Conservative Canadian bashes liberalism

[ScreamingEagle]

A conservative from Canada called Rush Limbaugh today and was quite passionate about his opinion of where Canada is politically. He says that Canada is about 30 years ahead of the U.S. in terms of liberal development, largely due to the leadership of Trudeau. I believe he called Rush to warn us about the folly of liberalism. Perhaps the Canadians on this board would like to comment on some of the not so nice things that he had to say:

He said everybody is "working for" the government in Canada. Meaning they are getting soaked in taxes. Until he recently lost his job, his wife and he were making $105k (Canadian$) per year. Right off the top the government took away $30k.

On everything they buy, they pay 15% to the government.

He has to pay an annual car fee of $500. He had to pay a whopping $40k for a Chrystler minivan. When he bought it he was taxed 3 different times on the purchase. (GSC, PSC, and something else)

When he went to the doctor for an accident when he got some metal in his hand he spent 15 hours in the waiting room before he was attended to.

He stated that there are medical caps on the wages of those who work in the medical field. Doctors and nurses are leaving the medical field in droves.

He told us the dirty little secret why Canada has low-cost drug prescriptions. It is because Canada lets the U.S. do all the R&D which is very costly. Thus Canada can afford to place a price cap on the generic prescription drugs they buy.

The CBC is referred to in Canada by many as the Communist Broadcasting Company. This government outlet does not want to allow U.S. news reports.

He also called to thank the U.S. for our defense of his country. He mentioned that they only have about 10,000 troops which is less than the 15,000 firefighters & police we have just in NYC just for comparison's sake.

He and his wife are seriously thinking of moving to the U.S.

 

[Said1]

Ok, I'll give it a whirl. I live in Ontario, so I'll answer from here.

He said everybody is "working for" the government in Canada. Meaning they are getting soaked in taxes. Until he recently lost his job, his wife and he were making $105k (Canadian$) per year. Right off the top the government took away $30k.

I can't comment on that, the guy could have had deductions for insurance, income tax, old age pension ect..

On everything they buy, they pay 15% to the government.

PST and GST - Provincial Sales Tax, and Goods and Services Tax. I think I pay about %16 total on most items, but not all products are taxed that heavily.

He has to pay an annual car fee of $500. He had to pay a whopping $40k for a Chrystler minivan. When he bought it he was taxed 3 different times on the purchase. (GSC, PSC, and something else)

I already explained the gst and pst thing. It's based on the total sales price. As for the $40K, I have no idea how much a mini van goes for, perhaps someone else could answer that one.

When he went to the doctor for an accident when he got some metal in his hand he spent 15 hours in the waiting room before he was attended to.

I would say that is total bullshit. I live in a fairly large city, and average wait time on a normal visit is about 2.5hrs.

He stated that there are medical caps on the wages of those who work in the medical field. Doctors and nurses are leaving the medical field in droves.

Only doctors have caps on the FEES they are able to charge for servies. Everyone else is paid based on what is agreed upon by employer is offering or collective agreement.

He told us the dirty little secret why Canada has low-cost drug prescriptions. It is because Canada lets the U.S. do all the R&D which is very costly. Thus Canada can afford to place a price cap on the generic prescription drugs they buy.

:rotflmao:

The CBC is referred to in Canada by many as the Communist Broadcasting Company. This government outlet does not want to allow U.S. news reports.

Don't watch enough tv, couldn't tell ya.

He also called to thank the U.S. for our defense of his country. He mentioned that they only have about 10,000 troops which is less than the 15,000 firefighters & police we have just in NYC just for comparison's sake.

Again :rotflmao:

 

[HorhayAtAMD]

And I live in Alberta, easily the most conservative province in Canada, though still likely far left of the US democrats.

He said everybody is "working for" the government in Canada. Meaning they are getting soaked in taxes. Until he recently lost his job, his wife and he were making $105k (Canadian$) per year. Right off the top the government took away $30k.

That sounds about right. A few years ago I paid about ~$11K in income taxes for ~$55K in income. What would an american pay in income tax for similar incomes?

On everything they buy, they pay 15% to the government.

