What would you do?

[Ben & Lisa]

B&B, there are myrid of programs aimed at curbing health issues in the US, just like there are in Canada. However, our societies are very differant in many ways. For one Canada doesnt have a large population of inner city underclass addicted to drugs and alcohol.
Canadian society is also more layed back and as such doesnt suffer fromt he effects of stress, hypertension, etc. In short there are many culural differances that account for the stats.
BTW the difference in infant mortality between CA and the the US is 1 death per 1000 births so despite the factors I mentioned its pretty dang close. Life expectancy is less than 3 years difference.

[B & B]

Originally Posted by Ben & Lisa

B&B, there are myrid of programs aimed at curbing health issues in the US, just like there are in Canada. However, our societies are very differant in many ways. For one Canada doesnt have a large population of inner city underclass addicted to drugs and alcohol.
Canadian society is also more layed back and as such doesnt suffer fromt he effects of stress, hypertension, etc. In short there are many culural differances that account for the stats.
BTW the difference in infant mortality between CA and the the US is 1 death per 1000 births so despite the factors I mentioned its pretty dang close. Life expectancy is less than 3 years difference.

No, I realize all that, and we are beginning to take this"What would you do to fix the deficit problem" towards, "my healthcare is better than yours".

You are correct that we are very close in all of those categories, i forget who lost in the world series last year...just egging you

When do I get to feel this more laid back feeling, and no stress and the hypertension that every time I get checked is above high normal, but not far enough for medication, just life style changes.

cheers

[Canadian Dos Equis fan]

Originally Posted by Ben & Lisa

B&B, there are myrid of programs aimed at curbing health issues in the US, just like there are in Canada. However, our societies are very differant in many ways. For one Canada doesnt have a large population of inner city underclass addicted to drugs and alcohol.
Canadian society is also more layed back and as such doesnt suffer fromt he effects of stress, hypertension, etc. In short there are many culural differances that account for the stats.
BTW the difference in infant mortality between CA and the the US is 1 death per 1000 births so despite the factors I mentioned its pretty dang close. Life expectancy is less than 3 years difference.

I think you would be suprised how the inner city in a place like Calgary is like. It's not a warzone but there are certainly places you just don't want to go. As for stress thank god I don't have to worry about that! Just kidding, I'm prepping for winter drilling programs which will have me pulling crazy hours with lots of minute to minute stress.

Regardless we could go back and forth for days on this subject, I think it's fair to say that people living in many different parts of the world would do almost anything to call either the US or Canada home, and for good reason. we both have countries to be proud of!

[Ben & Lisa]

The point I was originally making when I brought up health care is that it is a huge drain on the US budget and simply gutting the military isn't going to solve the problem. The budget will never come around with out serious entitlement reforms.

Keith, I have been the inner city of Toronto and Winnipeg. Its nothing like Detroit or Chicago.

[Canadian Dos Equis fan]

Originally Posted by Ben & Lisa

The point I was originally making when I brought up health care is that it is a huge drain on the US budget and simply gutting the military isn't going to solve the problem. The budget will never come around with out serious entitlement reforms.

Keith, I have been the inner city of Toronto and Winnipeg. Its nothing like Detroit or Chicago.

Every piece of your government structure is going to feel the pinch no doubt. I do think that the US could easily handle a military that is roughly 10% smaller by budget. I can't remember where I saw the graph but you guys spend more than the rest of the world combined. Not saying necessarily drop 10% of the fighting force, but there are some very expensive R&D programs out there.

Usually those things are popular wherever they end up being taken out, so congress doesn't want to cut those off, for the representatives fear of losing reelection.

Here is what I would be doing if I President Obama on any given day!

I bow to your experiences in Winnipeg, toronto, Detroit and Chicago. Our worst off population, the first nations tend to be on reserves away from the larger centers. That's where the really bad drug problems and poverty lie. Unfortunately the reservation system has allowed too many generations get accustomed to living solely on the government dole. It will take generations to get those communities involved and back on track sadly.

At the end of the day, our countries while similar have very different problems and different approaches to solving them.

[Ben & Lisa]

Imagine CA's First Nation problems x 100 and you have what we have. Then you have the illegals bleeding the system dry...

[Steve]

Today in the UK we had 2 million public sector workers on strike.

I worked in the public sector for 16 years and had I still been there I'd have been on strike too. What the current Govt are doing is forcing through their ideological changes and dressing it up as necessary cuts.

Had I still been in my old job, I'd be facing a pay freeze for 2 years and the next two years after that wage increases capped at 1% per year.

