Hi, I think what happened is that people who are desperate, struggling to get by let alone make ends meet, who have poor quality work and even poorer pay, decided they'd had enough of being "talked down to" by a party they perceive as "elitist". They went all out at the polls and elected a person (and I use the term very loosely!) who pr…
Hi, I think what happened is that people who are desperate, struggling to get by let alone make ends meet, who have poor quality work and even poorer pay, decided they'd had enough of being "talked down to" by a party they perceive as "elitist". They went all out at the polls and elected a person (and I use the term very loosely!) who projected that he "gets" what they need and made (most likely false and full of hot air) promises to "fix it" and provide what they need. As well, a tremendous dislike of government and authority in general was a contributing factor. My catch phrase to describe the "Trump Triumph" is "Let the wrecking ball swing."
I'd like to see someone draw up a cartoon of Trump swinging on a wrecking ball like Miley Cyrus (but please leave on his suit and red tie), and smashing it into a column topped by Constitution, then Rule of Law, Reproductive Rights, Environment Protection and Education, Anti-Racism, Transgender Protections and any others they would like to add. Because, within two years, the time of the next mid-term elections, these key elements will all be smashed to rubble.
Sign me a Canadian, grateful that I live here and not in your country.
Come back here after your next national election to crow at the poor Americans, please. There is a segment of the population here which thrives on being chastised.
For the majority of my life, I thought of Canada as similar to but superior to the US (as you still believe). When I was young, I thought it might be a refuge if the US went bad. But it's harder for an American to immigrate than for the majority of the world, the welcome mat is not out. And I think that, sadly, a lot of Canadians will be increasingly unhappy and far from smug as the healthcare deteriorates and the economy stagnates in coming decades. I don't know where I would want to go if I were to leave the US, but Canada seems like a poor choice now (even if they welcomed US citizens as part of the pro-immigraion policy).
Good luck, and may your nation prosper far more than I fear it actually will. That is, while I fear for your future even more than mine, I do not wish anything bad on our northern neighbors. Mostly I would like to see a bit less smugness, but that's a small thing, and will likely be self-correcting. (Like the Brits looking down on the US for the first Trump election, until they had their own Brexit and other chaos).
Canada's next federal election will be coming up soon. My healthcare has not deteriorated one bit. I have been under treatment for breast cancer for an entire year now. My biggest expense has been at the parking garage at the cancer centre attached to my city's hospital. Everything else - all my treatments, like chemotherapy and radiation, which I just finished - has been covered by my province's universal health insurance. I don't have any private insurance coverage, and I don't need any. I also just became eligible for a wide-ranging federal government-managed dental care policy which will also save me a fortune. Economically Canada is doing just fine. We used to travel to the United States to shop for a wide range of goods that formerly cost MUCH LESS than in Canada, even when correcting for the difference in exchange rate. Now the majority of those goods have a sticker price the SAME as those items in Canada. So, with the current exchange rate between the US dollar and Canadian dollar, they actually cost 40% MORE.
Your country has my condolences for what might happen between now and the first of February 2025, let alone the next four years. That's not being smug, that is being sympathetic.
Yes, regarding elections, so I hear. I also read the polls and keep up a bit with Canadian politics (but there is a LOT of interesting, or concerning, stuff going on politically around the world and I can't keep up with all of it). It looks like you too will have a shift in government, even if not to such an unpredictable wild card.
I'm glad to hear that you have had good success with your provincial health care and I hope it continues. The unscientific anecdotes I've heard indicate that some provinces are doing better than others, some populations are better served than others, and generally the results are mixed - and changing. Likewise, I have been generally very satisfied with my own HMO here in the US so far (16 years). My spouse went through chemo and while it wasn't free, it only cost us $10 copay per visit (a couple hundred USD total), and the parking was free (grin). This is not high end insurance, just Medicare and an HMO (same HMO and about the same plan as when we were working). I typically takes about a week to get an appointment for non-specialist non-critical health care. However, this is just one datapoint, and I am very aware that situations vary across the nation.
It's really cool that your goods can be produced and sold so much cheaper, and very interesting. A 40% difference is pretty major, I would expect that some Americans must be using the favorable exchange rate to buy things in Canada now. Is that already happening, to the best of your knowledge? What kind of goods did you formerly shop for in the US, and are the same goods now being shopped for in Canada by Americans? Like iPhones or like candy?
I've seen some analyses which indicate that Canada's economy is in trouble in coming years, but you seem quite sanguine and I hope you are right. I have no desire to see our neighbors suffer. The more we can cooperate the more we can mutually thrive.