This is probably the GST and PST, basically sales taxes. GST is federal which the US probably doesn't have but PST is nothing more than provincial sales tax which some, if not most states have? GST is 7% and most PST is around that as well but we are lucky in Alberta since we are the only province without PST.

He has to pay an annual car fee of $500. He had to pay a whopping $40k for a Chrystler minivan. When he bought it he was taxed 3 different times on the purchase. (GSC, PSC, and something else)

A car fee of $500? I have no idea what that would be. You have to register your car every year but that is only about $60.

$40K for a minivan is about right. Because our money is only worth about 2/3 to 3/4 of yours (though recently up to 4/5!!), it is expensive for us to import your cars. That is the price we pay for not having a Canadian car manufacturer. Actually, the sad thing is that we DO manufacturer lots of American cars, only to have them shipped to the US and then shipped back up to us at twice the price.

About the taxes, sounds like you are talking about the GST and PST again (federal and provincial sales tax). The 3rd tax may have been an Air Conditioning Excise tax which was $100 on my car. I have no idea what an Air Conditioning Excise tax is but damn, did it feel good paying it!

When he went to the doctor for an accident when he got some metal in his hand he spent 15 hours in the waiting room before he was attended to.

I've heard some pretty bad horror stories about emergency room waits too. On the other hand, the few times (thankfully) I've ever gone to the emergency room have been good ? experiences. We also have many, many free medical clinics that people should use far more often than they do.

He stated that there are medical caps on the wages of those who work in the medical field. Doctors and nurses are leaving the medical field in droves.

I know that a few years ago there was a serious drain of nurses going to the US because of the much higher salaries there. I'm not sure what the situation is like today but I haven't heard anything more about it. I'm guessing they raised wages a bit and that it has helped. I've also heard there is a pretty serious shortage of family doctors here too. I usually go to medical clinics for routine stuff so this hasn't affected me at all.

He told us the dirty little secret why Canada has low-cost drug prescriptions. It is because Canada lets the U.S. do all the R&D which is very costly. Thus Canada can afford to place a price cap on the generic prescription drugs they buy.

No comment because I have no idea about this.

The CBC is referred to in Canada by many as the Communist Broadcasting Company. This government outlet does not want to allow U.S. news reports.

CBC is a government owned television station but it isn't the CRTC (your equivalent to the FTC) so it doesn't have any say about what other stations are allowed. We have received CNN here for a very long time and are about to start receiving Fox News too so I think you've been misinformed about us not getting US news reports.

He also called to thank the U.S. for our defense of his country. He mentioned that they only have about 10,000 troops which is less than the 15,000 firefighters & police we have just in NYC just for comparison's sake.

First, keep in mind that we have about 1/10th of the population that the US does. That said, I am very grateful that we have the US as neighbours, you act as a great deterrent against foreign invaders! I do suspect that the arrangement is mutually beneficial though. Unless the US were to annex Canada, something that may or may not be financially beneficial to you guys, it is in all our best interests that Canada remain... Canadian and not Iraqi. Seriously, even with all the anti-US sentiment here, we love you FAR FAR FAR more than 90% of the globe does. I personally think we should have lent our support to you in Iraq, if only as a sign of solidarity but that's just me, most Canadians wouldn't agree. I'm also pretty sure that it would be very expensive for you to patrol the 49th parallel. Finally, as long as we do have a totally ineffective military, you don't have to worry about us trying to steal Minnesota from you guys!

He and his wife are seriously thinking of moving to the U.S.

Good for them. I have absolutely loved visiting the US every time I've had the chance. San Francisco, Massachusetts, even Texas (didn't think I would like it there but I really did) were all wonderful in their own way. I have to admit that the only reason I haven't moved is because, well, I love being a Canadian and I wouldn't trade it for a slightly improved standard of living ANYWHERE else in the world, not even the US.

 

[Isaac Brock]

A conservative from Canada called Rush Limbaugh today and was quite passionate about his opinion of where Canada is politically. He says that Canada is about 30 years ahead of the U.S. in terms of liberal development, largely due to the leadership of Trudeau. I believe he called Rush to warn us about the folly of liberalism. Perhaps the Canadians on this board would like to comment on some of the not so nice things that he had to say:

He said everybody is "working for" the government in Canada. Meaning they are getting soaked in taxes. Until he recently lost his job, his wife and he were making $105k (Canadian$) per year. Right off the top the government took away $30k.

