Does a liberal have the IQ to understand how Republican capitalist health care.....

[Koios]

well, in the USSR everyone was very very poor (about 20% of what we have here) because there were no capitalist incentives much like there are none in our current liberal health care system. 20% of $8000 (what it costs here per person). From that you can extrapolate that $5-7k per person in savings is not unrealistic with a capitalist system.

Canadians have more wealth, per capita, among their middle class than do we. Are Canadians more capitalistic than the USA?

probably about the same, why do you ask??? They have huge energy wealth now and had far better housing capitalism.

I ask since Canada is nearby / our region of the world, not to mention it exists, while the USSR no longer does.

Plus the have national health care, and more lucrative assistance programs for poor and unemployed, plus high income taxes. Seems they're more socialized than us, and not very probably about the same.

 

[EdwardBaiamonte]

Seems they're more socialized than us, and not very probably about the same.

not really, they have smart immigration, they take the rich while we take the poor, we have highest taxes on the wealthy, they have more capitalism in housing so no depression, we have higher corporate taxes, we have military they don't etc etc. We have national socialist health care too, it just spread out among many inefficient programs.

 

[Dragonlady]

Canadians are VERY capitalistic but you'd all think we we're communists. No government here dares touch health care. God knows the Conservative Party has tried and lost every election where they've proposed US style 2-tier health care.

The Americans tried to have our health care system labelled as an "unfair business subsidy" under NAFTA because Canadian employers pay just under 1% of the employee's wages (under $200,000 per yr). The average wage in Canada is $46,000 per year so employers pay, on average $460.00 per year per employee for health care. Compared to the cost of American private health insurance which American employers purchase for their employees, this is peanuts and adds greatly to the cost of good and services for companies offering health care to their employees.

Americans go on and on about our higher taxes, but if you factor in health care costs and co-pays (which we absolutely do not have for doctors or hospitals), it works out to be less in Canada.

But yeah, we work hard, however we have a LOT of employment regulations. Minimum wage is $10.25 per hour. If you work more than 44 hours per week, you are entitled to overtime for the excess hours at time and a half. No employee can work more than 60 hours per week unless his/her employer applies for and obtains a special special projects clearance from the Ministry of Labour. All employees are entitled to a minimum of two weeks vacation or 4% vacation pay in lieu of vacation. Upon termination without cause, employees are entitled to one month's notice for each year of service, or severance equal to one month's pay for each year of service in the case of terminations without notice.

 

[Dragonlady]

not really, they have smart immigration, they take the rich while we take the poor, we have highest taxes on the wealthy, they have more capitalism in housing so no depression, we have higher corporate taxes, we have military they don't etc etc.

We take the poor too, and we take their elderly parents and then we give health care to the entire family, even those with pre-existing conditions. The right-wing in Canada goes bat-shit crazy over this.

We have way more regulation in banking which prevents the kinds of loosey goosey, sub-prime lending that got your banking system in trouble. When Canadian bankers asked for relaxation in regulation in 1999 so they could remain competitive with US banks, our Liberal government refused. This meant no sub-prime lending, and tight debt service ratios for home buyers. Banks could only lend 75% of the appraised value of a property without risk insurance. As a result, there was no housing bubble, no foreclosure, mortgage or banking crisis in Canada, and other countries are now looking at our banking regulations to prevent banking melt-downs in future.

We have national socialist health care too, it just spread out among many inefficient programs.

The problem is your government health care programs are modelled after your private insurance programs which have an enormously high administration costs - the highest in the world by far, putting a lie to the whole notion that private business can do it better and cheaper than government. Americans spend nearly double the amount per capita on health care than Canadians and yet Canadians have both a longer life-expectancy, and a lower infant mortality rate, but are also rated higher on the UN quality of life index.

Our heath care program is very efficient. Administration costs are less than 10% of the total amount Canadians spend on health care, versus over 30% in the US. The whole pre-approval process used by US insurance companies and Medicare is non-existent in Canada, freeing up doctors and hospitals to focus on the health of the patient and not fighting for approvals. There are no third party billing companies for doctors or hospitals in Canada so those costs are non-existent. Freed from dealing with insurance companies, doctors have more time to see more patients, and make more money. Malpractice insurance is MUCH cheaper in Canada. Doctors make more money in the US, but keep more of what they earn in Canada.

