Ultimately, we're the collective head honcho... and they serve us! But, really... how many of you here (americans that is) really feel like you have any power at all anymore?
Education is declining sharply (india and china are absolutely humiliating us in tech/engineering graduates, and even europe has reversed its own educational decline). It's also rediculously expensive. And from first hand experience, I can tell you how horribly you are treated (fiscally) at the college level if you aren't from a well-to-do family (that's a windbag story in itself). And no sooner do you have that quarter-million-dollar peice of paper, you find your jobs are being given to VISA workers from indonesia or going overseas altogether... because the bills you gotta pay in order to make up for the abuse you called an education make your cost of living too high and your rate of pay unattractive to those who can just lobby congress to get more H-1B foreign labor or tax breaks for hiring child labor in china for a pittance. Blah blah blah...
I guess the question is... how long do you stick with it... and when do you divorce? I really don't know.
In all fairness, Canada has a more stable currency than the dollar, and unlike the US it has not scheduled itself an appointment to fall off a hyperinflationary debt cliff. The US has way to much debt, and way too much loose money. Canada can back up their currency with its vast natural resources, the US only has "the good faith of the federal government" - God help the USA.
.... the US economy getting ready to fall off a hyperinflationary debt cliff. I'm seriouus, really, it's true - look at all the debt, look at what the gov't has done to the money supply. They say the US economy is more efficient now, but really a more efficient economy has more extreme reactions to bad monitary policy, not less extreme ones.
Unfortnuately, Canada has it's own set of problems. First off, it's sales taxes reak economic havoc, and it's wildly popularized social programs don't work well. Large numbers of Canadian businessmen do business in the US and not in Canada - and they do it for a reason. There are massive and large numbers of Canadians that buy in the US and use the US health care system - and they do that for a reason too.
Also, the HUGE problem
Anyhow, my point is that for better or worse Canada's economy is linked to the US economy so when things go to hell here, they will almost certainly go to hell there too - even if Canada has less debt and more resources to back up it's currency, it's won't matter much when 85% of it's commerce self implodes.
wait, you recognise the problem, but you still want to move to "almost as socialist as europe" Canada?
Tim Hortons, skating, or Alexander Keith's will do too.
my sstream of consciousness
I'd also caution against pride - Denmark has won the "best place to live" award from the UN for the past five or six years.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
It's the elitists like you who are always telling others how prejudiced they are, but you sound far more bigoted than the typical racists (white or black) that I've dealt with anywhere. There are good people everywhere and morons everywhere. You're clearly among the latter group -- no matter where you might live.
Hee... I'm elligible to run for pres in 2012... Since I'm not uber rich, I wouldn't have any dream of winning, but I WOULD like to make it to a couple televised debates. Why? Well, to answer the questions with actual answers... and see how badly that messes up the likely candidates. Seriously...
My only concern with running is... well, the Mayan calander ends in 2012, doesn't it? No doubt, my running would cause the end of the world!
Man, what is this utopia you speak of? :)
Seriously, I love Canada with all my heart but it sickens me that we've started feeling the need to flaunt. Canada and America deserve to be neighbours; we're both self-righteous. If we don't watch it we'll start losing friends too.
I live in Manitoba because I like fresh air and snow but it's certainly not for everyone. I'm not about to hold a gun to anyone's head and tell them they can't leave.
On topic, it's a good idea to hang on to some talent. High time for smaller countries to believe in themselves and become a little more self-reliant.
Australia seems to move around OK - http://www.satirewire.com/news/jan02/australia.sht ml
As a Canadian who has worked for years both in Canada and the United States, and having taken the plunge 18 months ago to come back to Canada to work, I can say that it has been an unpleasant experience.
/.ers think that Canada is some magical place of freedom. It's not. Freedom of speech is curtailed as we have laws against "hate speech" that the US would consider violations of the First Amendment. Freedom of the press is a joke, since several times reporters were spied on, wiretapped or just simply had their personal files confiscated without a warrant by corrupt police who feel that due process is an inconvenience. Our Senate isn't elected nor provides regional representation, but is an expensive rubber stamp with no real power. Heck, we didn't even have our full independence from the United Kingdom until April 19, 1982! We have sexist and racist government departments that purposely exclude white males from positions supposedly in the name of diversity. There are 36,000 deportation orders on illegal immigrants that can't be executed because the government doesn't know where they are. They let the families of Somali warlords and Sikh terrorists stay in this country. And, in general, the majority of people here have been lulled into utter stupidity by the clever social engineering of Pierre Trudeau's liberal party over the last 35 years that has their party about to be voted back into power that has stolen billions of dollars from taxpayers (Adscam, HRDC et al). Not to mention that Canada is the only major industrialized nation in the world to
Healthcare up here is abysmal. Trying to find a family doctor is nearly impossible, and there are long wait times for elective procedures and medical imaging. One of our family friends died of a heart attack after waiting nearly a year for bypass surgery. I'm paying more for health care up here than I ever did in the US due to my premiums.
Education is a joke up here too. Ontario, for example, passes ALL children unless they basically hand in nothing or choose to do nothing throughout the year. My neighbor's son got straight "R" grades ("F" is no longer politically correct), yet somehow passed to Grade 5 last year. That'll keep happening until he graduates high school, even though this kid still can't read a basic "See Jane Run" type book.
Daily life is ok, but there are some things you have to be aware of. Although the overall murder rate is lower in Canada, per-capita rates of rape and property crime are all higher than in the United States. I feel less safe here than I did in the San Francisco Bay area and much less safe than in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania. Try rolling through Toronto and see what it's like these days. Forget about the unbelievably bitter cold, excessive snow if you live in Eastern Canada, and generally longer winters. Weather counts for a lot.
Then there's the financial aspect of it. Sure, people don't get bankrupted here, but if you're not chronically or seriously ill you are better off in the US. I've paid more for health care here since my employer doesn't cover my premiums (yes, we pay premiums, $60/month/person). Auto insurance is 50% more expensive than what I paid for in California, plus I can't remove tickets from my record with traffic school. House prices are insane; I can't buy a fully-detached house with two car garage for under $400k, and I can't deduct my mortgage interest or property taxes from my federal taxes. I get paid less in equivalent dollars than any job in the US, and all of my Canadian friends who have worked both places want to go back south unless they have significant family obligations north of the 49th. I pay more in taxes, especially at the till (15% sales tax on a car is insane!). The government's overly-liberal immigration policies make unemployment consistently 2% higher at a minimum than in the United States so I'm always looking over my shoulder thinking when my time might be next.
Finally, there's the government. Lots of
Sorry, exactly whom do you speak for? Are you sure?
Despite your low slashdot ID, you're an idiot.
First off, if I had to choose between the Christian Fundamentalists, or the Islamic Fundamentalists, I'd rather go with the latter. They have less history of violent persecution of non-believers, and before you bring terrorists into the equation, remember that Jerry Falwell would be the same as Osama Bin Laden if he didn't have so much bloody power over here in the 'States.
Second, I see the overall worldwide belief in religion in general declining. All the Japanese and Chinese I know are atheists or agnostics, as are most of the Europeans and Canadians, and a good number of my fellow college students. Christianity just doesn't matter that much anymore outside of the U.S., and Islam doesn't matter that much outside the middle east.
--
I Hit the Karma Cap, and All I Got Was This Lousy
Read for yourself: http://www.snopes.com/science/stats/unemploy.htm
[PowerPoint] is a tool for capitalist presentation
Remember, Canadian slashdotters; when they come knocking, make sure to give them an EARFUL about how we don't want federal jail time for copying songs. Or *IAA gestapos getting private information without warrant or cause. This is one of the few times of year where they might actually listen to you.
..don't panic
I hate to break the news to you, but have you seen the budget of your country lately?