Most likely $30k would be correct.

On everything they buy, they pay 15% to the government.

Except raw food, lease payments, mortage payments etc.

He has to pay an annual car fee of $500. He had to pay a whopping $40k for a Chrystler minivan. When he bought it he was taxed 3 different times on the purchase. (GSC, PSC, and something else)

That doesn't sound right. You only pay GST if you purchase a vehicle outright rather than leasing. His "annual car fee" is most likely his car insurance. The is no other such task. I should know, I just purchased cash for a new vehicle. Plus if he paid $40k CDN for a new Chystler minivan he got ripped off. Bad.

When he went to the doctor for an accident when he got some metal in his hand he spent 15 hours in the waiting room before he was attended to.

He stated that there are medical caps on the wages of those who work in the medical field. Doctors and nurses are leaving the medical field in droves.

I've never waited more than 30 minutes at the hospital. When I had a serious emergency they sent me right in. Acute care is fine in Canada, the real issue is lack of specialists.

He told us the dirty little secret why Canada has low-cost drug prescriptions. It is because Canada lets the U.S. do all the R&D which is very costly. Thus Canada can afford to place a price cap on the generic prescription drugs they buy.

Then why does my city have 3 large pharmceutical plants and we're building another? If these companies are not making a profit in Canada, than why do they continue to sell drugs here? That is the bottom line. The problem with the US, is that the companies are gouging your citizens, because frankly, they can.

The CBC is referred to in Canada by many as the Communist Broadcasting Company. This government outlet does not want to allow U.S. news reports.

We get news all the time from the US??? Canadians like their news basic and dry. The CBC is much like the BBC. I would say it is unbiased source simply because there is no commentary during our news. No one refers to it as the Communist Broadcasting Company. If someone wants to watch other news they can chose from the right leaning Global News or the left leaning CTV news.

The CBC is important in Canada and for good reason. Under government mandate every community must at least get access to English and French CBC. This allows communites who wouldn't usually get any media access, at least some access to basic news and programming.

He also called to thank the U.S. for our defense of his country. He mentioned that they only have about 10,000 troops which is less than the 15,000 firefighters & police we have just in NYC just for comparison's sake.

The numbers of soldiers is correct, but the US does not defend Canada, though I'm sure the US would if Canada was invaded and Canada if the US was invaded. He is correct though that military reform is necessary in Canada.

He and his wife are seriously thinking of moving to the U.S.

It's a democratic country, he can vote for change if he wants. The US and Canada provide two excellent models for viable countries. If he does not like how things have been done in Canada he can try to immigrate to the States. Canada has been Canada for quite some time and to think that it will turn into his model of Conservatism is, frankly, unlikely. Democracy in Canada has shown that the majority of Canadians are content with the system they have.

 

[ScreamingEagle]

Ok, I'll give it a whirl. I live in Ontario, so I'll answer from here.

I can't comment on that, the guy could have had deductions for insurance, income tax, old age pension ect..

PST and GST - Provincial Sales Tax, and Goods and Services Tax. I think I pay about %16 total on most items, but not all products are taxed that heavily.

I already explained the gst and pst thing. It's based on the total sales price. As for the $40K, I have no idea how much a mini van goes for, perhaps someone else could answer that one.

I would say that is total bullshit. I live in a fairly large city, and average wait time on a normal visit is about 2.5hrs.

Only doctors have caps on the FEES they are able to charge for servies. Everyone else is paid based on what is agreed upon by employer is offering or collective agreement.

:rotflmao:

Don't watch enough tv, couldn't tell ya.

Again :rotflmao:

Hmm, so you guys already pay 16% sales tax (total) ON TOP of your income tax. Here in the U.S. we are contemplating tax reform which would eliminate our income tax altogether but we would pay a national sales tax at about the same rate.

Wow, an average wait time of 2.5 hours? I'd fall asleep in the waiting room (or die from the bleeding : ) I've never had to wait more than a few minutes, maybe 20 or 30 minutes if they are really busy.

