Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
No, they just make them wait four to six months before they can see a doctor. Do you really want to wait four to six months before a tumor or funny looking mole can be treated?
That is bull crap, and I'm sick of it...I called my doctor yesterday at 10 am and saw him at 3:15...Why do you people insist on lying about Canada's health care?
Are you jealous that we have a health care system that actually works, doesn't cost an arm and a leg and takes care of everyone?
Have you been to Arizona in the winter time? Tons of Canadians come to Arizona and live for the entire winter. They come to take advantage of our healthcare system. Many elderly Canadians come to the doctor in the U.S. because they wait months before they can receive treatment in their country. Canadians come to Arizona by thousands in the wintertime. I have seen it because I used to live near a retirement community and would see Canadians coming in to take advantage of the U.S. health care system. Go to any R.V. park, extended stay, or retirement home, you will find many Canadians.
Then, after the winter and doctor visits are over, they go home for the summer. Of course, they rush back every winter.
Your lying is ridiculous...They come for the sun, not heath care.
I'm almost twice that age and agree with most of the OP.
Not everyone is a cookie cutter of you or the R side of the house.
Do you realize how the world laughs at the US as they vote against their own best interests and go to war, war, war and try to tell the rest of the world what to do?
Most people would rather listen to soundbites from people pushing their own agenda than to research an issue and use critical thinking skills. They want easy.
Again, why would you say this?
Isn't every citizen entitled to their opinion of what the US should be?
Shouldn't everyone, as an act of citizenship, be looking at the US critically? Shouldn't we, as citizens of the USA, be looking after our country, the infrastructure, education, health care, etc. as a way to benefit ALL of those who live and work in the US?
Why are you posting absurd statements towards someone who has actually sat down and thought this out?
They don't laugh when mother nature flushes her toilet with a typhoon or volcano or some despot starts wiping out people! they cry for the US to come save them.......
As a kid, I kinda sorta bought the whole jingoism thing about the heroic Founding Fathers, and One Nation Under God, and all that. I never really got emotional during the National Anthem or anything, just seemed like a tradition, but I never really thought much of it.
The older I get (I'm only 21 btw), the more and more I realize most of what we consider great about America is either not true at all or isn't true in this day and age. The reality is, America is not all that free compared to a lot of countries, you can't really do anything without a permit and multiple forms of ID, pot is still illegal, the media, while technically free, is dominated by the mainstream media to the point that the influence of the alternative media is permitted only because it is not influential in comparison, we have more people in jail than any country in the world because we believe in revenge and not in rehabilitation and treatment, it costs a fortune to rent, to the point that poor people can't even live in some states.
Americans are basically raised to believe the outside world is still living in the 1800s at the latest and the stone age in many places. Most Americans have no idea that western Europe and much of Asia is far more modern in infrastructure than most of the States are, and ignore the fact that places like New Orleans are practically third world and even though we don't chop off people's hands like a few Middle Eastern countries do, we do still use the death penalty even though countries like Turkey have even gotten rid of it and put people in jail for decades for relatively minor crimes such as drug offenses. Not to mention a very large percentage of Americans probably believe the world is 6,000 years old and that evolution is a myth.
American idealism is a strange brew of Christianity, materialism, and individualism. Religion without spirituality, Christ without the compassion. Everything is about individual rights even though the average American loves to complain about how irresponsible people unlike themselves are.
Americans are the most submissive to authority people ever. Americans demand swift and cold justice to all evil-doers, unless they wear a suit, then they deserve our scorn but otherwise deserve to get off scott-free. Americans believe being in the Army automatically makes you a hero, even if you kill innocent people in other countries for fun. We constantly re-elect the same types of people into office even though they never do us any good, because we believe that strongly in the good of the status quo.
Americans would rather let people with cancer just die than have universal healthcare. Hard work is valued infinitely over having a good time; that's why most Americans only get 3 weeks off their job the WHOLE FREAKING YEAR.
I thought only a certain type of American (ie, a redneck) was super-patriotic and jingoistic, but I've come to discover a vast majority of my people basically think we're superior to everyone else.