It doesn't matter which one it is. Canada is the ONLY country in the Group of Seven nations to have a balanced budget for seven consecutive years.
In your country, you wouldn't be paying for it. Your kids would. Maybe.
It's been a long time.
Your claims are impossible to back up, and you sound like a travel brochure...a desperate travel brocure
The fact is, Canadians that I've known bitch more about their government (with good reason, they vote for parties, not candidates in the national election) than Americans, and that is saying alot.
BC bud is the best??? yeah b/c the Candian government grows it and sells it illegally...what if the US government did that? yeah we'd have the best bud...besides we can get anything here that you have...most of it goes here anyway
Health care, blah blah...it's not like your system is perfect. Besides, Americans are too smart for free health care, we'd learn how to work the system. That's the thing...Americans are too smart to let some bastard in an office in some far away city to make their decisions for them.
As for your fascist point...you're wrong. Fundamentalist Mormons that are driven out of local communities in America for practicing poligamy move to where??? Canada...because it is tolerant of bigamy and child slavery i guess...where's your liberal high horse now???
>"However the money collected in taxes mostly gets back to the Canadian people in some form, whereas in the US taxes paid go mostly to giant corporations with fat government contracts"<
Sorry to burst your bubble, but Canada is the modern nation it is today because of America. Yes our corporate structure is faulty, I hate it too, but you can't make valid points about it because your country would be trapping furs if it wasn't for American corporations. If they're so evil, why doesn't the soooo democratic and enlightend Canadian government pass laws that are strictly anti-corporate (ALL corporations, not just the ones from the U.S.)...another thing, most of the really 'evil' corporations are globally owned and operated, so it's not just the U.S...it's rich people in every country
Yeah, Canada...why try to be something that you're not??? just take the U.S. dollar and you can apply for statehood...we'll even let quebec speak french...
Thank you Dave Raggett
Most people I know here either have immigrated themselves to Canada, or their families have immigrated to Canada within the last few generations, so I would assume most people I know are either in favour or indifferent to immigration. It's not something that I hear people talking about, however, and I live in Vancouver, which seems to have a relatively high number of immigrants. Personally, it doesn't bother me if people want to immigrate to Canada.
That's what it all boils down to, I'm afraid. The folks who want 'their' people in power will moan and complain about how things are so bad, not neccessarily because they are so bad.
It's been a long time.
That phrase: "it might upset their imaginary world." Are you Neo because you know REALITY but the others are lost in the Matrix? Should I be flattered that you condescend to share your insight with the rest of us?
Walmart is the largest employer.
Without artists you can't have culture, or designers for all the stuff you want but don't really need.
Face it, without artists then theres no one to handle the marketing of products, theres no one to make the movies, the music, the novels, the games and anything else which isnt essential but happens to be fun.
If we want fun in our society, we need artists, its just a matter of making the art industry competitive (open source?, p2p? creative commons?) Who knows, but I'm guessing art does matter to most people, how much? Perhaps not as much as law, or business, but on other levels of course.
People who land here and look for job are in for big disappointment. Not that there are no opportunities. You need 'canadian experience' - for everything. They would rather keep the patients wait list long, than re-skill Russian and Indian immigrant doctors.
Linus Torvalds originally thought of immigrating to Canada but couldn't get a job of sys-admin as he did not have the 'canadian-experience'. He then moved to Transmeta and the rest, as they say, is history.
------
A stupid signature is better than none
Tragically Hip? Yuck. Come on, you guys had Skinny Puppy! Flaunt it!
The Canadian Supreme Court ruled that people in Quebec could get private insurance because people were dying on the waiting list.
I would assume that being able to zip down to the United States is a nice escape valve for the Canadian system.
Except for ending slavery, the Nazis, communism, & securing American independence, war has never solved anything.
Nice to see someone with a similar blend of interests/skills on Slashdot. I'd say come here to New York or even New England if you want a sane environment; there are a number of pharmaceutical research labs in the region. Personally, I'm heading to Germany or Switzerland after I finish up my education.
LOAD "SIG",8,1
No, not mine - the story. Well, okay, maybe this post is flamebait too, but do allow me to go on: The discussion has jumped straight into "Canada better than US" or "US better than Canada," and there's 400 replies at the time of this rambling, which is a metric fuckton for a Saturday evening (you Yanks may not know it, but the fuckton is an official metric measure of bullshit that the rest of the world is using). That makes it a flamebait; there's not an objective way to quantify what we're talking about, even if anyone was so inclined, which they aren't. We instead have discussions about the virtue of one and the other, ranging from the philosophical to the political all the way to the asinine. The submitter of the original story cleverly disguised the whole thing beneath a thin veil of relevance, which makes him or her a troll. And the slashdot editors are, well, slashdot editors, and it's the weekend anyway.
I mean, we're not even arguing apples and apples here - we have two mighty white nations on the same continenet, born of the same decrepid empire, abusing their various minorities just as nicely though perhaps in slightly different ways and sharing a very similar set of values overall. If Canada had any place so warm that you could call it "the Deep South," we'd have crazy right-wing evangelical Christian nuts, too, but a good deal of them freeze every winter and what we're left with we call Alberta. And interior BC's no pro-choice-women's-rights picnic, either. Everything else is just details and misguided jingoism on both sides.
Now I'm sure everyone has their own personal experiences on both sides of the border, and will quote them judiciously as absolute evidence of one place being better than another, but that's all horseshit. New York is a lot more like Toronto than it is like Los Angeles, and New Yorkers and Torontonians are a similar breed of asshole who have a lot more in common than, say, New Yorkers and Texans, who pack heat for fun and not for protection and who like to execture retards - we don't in Canada, but there was a time when we chopped off their nuts.
So, in conclusion, we all fell off the same goddamn tree so let's not argue about who's got a bigger worm eating them, aight?
Even as you read this, your pants are strangling your loins! Aaa!
Try reading this, or even better the Actual Study if you want to have the opinions the mass media prefer to feed you shattered. In fact for a great education just click on the study link and read all of the articles that referred to it, all linked on that same page.
I don't know about you, but counting gambling issues or death in the family as a "medical problem" does not seem to be playing straight. That was a study that already had an obective in mind before the writing began.
I know you will be reluctant to believe the real truth, but at least I can help countless others pull the wool away.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I for one, can say that in the Okanagan region of BC, that summer is around 30 - 40 degrees Celsius, with winter temperatures seldom reaching below -10. Hardly terrible weather.
Last I read, they had about 10 soldiers in their army.
No, six hours. I had a bike accident with non-life-threatening injuries and had an MRI within an hour of getting through the emergency room line-up. And when I was diagnosed with a UTI I was sent to a specialist who saw me within minutes of getting out of the cab. And a roommate who was diagnosed with lymphoma had a battery of tests including two MRIs within three hours of his diagnosis and surgery the same day. Again, wait times are overstated; again, it's the squeaky wheel who gets the press. Getting the great service available to all Canadians regardless of income is not newsworthy. It's only in the rare occasions that it breaks down that we hear about it.
Only typical fuckhead Americans consider Canadian arrogance typical. If we're arrogant, it's because our system works better than yours. Enjoy what you have. I sure wouldn't.
The truth never sounds stupid. But you sure do.
www.kitchengeek.com -- Nosh for
Then I realized you don't know how to spell, and it's short for Osama Bin Laden. It's not Usama.
Now you've done gone and pissed off the terrorists by misspelling their exalted leader's first name, and they're coming to get you. Next terrorist attack in the US, we're going to blame on you, 'K?
"City hall" in German is "Rathaus" Kinda explains a few things......
That's an urban legend. Unemployment level is determined by survey.
Read for yourself: http://www.snopes.com/science/stats/unemploy.htm
I stand corrected as I count SNOPES as a fairly reliable information source.