If doctors have caps on their fees, doesn't that effectively cap their income? (because there are only so many hours in the day/patients that they can see) That's one of the problems doctors have here when working with Medicare patients as the government controls the payments. Some doctors will not even accept Medicare payments but require a private contract with the patient so they can set their own prices. I suspect that someone who has spent years and money on training would like the reward of a good living wage instead of just a "living wage".

 

[Said1]

is lack of specialists.

I see an eye specialist who has patients coming from as far away as Kingston and beyond. I usually can't find a seat in his waiting room, let alone talk to him for more than 30 seconds.

Then why does my city have 3 large pharmceutical plants and we're building another?

Nice to see Winnipeg is still chugging along. Don't forget the lush Canadian patents on perscription drugs too.

The numbers of soldiers is correct

There are more than 10,000 troops, unless everyone else is in admin.

 

[ScreamingEagle]

And I live in Alberta, easily the most conservative province in Canada, though still likely far left of the US democrats.

That sounds about right. A few years ago I paid about ~$11K in income taxes for ~$55K in income. What would an american pay in income tax for similar incomes?

This is probably the GST and PST, basically sales taxes. GST is federal which the US probably doesn't have but PST is nothing more than provincial sales tax which some, if not most states have? GST is 7% and most PST is around that as well but we are lucky in Alberta since we are the only province without PST.

A car fee of $500? I have no idea what that would be. You have to register your car every year but that is only about $60.

$40K for a minivan is about right. Because our money is only worth about 2/3 to 3/4 of yours (though recently up to 4/5!!), it is expensive for us to import your cars. That is the price we pay for not having a Canadian car manufacturer. Actually, the sad thing is that we DO manufacturer lots of American cars, only to have them shipped to the US and then shipped back up to us at twice the price.

About the taxes, sounds like you are talking about the GST and PST again (federal and provincial sales tax). The 3rd tax may have been an Air Conditioning Excise tax which was $100 on my car. I have no idea what an Air Conditioning Excise tax is but damn, did it feel good paying it!

I've heard some pretty bad horror stories about emergency room waits too. On the other hand, the few times (thankfully) I've ever gone to the emergency room have been good ? experiences. We also have many, many free medical clinics that people should use far more often than they do.

I know that a few years ago there was a serious drain of nurses going to the US because of the much higher salaries there. I'm not sure what the situation is like today but I haven't heard anything more about it. I'm guessing they raised wages a bit and that it has helped. I've also heard there is a pretty serious shortage of family doctors here too. I usually go to medical clinics for routine stuff so this hasn't affected me at all.

No comment because I have no idea about this.

CBC is a government owned television station but it isn't the CRTC (your equivalent to the FTC) so it doesn't have any say about what other stations are allowed. We have received CNN here for a very long time and are about to start receiving Fox News too so I think you've been misinformed about us not getting US news reports.

First, keep in mind that we have about 1/10th of the population that the US does. That said, I am very grateful that we have the US as neighbours, you act as a great deterrent against foreign invaders! I do suspect that the arrangement is mutually beneficial though. Unless the US were to annex Canada, something that may or may not be financially beneficial to you guys, it is in all our best interests that Canada remain... Canadian and not Iraqi. Seriously, even with all the anti-US sentiment here, we love you FAR FAR FAR more than 90% of the globe does. I personally think we should have lent our support to you in Iraq, if only as a sign of solidarity but that's just me, most Canadians wouldn't agree. I'm also pretty sure that it would be very expensive for you to patrol the 49th parallel. Finally, as long as we do have a totally ineffective military, you don't have to worry about us trying to steal Minnesota from you guys!

Good for them. I have absolutely loved visiting the US every time I've had the chance. San Francisco, Massachusetts, even Texas (didn't think I would like it there but I really did) were all wonderful in their own way. I have to admit that the only reason I haven't moved is because, well, I love being a Canadian and I wouldn't trade it for a slightly improved standard of living ANYWHERE else in the world, not even the US.

I have also enjoyed visiting Canada. When I was a kid my folks would take us up to the lakes in Ontario. It was great. I've also enjoyed visiting Vancouver, BC.

I also don't really think Canada and the U.S. hate each other that much, it seems to be more of a liberal vs. conservative thing. That being said, you seem to have way too many liberals up there. :

 

[ScreamingEagle]

Most likely $30k would be correct.