Stop kidding yourselves guys - we are not the light of the world. Not anymore at least.
i suggest you illegally immigrate to Mexico go ahead cross river. use their Free health care, oh yea you cant they do not let illegals have it free.
Use their schools but illegals are not allowed to enter.
Use their welfare system. Then you can say your proud to be Mexican.
Because i hate to hear yoru ashamed to me an american
They don't laugh when mother nature flushes her toilet with a typhoon or volcano or some despot starts wiping out people! they cry for the US to come save them.......
P.S. Still praying for ya Chielgirl!!!!!
Actually Canada donates more per capita than the US does when these disasters occur...The US is not the sole savior of the world, not in disasters and they didn't save the world in the two world wars either...
It seems to me that war is, and has been a major part of the US economy. Since it's inception the US have been involved in many many wars...I don't think that is a thing to be proud of.
They don't laugh when mother nature flushes her toilet with a typhoon or volcano or some despot starts wiping out people! they cry for the US to come save them.......
P.S. Still praying for ya Chielgirl!!!!!
Ummmm, not so much. Other countries help out just as much.
If it makes you feel good to talk to your mythical invisible friend, have at it.
Personally, I think prayer is moronic; actions speak louder than words.
But then again, maybe that's why people pray to their big bad sky-daddy.
sanspeur, many people can't see beyond their nationalistic desires.
As a kid, I kinda sorta bought the whole jingoism thing about the heroic Founding Fathers, and One Nation Under God, and all that. I never really got emotional during the National Anthem or anything, just seemed like a tradition, but I never really thought much of it.
The older I get (I'm only 21 btw), the more and more I realize most of what we consider great about America is either not true at all or isn't true in this day and age. The reality is, America is not all that free compared to a lot of countries, you can't really do anything without a permit and multiple forms of ID, pot is still illegal, the media, while technically free, is dominated by the mainstream media to the point that the influence of the alternative media is permitted only because it is not influential in comparison, we have more people in jail than any country in the world because we believe in revenge and not in rehabilitation and treatment, it costs a fortune to rent, to the point that poor people can't even live in some states.
Some Western nations are freer than the US in some respects. Germans and Canadians have their privacy better protected from the government for instance. But the Bill of Rights has a long tradition of being pretty well protected and the US has a good human rights record for longer than most Western nations as well.
Americans are basically raised to believe the outside world is still living in the 1800s at the latest and the stone age in many places.
There are literally hundreds of millions of people who have no access to running water, illiterate, and regularly die diseases that have been virtually wiped out of the West by such common place measures as hand washing and chlorinated water. Maybe not Stone Age, but very much undeveloped and poor.
Most Americans have no idea that western Europe and much of Asia is far more modern in infrastructure than most of the States are, and ignore the fact that places like New Orleans are practically third world and even though we don't chop off people's hands like a few Middle Eastern countries do, we do still use the death penalty even though countries like Turkey have even gotten rid of it and put people in jail for decades for relatively minor crimes such as drug offenses. Not to mention a very large percentage of Americans probably believe the world is 6,000 years old and that evolution is a myth.
Actually most Americans know that Western Europe is roughly as developed as the US and if anything Americans probably think Japan is far more advanced than it really is. "Doesn't everyone have their own Terminator over there and flying cars?"
Keep in mind that most European nations have similar penalties for drugs (well, at least hard drugs) and Asian countries have far stricter penalties. The main difference between the US and Europe as far as drug policy goes is that US makes a much more concentrated effort to find drug users and small-time dealers to arrest than let's say Spain and the sentencing guidelines are stricter. This has lead to a massive increase in the prison population. I agree that this is something that needs to be changed.
As far as capital punishment goes, I am somewhat on the fence for this issue. While I'm not exactly comfortable with death as a punishment, there are some profoundly evil and violent people in the world and executing them might be the only way of dealing with them. I know you might find that statement cold blooded, but what should we do with inmates who murder fellow inmates and prison staff even in the most secure of circumstances? If someone is doing life in a maximum security prison and they still are killing people, the only practical solution is to kill them. You might suggest total isolation for the rest of their life, but is that really a more civilized solution? To keep a man locked in a box without any human contact or any simulation for decades?