It does raise another serious issue though - out of the full population only 60,000 homes are survey'd? I find this far too small a data sample for properly determining this data trend even if the surveys are done monthly. With data collection and sorting what it is they could certainly increase their sample size and still get timely results.
And yes I know this goes hand in hand with the arguments as to the TLAs and their ability to gather/sort data. I'm not saying we need a sample size that large but something larger than 60k homes is needed in my opinion.
"Bah!" - Dogbert
Shhh you're letting the secret out.
:-)
I swear every time I hear "gods will" on a newscast from the USA I just shake my head. That people still make decisions affecting millions of people based on what a fairytale says is just sad.
I mean you can watch Star Trek where they visit a planet and they got a weird policy like the TNG where they kill all the people after 65 and go "OMG THATS TOTALLY FUNNY WHAT A SILLY POLICY!"
Then you look at the USA where they still have capital punishment, bans [on religious grounds] on stem cell harvesting, cloning, gay marriage and other issues, then the pledge is being held up as "under god" [even though the original didn't have that] and the 10 commandments are being installed everywhere...
Really how different is it? You have policies instituted on a whim from an interpretation from a child bedtime story book from 1500 years ago!!!
And I say this as someone who is about to visit the USA this week.
One thing going for the states. What they do well they do really well. In San Diego [where I'm heading] the service industry is thriving and really positive [have yet to see a bad restaurant] and the place is clean and well kept. But what you guys do poorly you really suck at. Like carting off your constitutional rights as if they're a bad fad...
Tom
Someday, I'll have a real sig.
I could never survive in Canada. I've spent my whole life in Georgia and Tennessee where it virtually never stays below freezing for more than a couple of days at a time.
Oh great. Why do I have a feeling you consider yourself a conservative?
A conservative would look back and realise that most of the stuff they want to fix today is relatively new.
The big thing the Liberals did in their first terms in office? They balanced the budget. They spent entirely too much time, money and effort on trying to keep Quebec from seperating. These were massive things at the time. Sure, there was some pork along the way, but frankly, the stuff which is about to destroy the Martin government is the sort of stuff that happens without raising an eyebrow in the US.
The Progressive Conservatives under Mulroney DOUBLED the federal debt. Remember that when you're talking about things the Liberals were doing for all those 12 years. 250 Billion dollars. Yes, the Liberals are responsible for the initial spending which led to the debt, but the conservatives are the ones who allowed it to double our debt, and it was the Liberals who came in and actually did what needed to be done to fix it.
Canadians often remind me of Marie Antoinette: They're so out of touch with the concept of a truly bad politician, and so far removed from any sort of context -- let alone HISTORY, that they think that their politicians are all bad, when the truth of the matter is, we have it so good that we can complain about pittling 200 million dollar ad contracts, or our taxes, or our balanced budget.
It's been a long time.
I have never had to wait more than 48 hours to see a specialist in the Washington DC area. As far as MRIs go, which is a serious problem in Canada, I can get in for a non-emergency MRI within 5 hours. YMMV.
"Avoid employing unlucky people - throw half of the pile of CVs in the bin without reading them." -- David Brent
Whenever someone cannot do anything but seek to call me names, without the bother of a counter-argument - then I know I've won. As I said, I posted to to convince you but to cancel out what misguided confusion you may have spawned.
So I take it the actual study was to difficult for to read? I find it disturbing that no-one now will actually have a debate on anything and instead just choose to call them an ass. Sure the blogger is very right wind (probably one of the most) but read the study itself, and the MANY links from it that point to issues with the study. Why would you trust any study without further thought?
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
*claps* Well, we _do_ need to complain about something, or we wouldn't be a true democracy.
Mod parent up!
..when do I get my entitlement?
Let me say that I enjoy the Canadian way of life myself, but let's look at some numbers:
e sc.php [worldfactsandfigures.com]
h tml [readersdigest.ca]
/ lfs-en.htm [statcan.ca]
8 a.htm [statcan.ca] & http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/uscrime.htm [disastercenter.com]
Source: http://www.worldfactsandfigures.com/gdp_country_d
GDP per capita Canada: $29,700
GDP per capita USA: $37,800
Source: http://www.readersdigest.ca/mag/1999/06/think_01.
National average total taxation Canada: 48.2 %
National average total taxation USA: 41.4 %
Source: http://www.statcan.ca/english/Subjects/Labour/LFS
National unemployment rate Canada: 6.6%
National unemployment rate USA: 4.9%
Source: http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/040728/d04072
Total Violent crime per 100,000 people Canada: 963
Total violent crime per 100,000 people in USA: 466
By all of these measures you are better off in the USA.
[This may be a duplicate of a previous Anonymous Coward posting that I did not intend.]
I presume you're talking about the US - one of the most socialist countries on the planet (or have you opted out of the endless socialist pork projects,
You leave out the crucial adjective. The U.S. has _National_ Socialism (i.e. fascist rule by the corporations) -- a socialism of a different color than national health and utilities.
I also hear (my sister spent a short amount of time married to a canadian) that the wait time for medical care in Canada can be quite long, depending, of course, on where in canada you are and what you are waiting for. Here, south of the border, you can get it a little faster... the tradeoff is that you put your family in debt for the next 3 generations doing so. =P
Ok, I moved from New Jersey to California more for the culture than the weather, but I've gotten used to it. I see frost every couple of years in Silicon Valley. If I *want* snow, I can drive or fly to it, and the main problem with driving to it is that Californians don't know how to drive in snow...
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
we don't need no stinking qualified competent engineer or excellent programmer..!!! shhhhuuuu good engineers..
Vancouver's great, and it's on my list of cities I'd move to if I really wanted to get out of San Francisco Bay Area or out of the US. Weather's like Seattle, culture's interesting, coffee's good, and you can get out of town easily. And as far as "would I move to a different country with similar culture", I moved from New Jersey to San Francisco; moving to Vancouver wouldn't be as big a change. Moving to Toronto would be, because it'd be moving back to a culture with winter.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
The program is for "skilled workers"
One problem that Canada has is that any new skilled immigrant who wants to becomes a doctor or engineer is forced to do a three certfication. This means that a worker loses out three years of salery, when instead (s)he could be heading south of the border. South of the border that would not be necessary and they would also be better paid.
So immigrate to the US or to Canada. Hmmm?
Jumpstart the tartan drive.
Your treading the footsteps I took 20 years ago. I left Toronto because I just didn't feel like I belonged. I ended up lving in Tokyo for 10 years.
I did end up starting a company, getting married and having kids whilst there and in the end it was the kids that brought us back to Canada. Education is of primary importance to us and we just could not get it there, not even at the International schools.
We could have gone just about anywhere (I have British citizenship by birth) but ended up in Vancouver for many of the reasons that have been stated in this thread. Good schools, good weather (if you don't mind some rain), mountains, sea, minimal violent crime, close enough to Japan that we can go back now and then.
I'm much more of a soccer fan than hockey (being British may have something to do with that) so not being a hockey fan won't be an issue. You may even learnto like the Canadian Footbal league.
If you don't want to repeat the past, stop living in it.
The US really isn't that insecure. It's a remarkably safe country. Nevertheless, Americans seem to live in constant terror of everything, whether it's the British, communists, terrorists, blacks, liberals, neocons, or whatever. An entire nation of panicky cowards with guns.
If you actually look at ALL Americans, our wait times suddenly look pretty reasonable.
Not a problem. It's our dirty little secret, but not everybody in Canada loves hockey or Tim Horton's. I was born and raised here, but never learned to like Tim's. And I'm the only hockey fan in my family.
How much skew comes from the horrendous unemployment situation in the Maritimes? that is, how would Canada west of Quebec compare to the US?
