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View Poll Results: Which offers a better quality of life?
The US 105 44.49%
Canada 107 45.34%
It's a tie 24 10.17%
Voters: 236. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 11-04-2018, 11:27 PM
 
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Pretty Even IMO.
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Old 11-04-2018, 11:54 PM
 
Location: Silicon Valley
18,813 posts, read 32,278,927 times
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I think you'd have to be Canadian to decide the quality of life is better in Canada than the U.S.

The Canadians I've known all seem to be fairly obsessed with what's happening in the U.S. And they spend a good deal of time complaining about the U.S. When I've been in their company while they are bashing the U.S., and say, hey you guys, I'm an American...they then said, Oh, but you're an honorary Canadian, because they liked me - even though, I'm a pretty typical American. They loved to complain about "ugly Americans," but I found that they behaved badly by constantly bashing Americans in front of me.

And if a Canadian was a jerk in public, they'd say, "Oh, he was being an Ugly American." I'd say, "Uh, no, he was being an Ugly Canadian." But, for some reason, all Canadians have this belief that they are all really polite. And if they aren't being polite, they're being an American LOL. Nope. You're a Canadian who is acting like a Canadian who is a jerk. It's a weird fallacy how they really believe they are polite - unless they aren't -- but when they aren't --- they aren't actually acting like a Canadian. I find that weird way of justifying their bad behavior, while continuing to believe they never behave badly - really crazy.

Now, if you are an American, you will probably rarely think about or mention Canada. We, as Americans, don't really spend much time, at all, caring about what other countries are doing on a day to day basis - because it doesn't affect our day to day lives.

So, I just have to wonder how the quality of life could be better in a country that obsesses over what another country is doing - when there is no threat of war, etc., from that country.

Also, my Canadian friends, who were upper middle-class, I'd say - paid about 50% income taxes for their "free" healthcare. Is that a better quality of life?

And, these same friends had been trying for many years to become American citizens, through the family lottery system - for them, mainly because they compete in shooting contests and are afraid of losing their gun rights in Canada.

And, they bought a house in Mexico so they could be snowbirds and avoid the winters in Canada.

So, you just have to wonder - 50% taxes, weather you want to escape for half the year, obsession over what the U.S. is doing constantly...

I dunno, I think a Canadian would have to make the sales pitch on why life is better in Canada.

They do get to go visit Cuba, if you care about that...

Canada is a great place to visit, but I wouldn't want to move there for good, and would never give up my US citizenship to become Canadian.

Last edited by NoMoreSnowForMe; 11-05-2018 at 12:03 AM..
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Old 11-05-2018, 02:39 PM
 
Location: Vancouver
18,489 posts, read 15,363,572 times
Reputation: 11929
Quote:
Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe View Post
I think you'd have to be Canadian to decide the quality of life is better in Canada than the U.S.

The Canadians I've known all seem to be fairly obsessed with what's happening in the U.S. And they spend a good deal of time complaining about the U.S. When I've been in their company while they are bashing the U.S., and say, hey you guys, I'm an American...they then said, Oh, but you're an honorary Canadian, because they liked me - even though, I'm a pretty typical American. They loved to complain about "ugly Americans," but I found that they behaved badly by constantly bashing Americans in front of me.

And if a Canadian was a jerk in public, they'd say, "Oh, he was being an Ugly American." I'd say, "Uh, no, he was being an Ugly Canadian." But, for some reason, all Canadians have this belief that they are all really polite. And if they aren't being polite, they're being an American LOL. Nope. You're a Canadian who is acting like a Canadian who is a jerk. It's a weird fallacy how they really believe they are polite - unless they aren't -- but when they aren't --- they aren't actually acting like a Canadian. I find that weird way of justifying their bad behavior, while continuing to believe they never behave badly - really crazy.

Now, if you are an American, you will probably rarely think about or mention Canada. We, as Americans, don't really spend much time, at all, caring about what other countries are doing on a day to day basis - because it doesn't affect our day to day lives.

So, I just have to wonder how the quality of life could be better in a country that obsesses over what another country is doing - when there is no threat of war, etc., from that country.

Also, my Canadian friends, who were upper middle-class, I'd say - paid about 50% income taxes for their "free" healthcare. Is that a better quality of life?

And, these same friends had been trying for many years to become American citizens, through the family lottery system - for them, mainly because they compete in shooting contests and are afraid of losing their gun rights in Canada.

And, they bought a house in Mexico so they could be snowbirds and avoid the winters in Canada.

So, you just have to wonder - 50% taxes, weather you want to escape for half the year, obsession over what the U.S. is doing constantly...

I dunno, I think a Canadian would have to make the sales pitch on why life is better in Canada.

They do get to go visit Cuba, if you care about that...

Canada is a great place to visit, but I wouldn't want to move there for good, and would never give up my US citizenship to become Canadian.
So many points to counter...but I'll start with quality of life compared in relation to just talking about another country. As Pierre Trudeau once said, a mouse living next to an elephant.