American idealism is a strange brew of Christianity, materialism, and individualism. Religion without spirituality, Christ without the compassion. Everything is about individual rights even though the average American loves to complain about how irresponsible people unlike themselves are.
What's wrong with individual rights?
Americans are the most submissive to authority people ever. Americans demand swift and cold justice to all evil-doers, unless they wear a suit, then they deserve our scorn but otherwise deserve to get off scott-free.
Most submissive to authority ever? You must be even more ignorant of history and the outside world than you accuse your fellow Americans of being. It's not like the Chinese are infamous for following those in power. It's not like the Russians have a centuries long history of almost willful submission to tyrants. It's not like North Koreans worship their Dear Leader as a God or anything. We all know how Germans are world renowned for not following orders. The Japanese have an explosive rebellious streak. And Singapore is a haven for the iconoclast.
Americans believe being in the Army automatically makes you a hero, even if you kill innocent people in other countries for fun. We constantly re-elect the same types of people into office even though they never do us any good, because we believe that strongly in the good of the status quo.
I agree with you on the "if you are in the military, you are automatically a hero/patriot" line of thought. The US military is a large organization and there are going to be by default some bad people and traitors in the ranks. That being said, I respect the effort it takes to be in the military and that it does carry risks you do not find in civilian life even in peacetime.
Americans would rather let people with cancer just die than have universal healthcare. Hard work is valued infinitely over having a good time; that's why most Americans only get 3 weeks off their job the WHOLE FREAKING YEAR.
Yeah, because people who oppose universal healthcare might not have any reasons like the fact that healthcare costs keep rising even in nations that have it already or that it opens the door for even greater government intrusion into private life (your choices effect your health and the government will be responsible for your healthcare and they will use that to regulate and dictate what you can and cannot due with your own body), or that the US already spends more per capita than Canada does on GOVERNMENT provided healthcare and still it does not provide the same level of service.
I thought only a certain type of American (ie, a redneck) was super-patriotic and jingoistic, but I've come to discover a vast majority of my people basically think we're superior to everyone else.
Most people think their nation is the best in the world.
Ask a Swede and he will tell you about his nation's dedication to peace through neutrality, the fact that they are one of the few nations in the world that has both a strong economy and a high tax rate, and his country's long tradition of including policies from all it's major political parties as a way of building cohesion.
Ask a Swiss he will say that his small nation has minded its own business, yet is fierce when invaded and that has kept it out of out of a single war for over 200 years, he will tell you that his nation shows that decentralized government works, he will tell you he comes from one of the few truly multicultural societies and that his nation has been able to accommodate three traditionally antagonistic ethnic groups in relative peace for centuries and that his nation is an example to the world.
I could go on about Australians, Canadians, the British, the French, and so on. You know why foreigners always complain about Americans claiming the US is the best nation on Earth? Because Americans aren't saying that their foreign nation is the best country on Earth. The main difference is that the entire world gets to hear Americans gloat and brag, while people from other nations only get to hear their fellow countrymen brag.
Stop kidding yourselves guys - we are not the light of the world. Not anymore at least.
Maybe true, but there are plenty of worse places on Earth to be. Also, think about how good you have it that your biggest beefs with your nation include relatively small scale hypocrisy and relatively minor nationalism.
As a kid, I kinda sorta bought the whole jingoism thing about the heroic Founding Fathers, and One Nation Under God, and all that. I never really got emotional during the National Anthem or anything, just seemed like a tradition, but I never really thought much of it.