~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
I was a lot more liberal about immigration before I moved to SoCal. Over the past two decades, thanks to problems like what you cite, I've become a proponent of gun turrets at the border :( If CA wasn't supporting millions of illegals, CA could afford to support its *citizens*.
A good deal of the problem could be halted by doing away with automatic citizenship for the spawn of illegal aliens (it made sense when America was labour-poor, but those days are long gone). In other countries, a baby is a citizen of wherever its *parents* are citizens. Why should they expect different of American?
But oh, no, it's far too politically incorrect for *Americans* to resent being overrun by invaders from another country.
~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
You seem to be the typical ultra-liberal limpwrist that has no political influence and is mad about it.
If Kerry didn't win the election, why would your favorite candidate have any chance? From your bashing of Kerry, I have a feeling that Kerry is still far too right-leaning for you.
And what do these all these limpwristed psuedointellectuals have against football? The football stadiums are there because the people want the stadiums there. They get enjoyment from watching the games.
All these leftists cry about not having a voice, but what kind of democracy would we live in if the majority of the population didn't control the country? I'm sure you'd rather ignore the majority and install a radical liberal candidate that only a tiny fraction of the population actually wants. Yeah, that would be a great democracy.
And before you bark up the wrong tree, NO, I didn't vote for Bush.
So, where did Canada move to? Hopefully somewhere warmer.
Canadian engineers were crucial to the early U.S. human space program. NASA hired over 30 engineers from the Avro Arrow program (mach 2 fighter) which was cancelled by the Canadian Government in 1959. These engineers were involved in Mercury, Gemini and Apollo (putting Americans into space). To be honest some of them were British, but working in Canada prior to going to the US.
What this whole issue really is about is illustrated by that anecdote about the Canadian's building the US space program, the Brain Drain. Skilled workers can be lured away by high paying jobs in the US and other countries, that's a loss to Canadian companies certainly, but it also impacts the country as a whole when these skilled workers advance their field in another country - ie: sending Americans to space with Canadian know how. Our Universities train a lot of bright people, many of them from other countries. This proposal is designed to encourage them to stay in Canada after their education is complete, and to bring in other professionals from other countries. Reversing the Brain Drain effect and encouraging the growth of many different industries in Canada.
The rock, the vulture, and the chain
I still can't figure out what's so great about Canada. Unless you're really into: -Freezing your Ass Off -Hockey -Only have 1 1/2 months of summer -Freezing your Ass Off -No Jobs -Shitty Health Care (You people in in denial) -Pompous, Stinky French Wannabes (Napolean is dead, You're not related to him, and being french doesn't make you suave)... oh, and the language doesn't sound cool, it sounds like a whiney bitch on prozak -Freezing your Ass off -Roots clothing - I'm sorry, people who wear those clothes are retarded -Bashing America - Bunch of Ungrateful Haters
Immigration is mainly by people in the lower class, where they stand to benefit by moving to the USA.
Illegal immigration is mainly by people in the lower class. Legal immigration strongly favors those with knowledge or skills that are considered beneficial (ie, profitable) to the US. (Even the much-derided H-1B visa holders pay taxes, for example.)
The US free market: two halves of a government-granted duopoly are free to set the market price.
Maybe in your district. This month in Toronto I found one in about 20 minutes using the Physicians directory. (Despite the dribble of objections from the middle class who have captured the notion that privatisation solves everything, some level of public health service is necessary in a socially just state. That's one big point in Canada's favour...)
(What does "excessive snow" actually mean? How is snow "excessive"? It's snow, for goodness' sake. If you have such a problem with it, sure, you probably want to live somewhere else, at least for those couple of months (Dec/Jan/Feb in Toronto). Frankly, I find the Toronto Summer much harder to cope with than the Winter...)
I can't buy a fully-detached house with two car garage for under $400k,
Have you priced that in any other first world country lately? Then try pricing one in Europe. Canada's real estate prices are quite reasonable compared to comparable New World cities of my acquaintance.
As for education, I cannot comment on the elementary levels, since I'm personally done with that phase. I'm sorry if it's not working out with your kids. However, should I choose tertiary, I know that the cities I'm familiar with - Toronto, Montreal - boast many world class institutions. So presumably you weren't talking about university level "education".
On the subject of city life: The infrastructure Just Works(TM); there is clean and efficient public transport (Montreal's Metro can hold its own with any city's); the streets of Toronto are (still) much safer than US cities; Canadians are incredibly, touchingly polite and civil; they read books; they are informed and interested in things outside their own borders; etc.
several times reporters were spied on, wiretapped or just simply had their personal files confiscated without a warrant by corrupt police who feel that due process is an inconvenience.
I can't think of a "democracy" where that hasn't happened from time to time. Ditto for the corruption/kickback/etc things that I'm sorry to say are not uniquely Canadian. Put that one down to human nature: "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance," n'est-ce pas? We can still hope that something less than armed revolution is necessary to keep a Canadian government (relatively) honest...
There are 36,000 deportation orders on illegal immigrants that can't be executed because the government doesn't know where they are.
I don't think this situation is unique to Canada by any means. It is effectively impossible to locate every alien who doesn't want to be found and deported, especially given Canada's geography. Sure, with a few hundred million thrown at the problem, you could find maybe 70% of them (volunteering your tax dollars?) That last few percent just won't ever be found... could just be they really want to live here! (Duh.)
If you think you're going to...satisfy your ideological cravings by coming up to Canada, you are gravely mistaken
Au contraire. I moved here largely for ideological reasons. Canada did not support the Iraq occupation nor the Vietnam adventure, unlike my previous country of residence. I believe in voting with one's passport and Canada's values as a nation do not make me sick to my heart. The arrogance is at least partly justified; and a healthy and judicious distaste for today's America puts Canadians who feel that way in very good company worldwide.
Canada is able to lay claim to more than its fair share of progressive thinkers. Heck, I hear it's one of only 4 countries in the world that countenances gay marriage, and won't give you a life sentence for a couple of grams of dope. Which reminds me. We're METRIC! If that's not enough to make you want to live here, then nothing will...
you had me at #!
As a Canadian I find this posting a little ironic. Many Canadians themsevles leave the country in what the government refers to as a 'brain drain'. Most go to the US but others, like myself, go to Europe. Canada just can't compete on the pay scale that other counties offer plus you get a cultural experience that you wouldn't get at home.
Japan's government is by far the least likable of any first world nation, and quite a bit behind even many 3rd world nations. Sure you can be ignorant about the government and just enjoy life - but that's true in the US just as much as Japan, right?
Slashdot: providing anti-social weirdos a soapbox, since 1997.
Yeah, the columbian stock market is up, too. What's your point?
In America, if you really hate your neighbors you can move to your own city! In these cases Dearborn, Michigan* and San Francisco respectively. It's a good thing those two cities are so far apart because last I checked the local Imams weren't infavor of protecting sexual orientation under anti-discrimintation laws and Richard Simmons wasn't getting on his knees and facing west five times a day. *http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&q =Dearborn%2C+Michigan+Muslims+largest
If it wasn't for my family and friends, I'd move to Canada in a heartbeat. I hate the corrupt U.S. politicians and what they're doing to our country. My father being buried in Arlington also gives me pause. He fought for this country and believed in it. I'd hate to let evil people like Bush and Cheney run me out of a great country. I also prefer the snow and cooler climate. I know most people hate those things but I love the snow.
I moved from Arizona to Hamburg, Germany just over a year ago. The best move I've ever made. I make a little more money than the US national average for a Unix Admin but the cost of living here is much lower than Phoenix or my other recent home San Diego, CA.
The health care system here is also socialized but with an option for private health care (either exclusive or in addition to) your basic health care.
