Planning on moving to Canada because you think that your "rights" in the US are dwindling is a little like moving closer to the sun in an effort to avoid the heat. I spent the last year here in Canada and the nine years before that in the US, and I tell you, you lose your basic rights as soon as you are greeted in French by a Canada Customs agent. If you are a lazy person who thinks that the world owes you a living and doesn't want to decide for yourself, then come to Canada: they have rules for EVERYTHING and they are giving away the store up here-- and they will thank you for taking it from them. However, if you are some one who is a hard worker and someone who believes in your right to decide on your destiny, then stay the hell away.
At income tax rates of over 50%, sales tax rates up to 16%, a dollar valued at 65% of the US dollar (importing really sucks), temperatures that get to 40 below and a government that answers every question with more legislation, I would take the good old US of A any time. So, next time some one tells you that life is good in Canada because the socialized health care system doesn't cost anything, remind them of the significant taxes and then ask them how much they would like to wait 6 months with an aching back so that they can get an MRI-- but we don't have a two tier health care system, because that would be wrong. We all should wait unnecessarily just to make sure that its fair... and I haven't even begun talking about living in a bilingual world.
So, don't let any one fool you, it sucks up here and the grass isn't even greener, its brown up here. (In case anyone is wondering why I stay, the answer is I'm wife-locked: love her, hate here)
Mr. Miller, what do you think of Microsoft pricing model? Admittedly, a lot of R&D goes into Windows, Office, and other product development, but when you consider what you are asking a private user to pay for Office 2000, do you ever consider the fact that you are pricing yourself out of the stratosphere?
Microsoft continues to state that it is losing billions a year on software piracy, but all its doing is taking the amount of pirated copies times an average retail price and a number of 5 billion is reached. Many private citizens cannot afford the hundreds of dollars to buy a fully licensed version and if they didn't get the illegal versions, they simply wouldn't use the software. However, if Office 2000 was price at a much more reasonable level wouldn't you think that the motive to pirate would erased? After all, I would rather sell a product to ten people at $20.00 a copy than one person at $200.00.
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Planning on moving to Canada because you think that your "rights" in the US are dwindling is a little like moving closer to the sun in an effort to avoid the heat. I spent the last year here in Canada and the nine years before that in the US, and I tell you, you lose your basic rights as soon as you are greeted in French by a Canada Customs agent. If you are a lazy person who thinks that the world owes you a living and doesn't want to decide for yourself, then come to Canada: they have rules for EVERYTHING and they are giving away the store up here-- and they will thank you for taking it from them. However, if you are some one who is a hard worker and someone who believes in your right to decide on your destiny, then stay the hell away.
At income tax rates of over 50%, sales tax rates up to 16%, a dollar valued at 65% of the US dollar (importing really sucks), temperatures that get to 40 below and a government that answers every question with more legislation, I would take the good old US of A any time. So, next time some one tells you that life is good in Canada because the socialized health care system doesn't cost anything, remind them of the significant taxes and then ask them how much they would like to wait 6 months with an aching back so that they can get an MRI-- but we don't have a two tier health care system, because that would be wrong. We all should wait unnecessarily just to make sure that its fair... and I haven't even begun talking about living in a bilingual world.
So, don't let any one fool you, it sucks up here and the grass isn't even greener, its brown up here. (In case anyone is wondering why I stay, the answer is I'm wife-locked: love her, hate here)
Mr. Miller, what do you think of Microsoft pricing model? Admittedly, a lot of R&D goes into Windows, Office, and other product development, but when you consider what you are asking a private user to pay for Office 2000, do you ever consider the fact that you are pricing yourself out of the stratosphere? Microsoft continues to state that it is losing billions a year on software piracy, but all its doing is taking the amount of pirated copies times an average retail price and a number of 5 billion is reached. Many private citizens cannot afford the hundreds of dollars to buy a fully licensed version and if they didn't get the illegal versions, they simply wouldn't use the software. However, if Office 2000 was price at a much more reasonable level wouldn't you think that the motive to pirate would erased? After all, I would rather sell a product to ten people at $20.00 a copy than one person at $200.00.