The older I get (I'm only 21 btw), the more and more I realize most of what we consider great about America is either not true at all or isn't true in this day and age. The reality is, America is not all that free compared to a lot of countries, you can't really do anything without a permit and multiple forms of ID, pot is still illegal, the media, while technically free, is dominated by the mainstream media to the point that the influence of the alternative media is permitted only because it is not influential in comparison, we have more people in jail than any country in the world because we believe in revenge and not in rehabilitation and treatment, it costs a fortune to rent, to the point that poor people can't even live in some states.
Americans are basically raised to believe the outside world is still living in the 1800s at the latest and the stone age in many places. Most Americans have no idea that western Europe and much of Asia is far more modern in infrastructure than most of the States are, and ignore the fact that places like New Orleans are practically third world and even though we don't chop off people's hands like a few Middle Eastern countries do, we do still use the death penalty even though countries like Turkey have even gotten rid of it and put people in jail for decades for relatively minor crimes such as drug offenses. Not to mention a very large percentage of Americans probably believe the world is 6,000 years old and that evolution is a myth.
American idealism is a strange brew of Christianity, materialism, and individualism. Religion without spirituality, Christ without the compassion. Everything is about individual rights even though the average American loves to complain about how irresponsible people unlike themselves are.
Americans are the most submissive to authority people ever. Americans demand swift and cold justice to all evil-doers, unless they wear a suit, then they deserve our scorn but otherwise deserve to get off scott-free. Americans believe being in the Army automatically makes you a hero, even if you kill innocent people in other countries for fun. We constantly re-elect the same types of people into office even though they never do us any good, because we believe that strongly in the good of the status quo.
Americans would rather let people with cancer just die than have universal healthcare. Hard work is valued infinitely over having a good time; that's why most Americans only get 3 weeks off their job the WHOLE FREAKING YEAR.
I thought only a certain type of American (ie, a redneck) was super-patriotic and jingoistic, but I've come to discover a vast majority of my people basically think we're superior to everyone else.
Stop kidding yourselves guys - we are not the light of the world. Not anymore at least.
Run and hide my friend because the Tea Baggers, Republicans, God-squadders and nationalists are going to be coming after you! They won't be coming with reason or logic, just pure emotion and what they see on television.
BTW, I agree with you. Every dog has his day. Everyone gets their 15 minutes of fame. The sun rises and the sun sets. We are born and we die. Russia did, Rome did, France did, Spain did, England did, but you try telling some of these people that.
There are people in this world - including Canadians like me (originally from Eastern Europe) who dreads the day their parents set foot in Canada. I dreamed of United States for about 15 years now and still do.
Now, a university graduate who is working, I see myself facing the same wall as I did 15 years ago.
Earlier I applied for a job in Texas and wrote another 2 page email to the HR explaining why Canada will not give me half of opportunities America readily offers everyone.
I even threw in the bit that Plattsburgh, NY is 60 miles away from me and I drive there just to see how things (relating to my job) are done differently there.
I am not sure what to do anymore. I considered stealing someone's identity, looking on ebay if anyone would want to trade me, or pay money for someone's identity? I know it's wrong but I'm thinking of all options.
Regardless, I will probably do master's in US. My main point with all of this is. Millions of people all over the world want to live in America, but I bet only a few thousand Americans ever leave.
Interesting tidbit: Did you know that even during this "recession and mortgage crisis" the per capita unemployment rate of United states is lower, and has been lower for 25 years than Canada. Think about that for a bit. And before you throw social programs at me, I'd much rather be "working and in debt" like an American than "unemployed and have fun" like a Canadian..
Fly to Mexico and sneak in. The United States doesn't care if you come in from the south.
And I'm the opposite.
I don't like living in America; I find the culture violent and hateful.
The amount of greed and disdain for those less fortunate disgusts me.
The corporate interests who now own nearly all aspects of America do propogate that message.
Many Americans reject it.
Still, I see the pervasive influence of corporatism as America's #1 illness. They're sucking us dry and convincing millions that it's a good thing.
Quote:
I never seem to feel comfortable when I live there, so I try not to.
I still think that in the long run, justice will prevail and America will come back to being a nation of people and not a megamarketing machine preying on consumers.
It'll take awhile, though. I hope to live to see it.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