Naturally there is the language problem. You can live here if you don't speak German but it would be very very difficult. For me, that's not a problem though.
The immigration laws are extremely strict for most nationalities but not nearly as bad for Americans. They do kindof use a Catch22 system though. You can't get residence permission without employment and a registered address here. You can't rent an apartment or get a job without residence permission though. There are loopholes but it's tough.
Of course, if anyone in your family tree, has or had, even the slightest percentage of German blood you can get citizenship pretty easily.
If you're married to a German, you don't have to change your citizenship to live here. Of course you can if you want to but it's not required which is my case.
Crime is extremely low everywhere and the weather is similar to the Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York region.
The IT market is somewhat thin, similar to the US, but there are plenty of jobs out there.
Isn't it interesting how statistics can be presented to prove anyone's point? Canada has about 1/10th the population of the U.S. Factoring that into the equation, the U.S. has about six times the number of unemployed people and about five times as many violent crimes.
Psst CANADIANS, over here in the corner..... Now we've said too much already... I don't know who started this but someone's in trouble. We'll figure this out later.. For now just go back there, agree with everything they say about their country being better and maybe they'll forget this came up.... I know, someone shout "look there goes a Taliban"
Osama bin Laden died quite a while ago. However, that's not what your Leader wants you to believe, and thus you might not know about it.
Fear Osama. Vote for your Leader. Be a good Citizen.
Osama bin Laden - dead
it's in my head
...there'd just be no-one to pump your gas.
I do wonder what you mean by supporting millions of illegals. Do you really think they cross the border then think, Hmm.. now I'm in the land of plenty, I think I'll get tuberculosis, just to make the best of it.
Would you ever consider that the reason your public services are crap is because you are scared of taxes, not to mention you voted in the f***ing terminator for governor. If you paid your teachers the schools would be happier, if you paid they police they wouldn't be corrupt, if you paid the doctors and nurses you'd have more of them.
My skilled worker application has been in 18 months and I'm still waiting. I have plenty of points (a PhD in computing, cash to invest, a wife with a degree, ten years running a company, fluent in English, still in my 30s). My cousin, similarly qualified, has just put his application in, and he's been told not to even think about calling for THREE YEARS.
What a mess. Makes the US look like a well-adminstered nation.
K.
I've never been in such a whacky country. 40C in Summer. -40 in Winter. That's amazing.
Anyone in Toronto this summer wouldn't have said "frozen" as the response to "Canada" in the word-association game. My worry on immigrating is not cold, but how I can get aircon working when the Ontario Hydro is in such a mess (hint to Ontarians: PUT THE PRICE OF ELECTRICITY UP).
K.
No one has yet proved intelligent enough to marry American hope and European security. Thus practical choice is inevitable, and the liberal policies you mention are a sign that, for better or for worse, hope has gained the upper hand.
Capitalist enough to hate, apparently.
Um, do you honestly think the American people have anything to say whatsoever about the siting of stadiums? They are built by and for the elites of a region, normally with back-door deals with corrupt politicians.
All these leftists cry about not having a voice, but what kind of democracy would we live in if the majority of the population didn't control the country? I'm sure you'd rather ignore the majority and install a radical liberal candidate that only a tiny fraction of the population actually wants. Yeah, that would be a great democracy.
BWA-HAAAA-HAAAAAAA!! You actually think this country is run by a majority? Now that's rich.
This country has never been run by a majority - the Founding Fathers actually had a deep mistrust of democracy, and made sure that the landowners and elites would have their hands firmly on the reins of power. Originally, Senators were not even elected by the people - and the President still isn't!
I don't give a fuck about some idealogical "democracy" - I care if my fellow Americans are doing all right. Anything that makes the majority of Americans do better than they are right now (without looting/raping/pillaging/etc) is a good thing in my book. And if that involves another FDR running roughshod over the laws of this country, well I'll call that a damn good thing.
When the laws in a country are unjust, it is the duty of its citizenry to resist, and if necessary, overthrow that oppressive government.
And before you bark up the wrong tree, NO, I didn't vote for Bush.
Yep - you voted for Badnarik. Obviously.
Why can't I mod "-1 Idiot"?
"Also, Canada has the second largest oil reserves in the world." Yes, sir, Mister President, I do believe Canada is intending to use weapons of mass destruction against us.
Sorry -- it's right there on the citizenship test -- Who scored the winning goal in the 1972 Canada cup series between Canada and the Soviet Union?
If you can't answer correctly, they will deport you the same day.
Ian Ameline
.. cause it sums up my feelings exactly.
The numbers are not comparable - the two countries have different ways of doing the statistics. Basically, the US definition of "now longer looking for work" kicks in a lot sooner than does the Canadian definition.
As a general rule, the answer to this is yes. Currently, immigration amounts to about 1% of population - the highest level in the world. A few months back, the government proposed substantial increases in the numbers. It couldn't do that if the people didn't support it. The biggest complaint is that most immigrants go to the big population centres - mainly Toronto and Vancouver. The other regions of the country want their share, because of the benefits to the economy, and several have started programs to attract more.
Here are the links again right from my browser history: http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/uscrime.htm http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2004/07/28 /crime_stats040728.html
http://www.statcan.ca/english/Subjects/Labour/LFS/ lfs-en.htm
http://www.economagic.com/em-cgi/data.exe/feddal/r u
http://www.worldfactsandfigures.com/gdp_country_de sc.php
http://www.readersdigest.ca/mag/1999/06/think_01.h tml
People still speak English and if you can scrape up US$1,500 a month, you're almost rich. $4,000 a month will rent you a house in a top subdivision with all the maids, security guards and dancing girls you would ever want.
Of course you have to get that money from a business or pension based elsewhere. Income opportunities there are almost non-existant, with a typical skilled worker wage in the $5 a day range. Business opportunities are there for the creative, but most people who come in with the idea of earning money there fail quickly due to a combination of intense competition and not understanding the culture.
See:
http://www.livingincebu.com/ (their discussion forums are particularly good)
http://www.livinginthephilippines.com/
for more detailed information.
D
I am probably doing this. Though it's to the Netherlands. The main reason isn't that I am upset with our government, or anything like that. However, the more I think about it, I am pretty pissed off about all that. So it just becomes another reason.
I've been to Canada too (it's about 1/2 mile from me). Very nice people, and it's a pretty country. I could see living there.
-- Note: If you don't agree with me, don't bother replying. I won't read it.
...there'd just be no-one to pump your gas.
So who was pumping all the gas before there were 10 million illegals in the country? Industrial robots?
Maybe if you stopped to think a second you would realize that the reason such menial jobs pay so little is because of the labor market distortions introduced by unchecked immigration. If that distortion were corrected, wages would rise until those jobs were filled by legal workers. It's as simple as that.
Except at the Department of Public Works.
Phillip
Um, do you honestly think the American people have anything to say whatsoever about the siting of stadiums? They are built by and for the elites of a region, normally with back-door deals with corrupt politicians.
If they didn't think the people of that region would fill the stadium to watch the games, they wouldn't build it there. No matter how corrupt you think those businessmen are, they certainly aren't out to lose money- they'll built it where the demand is, where they'll sell tickets.
I don't have to admit that, or even beleive it.
/. I'd say probably 1 in 50 were lambasting you. Bush has his supporters, but supporting Bush these days tends to get you into an argument with almost everyone so the majority of Bush supporters I've met generally just roll there eyes in mixed company because it's not worth arguing for the one thousandth time that Bush didn't make up the unlawful combatent term or that America should be invading Sudan to save the Dafurians.
You stated that all of us were lambasting you, and my contention is that not only were not all of us lambasting you, but not even a majority of people were lambasting you. In fact, if you're talking about
Bush has his supporters, but how many of them are violently outspoken here? Any time he's mentioned I look past ten comments that I want to reply to but don't bother with becasue it's a never ending hassel. I don't even like Bush.