I'm definitely concerned about the next four years, and beyond, here (on many, many fronts! There seem to be no end of crises of all sorts). What happens on or before Feb 1st that especially concerns you? Are you expecting riots or martial law or economic collapse or what?
Hi, I think what happened is that people who are desperate, struggling to get by let alone make ends meet, who have poor quality work and even poorer pay, decided they'd had enough of being "talked down to" by a party they perceive as "elitist". They went all out at the polls and elected a person (and I use the term very loosely!) who projected that he "gets" what they need and made (most likely false and full of hot air) promises to "fix it" and provide what they need. As well, a tremendous dislike of government and authority in general was a contributing factor. My catch phrase to describe the "Trump Triumph" is "Let the wrecking ball swing."
I'd like to see someone draw up a cartoon of Trump swinging on a wrecking ball like Miley Cyrus (but please leave on his suit and red tie), and smashing it into a column topped by Constitution, then Rule of Law, Reproductive Rights, Environment Protection and Education, Anti-Racism, Transgender Protections and any others they would like to add. Because, within two years, the time of the next mid-term elections, these key elements will all be smashed to rubble.
Sign me a Canadian, grateful that I live here and not in your country.
Come back here after your next national election to crow at the poor Americans, please. There is a segment of the population here which thrives on being chastised.
For the majority of my life, I thought of Canada as similar to but superior to the US (as you still believe). When I was young, I thought it might be a refuge if the US went bad. But it's harder for an American to immigrate than for the majority of the world, the welcome mat is not out. And I think that, sadly, a lot of Canadians will be increasingly unhappy and far from smug as the healthcare deteriorates and the economy stagnates in coming decades. I don't know where I would want to go if I were to leave the US, but Canada seems like a poor choice now (even if they welcomed US citizens as part of the pro-immigraion policy).
Good luck, and may your nation prosper far more than I fear it actually will. That is, while I fear for your future even more than mine, I do not wish anything bad on our northern neighbors. Mostly I would like to see a bit less smugness, but that's a small thing, and will likely be self-correcting. (Like the Brits looking down on the US for the first Trump election, until they had their own Brexit and other chaos).
Canada's next federal election will be coming up soon. My healthcare has not deteriorated one bit. I have been under treatment for breast cancer for an entire year now. My biggest expense has been at the parking garage at the cancer centre attached to my city's hospital. Everything else - all my treatments, like chemotherapy and radiation, which I just finished - has been covered by my province's universal health insurance. I don't have any private insurance coverage, and I don't need any. I also just became eligible for a wide-ranging federal government-managed dental care policy which will also save me a fortune. Economically Canada is doing just fine. We used to travel to the United States to shop for a wide range of goods that formerly cost MUCH LESS than in Canada, even when correcting for the difference in exchange rate. Now the majority of those goods have a sticker price the SAME as those items in Canada. So, with the current exchange rate between the US dollar and Canadian dollar, they actually cost 40% MORE.
Your country has my condolences for what might happen between now and the first of February 2025, let alone the next four years. That's not being smug, that is being sympathetic.
Yes, regarding elections, so I hear. I also read the polls and keep up a bit with Canadian politics (but there is a LOT of interesting, or concerning, stuff going on politically around the world and I can't keep up with all of it). It looks like you too will have a shift in government, even if not to such an unpredictable wild card.
I'm glad to hear that you have had good success with your provincial health care and I hope it continues. The unscientific anecdotes I've heard indicate that some provinces are doing better than others, some populations are better served than others, and generally the results are mixed - and changing. Likewise, I have been generally very satisfied with my own HMO here in the US so far (16 years). My spouse went through chemo and while it wasn't free, it only cost us $10 copay per visit (a couple hundred USD total), and the parking was free (grin). This is not high end insurance, just Medicare and an HMO (same HMO and about the same plan as when we were working). I typically takes about a week to get an appointment for non-specialist non-critical health care. However, this is just one datapoint, and I am very aware that situations vary across the nation.
It's really cool that your goods can be produced and sold so much cheaper, and very interesting. A 40% difference is pretty major, I would expect that some Americans must be using the favorable exchange rate to buy things in Canada now. Is that already happening, to the best of your knowledge? What kind of goods did you formerly shop for in the US, and are the same goods now being shopped for in Canada by Americans? Like iPhones or like candy?
I've seen some analyses which indicate that Canada's economy is in trouble in coming years, but you seem quite sanguine and I hope you are right. I have no desire to see our neighbors suffer. The more we can cooperate the more we can mutually thrive.
I'm definitely concerned about the next four years, and beyond, here (on many, many fronts! There seem to be no end of crises of all sorts). What happens on or before Feb 1st that especially concerns you? Are you expecting riots or martial law or economic collapse or what?