 

[Mr Natural]

Canadians are VERY capitalistic but you'd all think we we're communists. No government here dares touch health care. God knows the Conservative Party has tried and lost every election where they've proposed US style 2-tier health care.

The Americans tried to have our health care system labelled as an "unfair business subsidy" under NAFTA because Canadian employers pay just under 1% of the employee's wages (under $200,000 per yr). The average wage in Canada is $46,000 per year so employers pay, on average $460.00 per year per employee for health care. Compared to the cost of American private health insurance which American employers purchase for their employees, this is peanuts and adds greatly to the cost of good and services for companies offering health care to their employees.

Americans go on and on about our higher taxes, but if you factor in health care costs and co-pays (which we absolutely do not have for doctors or hospitals), it works out to be less in Canada.

But yeah, we work hard, however we have a LOT of employment regulations. Minimum wage is $10.25 per hour. If you work more than 44 hours per week, you are entitled to overtime for the excess hours at time and a half. No employee can work more than 60 hours per week unless his/her employer applies for and obtains a special special projects clearance from the Ministry of Labour. All employees are entitled to a minimum of two weeks vacation or 4% vacation pay in lieu of vacation. Upon termination without cause, employees are entitled to one month's notice for each year of service, or severance equal to one month's pay for each year of service in the case of terminations without notice.

It sounds very civilized.

 

[Dragonlady]

It sounds very civilized.

Our biggest problem is that the US is our largest trading partner and many of our manufacturing companies are US owned, so if your economy is in the toilet, Canadian plants get closed first. At one time, General Motors in Oshawa employed over 20,000 workers at four different plants. Now they have one shift operating at one plant - 2000 workers.

Someone on this board was gloating that Cattipillar had moved to Texas because the climate for doing business was so good there. No, Catipillar was a Canadian company, an iconic Canadian brand, which was purchased by a firm from Texas. They promised the workers when they bought the company that the jobs would stay in Canada, but that promise lasted less than a year.

Many of our iconic Canadian companies have been bought by large American firms. The Hudson's Bay Company, Canada's first corporation, was bought by NRDC Equity from New York, and Molson's Brewery, founded in 1755 as Canada's second corporation, is now owned by Budweiser. Molson's Canadian Lager Beer, the largest selling brand in Canada, is now under American control. Wendy's bought out the Tim Horton's coffee shop chain years ago.

I liked it better when the foreign investment review board ensured that Canadian companies and Canadian jobs were owned by Canadians.

 

[EdwardBaiamonte]

putting a lie to the whole notion that private business can do it better and cheaper than government.

dear, a government monopoly will never be efficient. This is common sense??? How could you not know that?? American health insurance companies are not allowed to comptete so of course they are not efficient.

Imagine someone who jogs for fun and someone who races in life and death competition? Who would be a faster runner? Now you understand competiton and how it makes us better. Not so hard was it?

 

[EdwardBaiamonte]

Americans spend nearly double the amount per capita on health care than Canadians and yet Canadians have both a longer life-expectancy, and a lower infant mortality rate, but are also rated higher on the UN quality of life index.

Canada is a poor tiny country with an efficient socialist health care system. But, we have to subsidize you because you are so poor. If you had to pay full price for everything and invent everything as we do you'd all be dirt poor. Sorry!!

 

[Dragonlady]

Canada is a poor tiny country with an efficient socialist health care system. But, we have to subsidize you because you are so poor. If you had to pay full price for everything and invent everything as we do you'd all be dirt poor. Sorry!!

Look at a map a$$hat, Canada is a large country which is in the top 15 wealthiest countries in the world, in spite of the fact that most of our wealth is held in resources such as oil and base metals.