Spoken like someone who believes in "entitlement"...
No, the #1 reason public schools in CA are crap is because 80% of the school budget goes for ADMINISTRATION. Only 20% goes to pay teachers, supply classrooms, and keep facilities in good repair.
Cops here have a starting salary around $45,000. Find me another entry-level position that's paid so well after only 3 months of training?? Nurses make about the same and doctors a whole shitload more; the problem for private practice is the malpractice insurance -- some are paying out 75% of their gross income just for that. Even so, things can't be too bad -- or doctors would be leaving CA in droves, like they've left the Maritime provinces. Try to find an oncologist in Nova Scotia, anywhere but in Halifax.
As to social services for those of us who can't afford insurance or private doctors -- the reason I, a taxpaying citizen, have to wait in line for 8 hours to get five minutes of some Pakistani intern's time, is because 90% of the other people in line are illegal aliens and there are only so many tax dollars to go around, and illegals seldom pay their fair share regardless.
It isn't America's job to support everyone else in the world, just like it's not their job to support us. But somehow America is expected to give and give and give, and that's taught the rest of the world to behave like professional beggars. Mexico has more natural wealth than America, yet is a poor country. Why? Corruption at every level. But instead of staying home and fixing the problem, they come here and bring their attitudes with them.
If your country is so bad, fix it; don't drag your problems here. If you come to my country, live like an American, don't expect ME to change my lifestyle and language for you. And if the old country is so wonderful that you simply MUST bring all its ways here (and inflict them on me) -- STAY IN THE OLD COUNTRY.
As to "people to pump your gas" -- out of all the places I've been, the level of service here is absolutely the worst, and getting worse all the time.
And at least the Terminator doesn't beat up his secretary, like a certain predecessor did.
~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
Comment removed based on user account deletion
> First off, if I had to choose between the Christian Fundamentalists, or the Islamic Fundamentalists,
> I'd rather go with the latter.
At least you have the guts to admit which side you are rooting for. Gotta give you that much. Brave, honest and totally fucking insane.
First off, if you think the USA is tottering on the virge of becoming some sort of theocracy and launching a fresh Inquisition or something, then you are totally divorced from objective reality.
Second, even IF we are/become a 'Christian fundamentalist' nation to believe that would be worse than dhimitude under Islamic rule (and yes my Athestic friend, Dhimitude would be the best fate you could hope for, some interpretations of the Koran put you lower than Christians and Jews) shows, at best, a shocking ignorance and at worst self destructive tendencies. The views of a person like Jerry Falwell would be an average Christian cleric a hundred years ago, there was almost no public debate as to whether this was a 'Christian nation' because it was an accepted reality. But there was little religious persecution of rival Christian sects or of differing religions. (Ok, the Klan down here in the Old South hates Jews almost as much as they hate blacks, then and now. Notable for the exception to the prevailing rule though) Jewish temples and some (just not many followers of Islam in the US a hundred years ago) Mosques operated openly and without any real fear. Compare and contrast to any country with a majority Islamic population, now, a hundred years ago or at any other point on the timeline of history.
Of course if I had to guess I'd say that what this is really all about is that you hate Bush so hard it has distorted you sense of reality. Nothing else matters, if Bush came out for National Health Care you would oppose it just because HE was now for it. To admit radical Islam is THE threat to the Western World would be to admit Bush was right and you guys just can't do it, preferring to risk destruction of our whole civilization.
Democrat delenda est
The numbers for many of these stats are computed differently.
In the US, if you stop looking for work, you are (apparently) no longer unemployed, even though you never found a job. In Canada, you maintain your unemployed status.
In the US, to be considered a victim of a violent crime, you have to take a bullet to the head. In Cahada, to be a victim of violet crime, someone has to accidentally bump you in the checkout line at the supermarket and not say, "Sorry".
Different standards, different results.
> Osama bin Laden died quite a while ago.
I thought so too for a year or so. But then the bastard popped up on Al-Jazera speaking of current events. So that pretty much proved he survived Afganistan. Why he hasn't been seen since that one appearance is troubling.
But at any rate I don't make the mistake of conflating the man with the movement. If UBL does go to Hell it won't really change things, others will take up his unfinished work. To win we must defeat not the man, but the Idea he represents.
You see, the battle is one of substance over ideas. Specifically it is a referendum on Western Civilization. Are the ideas it embodies worth emulating or should they be rejected. Ideas like representive governments, womens sufferage, religious and racial tolerance, secular government, free speech and a free press. We believe in these things. They believe them to be perversions.
Once side with prevail. But our side is at a disadvantage, because we are currently divided into two warring camps. Socialists and Conservatives, and because the Socialists are frightened, that because a Conservative (and especially since they HATE Bush with such a blinding rage) is currently in power should they close ranks and fight this fight that it would end up leaving Conservatives politically advantaged when the dust settled, they pick the side of primitive howling barbarian madness over Civilization. Because in the end, Socialists believe that if THEY are not to be given supreme power then the world can burn for all they care.
Democrat delenda est
Comment removed based on user account deletion
@GDP per capita Canada: $29,700
@GDP per capita USA: $37,800
What's the standard of living?
@National average total taxation Canada: 48.2 %
@National average total taxation USA: 41.4 %
What about local?
Where does the money go.
@National unemployment rate Canada: 6.6%
@National unemployment rate USA: 4.9%
Do the unemployed live in slums?
Are they as bad?
Well that is probably but it might not be.
@Total Violent crime per 100,000 people Canada: 963
@Total violent crime per 100,000 people in USA: 466
Where are those crimes? Small towns or large? East or west?
Maybe most the violent crimes in Canada happen in Toronto.
Everything can't be compared simply with 2 percent numbers.
Give me a little more information, well alot, and I can turn the apples and oranges into green apples and red apples, i.e. better to compare.
Why don't you guys have friends or journals?
RE: "Also, Canada has the second largest oil reserves in the world." Yes, sir, Mister President, I do believe Canada is intending to use weapons of mass destruction against us. No need for the ole' weapons of mass destruction tactics... I imagine US multinationals already own the majority of it :)
Actually, the Canadian Health Care system was declared unconstitutional just this year by our Supreme Court, so yes private health care is now legal in our nation:9 /newscoc-health050609.html/.
http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/06/0
Not that this decision mattered much, as private health insurance has been available in Vancouver, Quebec, and Ontario for quite some time now (our Prime Minister's personal physician runs a private clinic).
Oh, and vision, dental, certain forms of chemo (that one was a shocker), perscription meds, and all sorts of other health care goodies aren't covered under the Canadian Health act either.
Hopefully the next generation of Canadian politicians can deal honestly with our Health Care woes, the current generation doesn't appear up to the task. Except that new coke-head from Quebec..
Bush's plan isn't amnesty, it's a pragmatic "we need cheap labor so we may as well legalize it". What he's really proposing is, essentially, to give work visas to people who already have jobs here. The only reason he uses the term "amnesty" is to con the Democrats/liberals and aliens themselves into going along with the plan.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Someone gets it...
But then the bastard popped up on Al-Jazera speaking of current events.
No. Please cite a referense.
Further: The only dangerous country killing thousands of civilians that I know of as a threat is one under fascist control. The United States of America.
it's in my head
The problem is that the US is a democracy. That means that (with some important exceptions) what the majority says, goes.
What you propose is equivalent to a gay man in Kansas changing what the public thinks of him. Not only does the public not want to listen, but they've declared him an enemy of the people. If they had their way, they'd have him tarred and feathered (figuratively or not). That's why gays all live in the city where they have at least some modicum of acceptance.