Every twitch the US does, affects Canada. The reason we are keen observers of the US is because we are your second largest trading partner, most of us have family and friends that live in the US, most of us have been to the US, and a lot of people in Canada pay attention to politics. Heck, even Europeans talk about the US and they aren't even next door. You are not a benign country. Just look at the last NAFTA talks. What would be considered strange in Canada, is Canadians NOT paying attention to what's happening in the US. These discussion Canadians have are not related to QOL.

I'm not sure where this 50 percent income tax comes from, but it's not accurate Everyone's situation is going to be different because of deductions, and the province they live in, but federal income taxes are pretty close, with the US actually higher in some levels. You also have to factor in state, and as I said, provincial income tax rates to compare more accurately.

You also have to remember that yes, healthcare is included in those rates. No networks, no co-pays, no deductibles etc. So if someone in the states pays a little less tax overall, they still have to factor in what they have to pay outside of those taxes. It can get quite messy, but suffice to say, Canadians are not burdened by taxes. We have a very high standard of living and quality of life, and we constantly get rated higher than the US.


https://www.usnews.com/news/best-cou...life-full-list

https://www.irs.com/articles/2018-fe...ard-deductions

https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-age...ous-years.html

Last edited by Natnasci; 11-05-2018 at 03:08 PM..
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Old 11-06-2018, 01:17 AM
 
Location: White Rock BC
393 posts, read 593,035 times
Reputation: 750
The US is a more diverse country than Canada {although considering Canada only has 37 million we are incredibly diverse} and has a far better variety of climates. Those things are not debatable. Both countries offer a high quality of life and a very high standard of living that few countries can match and the vast majority of people on this planet would give their left nut to live in either one. For me it's not so much quality of life but rather what type of society you are comfortable living in.


For Americans Canada is a society they simply couldn't get use and vice versa. We have a different moral compass. In the US you are represented by the bald eagle...……..strong, independent, self assured and individualistic well representing your 'life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness' underpinnings. In Canada we are represented by the beaver...…...timid, industrious, and lives communally well representing our far less lofty goals of 'peace, order, and good government.'


Americans are more idealistic and goal oriented often seeing things in black and white, right or wrong, good or bad. Canadians are far more pragmatic and see issues in differing shades of grey. Americans will see a bad deed and call it out as immoral while a Canadian is more like one of those annoying university profs who will say it's wrong but then write a thesis about how that deed and person behind it is a product of their upbringing and that their moral code is one of many. This is part of the reason why Americans generally have antipathy towards nearly all things government and why there is so little government assistance for the poor...……...if you are rich it's because you have worked hard and if poor it's because you haven't tried hard enough. Canadians tend to see it very differently...…….if you are rich you were probably born rich and if poor it's due to your difficult socio-economic background and challenges and hence the government should be the great equalizer.


These societal views also plays itself out in politics and especially the huge effect religion has on it in the US and the complete zero influence it has in Canadian politics. Even bringing up religion in politics n Canada is political suicide and they will be trashed from all angles regardless of one's political leanings. Canadians expect their government to act as a equalizer in a capitalistic economy while Americans usually see government as a impediment to economic and social wealth. Canadians don't love government but they have far higher expectations of what it should be and EXPECT it to work towards a more egalitarian society.
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Old 11-06-2018, 07:58 AM
 
Location: New York City
9,340 posts, read 9,210,037 times
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Everyday citizen is Canada by a mile.

Rich people is US.
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Old 11-06-2018, 08:42 AM
 
Location: East Coast of the United States
27,268 posts, read 28,346,580 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ssiguy View Post
In Canada we are represented by the beaver...…...timid, industrious, and lives communally well representing our far less lofty goals of 'peace, order, and good government.'
Really? I had no idea.

But that sounds about right.
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Old 11-06-2018, 09:13 AM
 
Location: Vancouver
18,489 posts, read 15,363,572 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BigCityDreamer View Post
Really? I had no idea.

But that sounds about right.
https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-he...ls-canada.html
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Old 11-06-2018, 03:18 PM
 
923 posts, read 657,494 times
Reputation: 438
I said tie but the more I think about it id pick the US for the samereason many others have said.US has more vareity ion everything.It has what Canada has but Canada does not have everything the US does.
Like warmer climates.You even have universal health coverage in some states.You have different landscapes as well
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Old 11-06-2018, 03:23 PM
 
2,307 posts, read 1,795,628 times
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Without a doubt USA

if Canada's climates were better they could give us a run for our money
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Old 11-06-2018, 05:28 PM
 
Location: Vancouver
18,489 posts, read 15,363,572 times
Reputation: 11929
In QOL of life ratings, climate isn't usually, or ever included. If sunny and warm climates equalled a higher QOL then many places in very poor countries would beat out places like Scandinavia.
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