The US most assuredly is not subsidized by the United States in any way shape or form. We pay MUCH higher prices for our goods and services than do Americans and we have lower rates of poverty and unemployment, our education system is far superior to US schools, and our standard of living is higher. Our banking system is one of the most stable in the world.

Every survey and measure consistently ranks Canada as one of the top countries to live: We were ranked 6th this year, and one of the top 10 countries to be born in (9th). The US is ranked 16th as a best country to be born in.

The only top 10 ranking the US has in liveability is the "Quality of Life" index where the US ranked No. 7 because of infrastructure. In even quality of life, Canadians have it all over Americans. We're number 2 and our cousins the Australians are No. 1. We have larger homes, less crime, a very low rate of violent crime and murder due to strict gun controls, and we make a lot of money.

 

[expatriate]

Canada is a poor tiny country with an efficient socialist health care system. But, we have to subsidize you because you are so poor. If you had to pay full price for everything and invent everything as we do you'd all be dirt poor. Sorry!!

Look at a map a$$hat, Canada is a large country which is in the top 15 wealthiest countries in the world, in spite of the fact that most of our wealth is held in resources such as oil and base metals.

The US most assuredly is not subsidized by the United States in any way shape or form. We pay MUCH higher prices for our goods and services than do Americans and we have lower rates of poverty and unemployment, our education system is far superior to US schools, and our standard of living is higher. Our banking system is one of the most stable in the world.

Every survey and measure consistently ranks Canada as one of the top countries to live: We were ranked 6th this year, and one of the top 10 countries to be born in (9th). The US is ranked 16th as a best country to be born in.

The only top 10 ranking the US has in liveability is the "Quality of Life" index where the US ranked No. 7 because of infrastructure. In even quality of life, Canadians have it all over Americans. We're number 2 and our cousins the Australians are No. 1. We have larger homes, less crime, a very low rate of violent crime and murder due to strict gun controls, and we make a lot of money.

I realize it's hard to imagine, but Edwina is even more stupid than he is obnoxious and annoying.

 

[Toronado3800]

I think Edward spent some time in Eastern Europe during the fall of communism and hates it.

It left him with a hatred of any government controls. Like the ones which have kept our economy running and prevented a socialist revolution.

He gets stuck on admitting Japanese cars grew equal (better in his words) to American cars even though Japan's market is protected by tariffs, and with this question in one of his posts asking who should be taxed to build a road, substinance farmers or those with money.

Far as his conversational style, perhaps English is not his first language. My Spanish SUCKS so I admire anyone who is bilingual. In some houses even folks just cuss at eachother and deal in absolutes so we must remember to have patience. The U.S. is the great melting pot and if Edward has a distaste for all social assistance he probably works his rear off to support himself and thus keeps the economy going.

 

[Dragonlady]

I think Edward spent some time in Eastern Europe during the fall of communism and hates it.

It left him with a hatred of any government controls. Like the ones which have kept our economy running and prevented a socialist revolution.

That doesn't excuse him insulting other posters. As I said, I don't normally comment on spelling and grammar because I need a full-time proof reader for my posts, but when a poster thinks it's clever to call another "intellectually inferior", I'm not prepared to cut him any slack.

 

[EdwardBaiamonte]

The only top 10 ranking the US has in liveability is the "Quality of Life" index where the US ranked No. 7 because of infrastructure.

utter total pure blind stupidity. The USA created the world with Jefferson and WW2. We invented freedom, gifted it to the world, and hold 90% of the world's patents!! Switzerland and Canada and many others are cute fun little and irrelevent countries and lets not forget they are but tiny tiny satellite's of Mr. Jefferson's philosophy. Without the USA, Hitler Stalin or Mao would be running the world now. Civilization comes from America. America is the worlds last best hope for freedom!!
Got it now???

 

[Toronado3800]

The only top 10 ranking the US has in liveability is the "Quality of Life" index where the US ranked No. 7 because of infrastructure.

utter total pure blind stupidity. The USA created the world with Jefferson and WW2. We invented freedom, gifted it to the world, and hold 90% of the world's patents!! Switzerland and Canada and many others are cute fun little and irrelevent countries and lets not forget they are but tiny tiny satellite's of Mr. Jefferson's philosophy. Without the USA, Hitler Stalin or Mao would be running the world now. Civilization comes from America. America is the worlds last best hope for freedom!!
Got it now???