"No problem. I have the capacity to do infinite work so long as you don't mind that my quality approaches zero."-Dilbert
I realize his actual name isn't even written in our alphabet, but the entire English-speaking population of the western world calls him Osama, so why not use it for the acronym?
"City hall" in German is "Rathaus" Kinda explains a few things......
CIRUS, the Indian reactor in quesiton, was based on the NRX design. While it's a heavy-water-moderated/light-water-cooled design, it significantly predates CANDU. The latter is geared towards use in a nuclear power plant; NRX is geared towards materials testing, isotope production, and physics research. It is not especially better than any other research reactor at breeding isotopes -- it just that it trades off a need for (expensive) reactor grade heavy water against ordinary industrial production of the core. Other designs typically need a much much hotter and/or highly pressurized core, requiring heavy industrial processes which are harder and much more expensive.
Although the overall design was very similar NRX, and the C in CIRUS is for Canada, the "US" is there for a reason: the U.S. government provided the financing and the reactor grade heavy water to the project.
Certainly NRX, like many early reactor designes, can be coaxed into breeding weapons materials. There are even some aspects that make it easier, notably the on-line-adjustable pile and the facilities for irradiating test materials.
From a legal perspective, NRX wasn't covered by nonproliferation rules or under IAEA safeguards, mostly because most of those did not exist at the time of the sale of the relevant designs and components. Both C & US stipulated or had contract terms requiring that CIRUS be used only for peaceful purposes. India violated these terms, and both of the other parties cut off nuclear research ties for decades as a result.
Breeding, yes... they needed a source of neutrons to bombard 238U. A 238U atom occasionally captures a neutron, becomes 239U, which decays into 239Np which decays into 239Pu.
238U much more readily captures a fast neutron than a slow one. Fast neutrons are emitted by Uranium fission. A moderator turns a fast neutron into a slow one. NRX, since it uses nearly pure heavy water as a neutron moderator, supplied slow neutrons efficiently. There are much more efficient designs if the goal is to produce lots of fast neutrons in order to breed plutonium from 238U, rather than lots of slow neutrons in order to sustain a uranium fission chain reaction.
In 1960, when the reactor was first turned on, the idea of using CIRUS as the basis of a nuclear weapons program was possibly genuinely surprising. I honestly don't know. However, it did take 14 years to go from activation of CIRUS to India's first nuclear weapons test. However in retrospect, with today's knowledge, the proliferation risk would be obvious.
The important quality of nuclear weapons material is not that it is spontaneously fissile, but rather that a small mass of it compressed into a small volume of space can sustain a highly energetic nuclear chain reaction.
Democrat Gray Davis and the Democratic state legislature ruined California's economy.
"No, the #1 reason public schools in CA are crap is because 80% of the school budget goes for ADMINISTRATION. Only 20% goes to pay teachers, supply classrooms, and keep facilities in good repair."
2 3.htm)
:)
Umm, I think you reversed those numbers. The largest operating largest cost in any school district is salaries. And the largest number of salaried bodies tends to be teachers.....
Oh, gee, here is something useful "The average spent on administration in California districts is about 7.3 percent." (http://www.sen.ca.gov/sor/policy/education/prop2
But, hey, don't let facts get in the way of your opinion
vs not even a majority of people were lambasting you.
I wish you were here in person so I could spit in your face. I always do that to lying weasels.
Counting the seconds to Monday...when all the four-day-weekenders return to slavery and we can have Slashdot back.
I am playing the "wait 'til it tanks -- then you buy" game. But, I'm not wealthy, and any misjudgements I make may well ruin me when I swoop in to buy, vulture-like. Billionaires never starve, but I soon may. Also, buying cheap is an easy game, if you're wealthy, because up or down, you're fine. Inevitably, the market will go up, the real estate prices will grow again, no matter if it takes 1 year or 20. If you're mega-wealthy, you take losses, wait it out, and eventually you will make enormous profit.
But guess what -- while the wealthy play the waiting game, sitting on stocks and depressed properties, waiting for the ships to come in, the job market will collapse, poverty will escalate, health insurance will evaporate, and purchase of consumer goods will plummet. It's called a depression. Spending on property and stocks don't create jobs, don't bring the country out of a death spiral. As a matter of fact, the worse it gets, the better for the 3 percent or so who will own everything worth owning. Wages depress, insurance is a joke, rents go WAAAAY up as the housing market bounces former buyers into rental spaces -- it's a damned Willy Wonka scenario for those holding liquid capital as the bubble bursts.
Nope. Here are the fastest growing ocupations in the US over the past 10 years:
Health aides 138%
Human service workers 136%
Personal and home care aids 130%
in other words, jobs that pay either minimum wage or just above minimum wage... about what burger flipping does. (if you have more current info on what burger flipping pays based on personal experience, feel free to respond)
Enjoy your fantasy world while it lasts, the slow-motion trainwreck America is headed for will last you for the rest of your life. Hint: that fantasy world is based on cheap oil... I take it you belong to the Intelligent Design, oops, I mean the "abiotic" school of "thought" on the origin of oil as well.
Tech Public Policy stuff
[snork] I think you're probably right :D
I just had a disturbing thought comparing "puppies and ice cream for all" to a stockyard, where you get all you can eat for free... until they haul you away to become hamburger.
~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
None is less than half. My wording may be contentious, but at least I'm not pretending to be the victim of a vast right wing eLynchMob that doesn't exist.
- GDP is a pointless number to base anything on. It counts all the cash that moves around, regardless of whether that cash is spent doing anything productive. You could dig a $1 million dollar hole, then spend another $1 million filling it, and that would increase your GDP by $2 million. Try using purchase price parity or something less... random. Moreover, GDP has basically no effect on the population whatsoever. Median household income is far more pertinent, and currently median household income in Canada (~$56k CAD/year) is around 9% higher than that of the US (~$44k USD/year, or around ~$51k CAD).
- Average total taxation is out of date. The tax situation has changed pretty substantially both north and south of the border since 1998 (for example, exemptions are now indexed to CPI in Canada, dividend income is nontaxable up to 25k, etc). I would love to see an up-to-date version.
- Unemployment rates are calculated completely differently between the US and Canada. Add the 'discouraged' rates to current US unemployment rates, and take into account the difference in labour force utilization (canada routinely has a couple % higher utilization, mostly due to people magically disappearing from US labour force when they don't fall under the specific categories that allows them to be considered employable). Sadly, neither country tracks underemployed people, but I suppose it's a difficult measure to gauge.
- Violent crime statistics in the US are calculated differently than those in Canada. In the US, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, violent crime in the US is comprised of "The number of persons arrested for homicide, forcible rape, robbery or aggravated assault as reported by law enforcement agencies to the FBI." Notice that there is no mention of basic assaults (ie. bar fights) that ARE included in the canadian statistics you provided, and which account for the vast vast majority of incidents reported. However, an apples-to-apples comparison is here. In summary: Violent crime in canada is substantially less, whereas property crime is essentially parallel.
If comparisons MUST be made, at the very least they should be intellectually honest.
"People will pay big bucks for the luxury of ignorance."
6 months to 2 years? Hardly. I'd be hard pressed to think of any gadget that took longer to get to Canada than the US by any stretch longer than perhaps 2 weeks. When I bought my Canon S-40, I got it in a store here before it was available in the US (Carsand-Mosher has got the hookups!) The device itself was not more expensive than the US version after taking into account exchange (in fact, it was about $10 cheaper... and local bought). GST was added, but that's hardly the 25% premium after 2 year wait you're trying to push.
Considering places like California have between 7.75%-8.75% state sales tax randomly based on a county-by-county basis, GST seems pretty straightforward. For the consumer, anyways.
Gas is more expensive. Not much, but some. During the big gas price spike, there was roughly a 10%-15% difference between the average price in Canada and the US (that was the time I was paying attention to it. I dunno what the difference is at the moment).