In addition to that pension contributions have been increased while delivering a poorer final pension. A good public service pension was always a carrot to make up for a poor (by private sector equivalents) basic wage. Now the pensionable age will be 67 and final pension will be based on average salary over your career, rather than final salary.

One of my ex colleagues commented:
"by 2015 in a 40 hour week 6.4 of those hours will be effectively unpaid"

another said:
"If the unemployed get a 5% rise every year how soon before having a job is worth less than not having one."

another:
"Being part time, but with child care costs and rising diesel prices, it soon will cost me more to go to work than stay at home"

[ptcruiser]

I would love to have a 2 year wage freeze as we have had a wage freeze since 1-1-08 and no end in sight, and 200 layoffs. As for pensions in the USA they are a dying breed and most of us have to rely on our 401k that we contribute to ourselves. In addition, government employees in the USA make considerable more than the private sector. I do not understand why I should pay taxes for government employees to have a guaranteed pension in addition to funding my own 401k retirement that has no guarantees. Look at Porta Rico, they had 525 police taking care of liquor licenses. The new governor replaced them with one woman and a computer, guess what the service is better and quicker. Just one example of how over staffed our government is here in the USA. Plenty of waste and many areas that need to be cut.

Just my 2 cents worth.

[Brewster]

I think it's safe to say that most developed nations governments began running deficit budgets sometime in the 70's or there abouts. From time to time the annual budgets were balanced but for the most part the debt has grown.

My understanding is that the most recent events impacting US debt has been the mortgage crisis, that came about for a variety of reason. Add to that 9-11 and two wars. Then pile on the dramatic rise in imported goods, resulting in few American jobs and lower tax revenue.

I would suggest that tariffs are needed and justified. If a country like China has inferior labor or environmental standards a tarrif should be placed on it's imported goods going directly toward paying down the national debt.

[Ben & Lisa]

That sounds like a good idea at face value, but the problem is Americans are so addicted to cheap goods form Walmart it would be very painful.
I think we really need to play hardball with China and China is the reason I dont favor cutting military spending as I think we will be on a knock down, drag out with them sooner or latter.

[Brewster]

Originally Posted by Ben & Lisa

That sounds like a good idea at face value, but the problem is Americans are so addicted to cheap goods form Walmart it would be very painful.
I think we really need to play hardball with China and China is the reason I dont favor cutting military spending as I think we will be on a knock down, drag out with them sooner or latter.

Yeah... I have considered that. Prices would go up. But the benefit of jobs returning to the US, because US manufacturing would be competitive again, and the return of prosperity as the debt is reduced, would be worth it.

Geez... I hope there is never a military conflict with China. That is not inevitable. You don't need to replace a cold war opponent even though armament manufacturers will try to create that perception in order to create a demand for their products. Remember your military expeditures already something like 80 times that of China.

[Ben & Lisa]

Only if you believe China reports its military expenditures in a honest manner.
Its also not just labor prices that keep the US uncompetitive. Energy costs,environmental regulations, etc.
If companys selling Chinese made manufactured goods in the US pulled out, they would simply move to Mexico where they would enjoy NAFTA protection.

[Brewster]

Originally Posted by Ben & Lisa

Only if you believe China reports its military expenditures in a honest manner.
Its also not just labor prices that keep the US uncompetitive. Energy costs,environmental regulations, etc.
If companys selling Chinese made manufactured goods in the US pulled out, they would simply move to Mexico where they would enjoy NAFTA protection.

Good points.

Perhaps our governments would be good enough one day to consider labour and environmental standards before establishing trade agreements. But then, that would involve acting in our best interests instead of the interests of the people who put them in power.

[twinimini]

Originally Posted by Brewster

Good points.

Perhaps our governments would be good enough one day to consider labour and environmental standards before establishing trade agreements. But then, that would involve acting in our best interests instead of the interests of the people who put them in power.

Brewster, two decades ago we had a third party candidate called Ross Perot who ran for President. Much of his campaign was based on the idiocy of free trade. What did the two major party candidates, Bill Clinton and George Bush I do? They laughed at him. Both Bush and Clinton talked about how free trade was going to raise the standard of living in the rest of the world. They never addressed the issue of "at what cost to America?"

I do think a war with China is almost inevitable. The Chinese are going to have a huge need for natural resources that they don't possess. As all those Chinese cars will need fuel and parts the Chinese will have to look for those natural resources wherever they can be found. If it means they have to take them, then they will. Once the Chinese get the taste of North American style consumption they will never go back to subsistence living. At that point our children better know how to speak Chinese because we no longer have enough manufacturing to fight any major war, but the Chinese do.