What's your answer for those who were buying German bonds or dealing with the NAZIs? Kinda strange how the isolationists and anti communits got along.

I disagree with the ridiculous tone of your previous statement Edward. Even if the U.S. Was vital in defeating Hitler and holding the U.S.S.R. in check your attitude makes me want to disagree with you. Your debate coach or family failed to teach ya how to make a point or bring others to your point of view.

 

[Dragonlady]

utter total pure blind stupidity. The USA created the world with Jefferson and WW2. We invented freedom, gifted it to the world, and hold 90% of the world's patents!! Switzerland and Canada and many others are cute fun little and irrelevent countries and lets not forget they are but tiny tiny satellite's of Mr. Jefferson's philosophy. Without the USA, Hitler Stalin or Mao would be running the world now. Civilization comes from America. America is the worlds last best hope for freedom!!
Got it now???

This paragraph is total umitigated bullshit. The United States is a great country, or rather it used to be before it was taken over by the greedy and the unprincipled.

Unless the people can take their country back from those who put their own interests ahead of the nation's interests, it will continue on it's current road of decline. As long as your politicians continue to pander to the elite and the multi-national corporations, your quality of living will continue to erode.

The United States didn't invent freedom or democracy. It was a beacon of hope against communism, but with no real foe, the only enemy you have now is the greed and avarice of your population.

 

[EdwardBaiamonte]

This paragraph is total umitigated bullshit. The United States is a great country, or rather it used to be before it was taken over by the greedy and the unprincipled.

it still very very very great because it created civilization on earth and defends it. If it were gone are the Girl Scouts going to defend you?? Come to think of it they would probably do a better job that your tiny impotent military. You're like an ungrateful child. You live in our house but fail to appreciate the huge gift.

As long as your politicians continue to pander to the elite and the multi-national corporations, your quality of living will continue to erode.

dear why not be specific and name a multinational that isn't saintly and wonderful? Its easy to pretend your Marxist BS is true, but get specific and find out?? Are you afraid?? Why don't you create a multi national?? Do you have anything that the world wants to buy more than anything else or do you just enjoy flapping your gums??

The United States didn't invent freedom or democracy. It was a beacon of hope against communism,

actually dear Jefferson was long before communism?? Sorry

but with no real foe, the only enemy you have now is the greed and avarice of your population.

any examples or just pretending again????

 

[EdwardBaiamonte]

This works on the same principle as nineteenth century markets. No restrictions, so prices were guaranteed to be lower and lower.
Uh, but monopolies developed, cornered markets, controlled prices and gouged everyone.
How does that work again?

Dear, we have Anti-Trust laws now. Sorry to crush you.

 

[Toronado3800]

This works on the same principle as nineteenth century markets. No restrictions, so prices were guaranteed to be lower and lower.
Uh, but monopolies developed, cornered markets, controlled prices and gouged everyone.
How does that work again?

Dear, we have Anti-Trust laws now. Sorry to crush you.

Thank goodness for them liberal anti trust laws

 

[EdwardBaiamonte]

This works on the same principle as nineteenth century markets. No restrictions, so prices were guaranteed to be lower and lower.
Uh, but monopolies developed, cornered markets, controlled prices and gouged everyone.
How does that work again?

Dear, we have Anti-Trust laws now. Sorry to crush you.

Thank goodness for them liberal anti trust laws

not sure why you call them liberal? Capitalists generally support competition so generally are opposed to monopolies

 

[Toronado3800]

Dear, we have Anti-Trust laws now. Sorry to crush you.

Thank goodness for them liberal anti trust laws

not sure why you call them liberal? Capitalists generally support competition so generally are opposed to monopolies

We agree the regulations are a good idea then and are necessary for a capitalist system.

Still they aren't exactly in the Constitution so I was givin u a hard time and winking.