As for median incomes, your numbers are way off. The median household income in the US is currently around $44kUSD (~$51kCAD). The median household income in Canada is currently ~$56kCAD (~$48kUSD) and the median household income in vancouver, as of the 2000 Canada Census is ~$77k. Moreover, the downtowns of Vancouver and Toronto are currently in a speculatory bubble environment, not unlike that of Miami, LA, et al. You can get 2000+ sq.ft out in the burbs (maple ridge, for instance) at $100-$200sq ft.
Yeesh, so much intellectual dishonesty. Are you so afraid of an apples-to-apples comparison that you have to be deliberately misleading?
"People will pay big bucks for the luxury of ignorance."
The US lets you deduct the interest portion of your mortgage payments.
In Canada, your principal residence has no captial gains. With a married couple, you can make that apply to home AND cottage.
The US system is more inviting in the short term, more immediate consequences; the Canadian benefit comes much later, or to the heirs.
Not sure of the rules up North, but I think handguns are frowned upon. I like my personal defense too much to give it up. Same reason I won't live in Jersey.
This thread is pretty long so I'm only reading +5 comments, but I'm surprised to see nothing about international policy.
As a Canadian skilled tech worker the major negative thing I see about living/working in the U.S. is foreign policy, including IRAQ. Some people prefer to live in a country that doesn't interfere as much with the affairs of others.
So did everyone who mentioned IRAQ or Afghanistan get modded down as a troll?
---
I support spreading santorum
It is reprehensible that my (previous) informative post was modded flamebait. I link directly to the state department, after all.
Well, at least my first flamebait post wasn't wasted on something useless.
The United States will have no serious problem with the taxation issues. You see, since some citizens were using renunciation as a tax evasion tool, the U.S. Government now retains the power to tax your earnings for something like the ten years prior to, and the ten years following, the renunciation of citizenship. What they really want to avoid is someone waking up with a hangover saying "I renounced what now?"
So, it isn't a big problem as far as the
Jim
A few months ago, I woke up in the middle of the night with terrible stomach pains. Thought it was gas, walked it off after a few hours.
Couple nights later, same thing, only ten times worse. I let my wife talk me into going to hospital.
Got there at 4 AM, was in a bed and had an IV going by 4:10, was Xrayed at 6 AM, Ultrasounded at 8 AM, and diagnosed with terrible gall stones by 10 AM. Surgery was scheduled for about 11 days later, with a tip of not to eat fat in the meantime, and come back to emergency if I had another attack.
11 days later, I show at the hospital for my laproscopic gall bladder removal at 8:30, I'm on a gurney at 10:30, and I'm in recovery at 11:30. I'm being picked up by my wife at 3:30 that afternoon, and I'm home by four.
Total cost, out of pocket, to me? Four bucks parking, times two. 50 or 60 bucks for a perscription of Tylenol-3.
I remember thinking something like 'Wow. If I was American, this would potentially actually be a decision for me to make; get the surgery, go in debt? Or try to live with a blocked gall bladder, and hope it doesn't get worse?'
This is relatively small-town Canada; the town is around 10,000 people, and the hospital also covers some smaller towns and municipalities around the area.
Vintage computer games and RPG books available. Email me if you're interested.
wow... that's completely different from what I've heard and read from others. But even so, given your description, I don't mind being wrong!
Will they hire someone without a degree? Who kept working for companies that went out of business? Who hasn't worked in the field in 10 years? Who is over 45 in age? Who has mental illness? Who is desperate to work? You know your desperate for employees when you hire someone like that! THE guy who put in his resume: "I specialize in working for companies going out of business" (yep, I did!)
I'll think of a really good SIG just before I die.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
60,000 is pretty huge for a nation-wide survey, especially since it's done monthly. Most surveys you see in the news (presidential approval ratings, for example) are 1,000 to 2,000 people big.
[PowerPoint] is a tool for capitalist presentation
I moved to Toronto in late April from Connecticut. I was serious when I said I'd do it.
Got in under the skilled worker program. When people ask why I either answer "Better beer," if I'm tired of answering the question, or "Midlife crisis - had to get out of CT, and besides, I didn't like what was happening politically in the U.S." And it's true - when the Pod People (brainwashed Bush voters) gave the whole Abu Ghraib/torture scandal thing a free pass, I knew it was over for the US. The country's in decline and I want to get off the train wreck before it inevitably crashes.
I love it here, in case anyone's interested. It's not perfect, and the taxes are higher, but not as bad as the Pod People would have you believe. And at least my tax money's paying for my social safety net, rather than someone else's f**king illegal war.
And yes, I got a job fairly quickly - I was working again in less than three months. However, I will state it's easier for Americans than other immigrants. And I did get lucky - Canadians have a bias towards "Canadian experience" which means you might have to do volunteer work for awhile (yes, that means for free) before anyone will take you seriously. I was fortunate in that the company that pulled my resume off Workopolis needed someone with American experience as well.
I'm happy I made the move. I ditched my car, BTW, and now go to work by bus and travel around Toronto on the subway. It's a bit more inconvenient but I have a LOT more money at the end of the month and that compensates very well for the inconvience, thankyouverymuch.
Canada ROCKS, mes amis!!!
You seem to be saying that you've hit on a great way to make money, but it only works for billionaires. However, if you can turn 1 billion into 1.1 billion in the stock market, I think you can turn 10k into 11k with the same risk level. You seem to think that richer investors can afford more risk. That's not true. I'm kind of groping for words to illustrate the fallacy here.
Investment timeframe and size of investment are two orthogonal concepts. If you are 20 years old and saving for retirement, you invest in something that offers the right tradeoff of risk and long term gain over 40 years. But if you're planning to buy a house in 4 years, and just don't want your money sitting idle, you buy assets that are not likely to be in a dip four years from now. You will not get as good a risk/reward package as the long term investor. This logic applies whether you have 10k to invest or 10 billion.
Now, the concept that time will always rescue a bad investment is not true. A smart investor, big or small, will cut his losses rather than ride a bad investment all the way down. Have you ever looked at the "double down" system used by some gamblers? At first it sounds unbeatable - every time you lose, you double your bet. Eventually you must win, and N - (N/2 + N/4 +
According to your earlier scenario, the wealthy are out of the market right now, but will buy heavily after a crash. Well, after a crash, buying heavily helps reinvigorate the market. After a crash, you hope there's someone who will buy heavily. So, a crash could hurt the job market, but the only help for the job market is investors having confidence and buying back in. So if you must imagine a gloomy scenario, say rather that the wealthy are heavily invested now, and will dump everything in a crash, causing the economy to bottom out.
Now here's the other doom and gloom scenario: you keep your money in the mattress, waiting for the crash that never comes, while the economy roars past you. The billionaires become multibillionaires because they follow basic investment advice, the kind that's in hundreds of books.
A billionairre can lose 99% of his assets and still be a multi-millionairre. More importantly, he can still survive and provide anything his family and friends might need.
A middle-class person can lose just 20% of his assets, and that might be enough to send them on a downward spiral resulting in bankruptcy and homelessness. If a middle-class person lost 99% of their assets, they probably would not be able to cover their base expenses for the next month. The rich guy would still be able to afford his health care after losing 99% of his assets.
The rich can afford to invest a higher percentage of their money with a lower risk to their survival. You seem to think a billionairre investing 10% of his money is the same thing as someone with $200K net work investing 10% of their money. It's not the same situation and that is a gross oversimplification. One that makes me think you are a Republican, but I'm just guessing. It is indeed easier to make more money if you have more money. Even if you take percentages into account!
-Clio
Karma: Bad (mostly from not giving a fuck)
Blog: http://clintjcl.wordpress.com
the map in question.