Except raw food, lease payments, mortage payments etc.

That doesn't sound right. You only pay GST if you purchase a vehicle outright rather than leasing. His "annual car fee" is most likely his car insurance. The is no other such task. I should know, I just purchased cash for a new vehicle. Plus if he paid $40k CDN for a new Chystler minivan he got ripped off. Bad.

I've never waited more than 30 minutes at the hospital. When I had a serious emergency they sent me right in. Acute care is fine in Canada, the real issue is lack of specialists.

Then why does my city have 3 large pharmceutical plants and we're building another? If these companies are not making a profit in Canada, than why do they continue to sell drugs here? That is the bottom line. The problem with the US, is that the companies are gouging your citizens, because frankly, they can.

We get news all the time from the US??? Canadians like their news basic and dry. The CBC is much like the BBC. I would say it is unbiased source simply because there is no commentary during our news. No one refers to it as the Communist Broadcasting Company. If someone wants to watch other news they can chose from the right leaning Global News or the left leaning CTV news.

The CBC is important in Canada and for good reason. Under government mandate every community must at least get access to English and French CBC. This allows communites who wouldn't usually get any media access, at least some access to basic news and programming.

The numbers of soldiers is correct, but the US does not defend Canada, though I'm sure the US would if Canada was invaded and Canada if the US was invaded. He is correct though that military reform is necessary in Canada.

It's a democratic country, he can vote for change if he wants. The US and Canada provide two excellent models for viable countries. If he does not like how things have been done in Canada he can try to immigrate to the States. Canada has been Canada for quite some time and to think that it will turn into his model of Conservatism is, frankly, unlikely. Democracy in Canada has shown that the majority of Canadians are content with the system they have.

I agree, if he paid 40k for a minivan he paid too much even if in Can$ but then I don't know about your import charges or whatever.

Do your pharmceutical plants also do R&D?

If the CBC is much like the BBC, then it is a very liberal-leaning outlet. I heard that there was quite a stink about "letting" Fox news broadcast up there. You'll have to let us know what you think about shows like Hannity & Colmes. Eh? :

 

[Said1]

Hmm, so you guys already pay 16% sales tax (total) ON TOP of your income tax.

For what, products or on our incomes?

Wow, an average wait time of 2.5 hours? I'd fall asleep in the waiting room (or die from the bleeding : ) I've never had to wait more than a few minutes, maybe 20 or 30 minutes if they are really busy.

I didn't realize I had to be so specific, or are you just being facetious. Critical cases go right to the doctor, as was the case when I had a severe eye infection, no wait, went right in. If I had a sliver, I would have to wait about 2.5 hrs. I must say you are lucky if you only have to wait 20 minutes to have ingrown toenail looked at, is this the case all over America, or just where you are?

If doctors have caps on their fees, doesn't that effectively cap their income?

I suppose it would, but the bigger issues are over specialized clinics being able to operate outside of the health care sytem in Canada. This would take a lot of pressure off hostpital MRI serivces ect.

 

[Merlin1047]

Most likely $30k would be correct.
In the US the federal tax on that amount (assuming an average number of deductions) would be around 15,000. But by the time you add in state taxes, FICA you come up with numbers that are going to be pretty close to the same rate as quoted here.

That doesn't sound right. You only pay GST if you purchase a vehicle outright rather than leasing. His "annual car fee" is most likely his car insurance. The is no other such task. I should know, I just purchased cash for a new vehicle. Plus if he paid $40k CDN for a new Chystler minivan he got ripped off. Bad.

Have to agree about the ripoff part. If he bought the minivan with all the bells and whistles he should have paid around 36 - 37k Canadian. But it does seem to me that your PST and GST is nothing short of outrageous. However, we're hard on your heels with sales taxes in many localities at ten percent.

Then why does my city have 3 large pharmceutical plants and we're building another? If these companies are not making a profit in Canada, than why do they continue to sell drugs here? That is the bottom line. The problem with the US, is that the companies are gouging your citizens, because frankly, they can.

How much do these plants spend on research? Probably nothing. That's the point. Americans pay more for drugs because of the cost of developing new remedies - at least that's the story the pharmaceutical companies tell us. So we absorb the cost and the rest of the world gets the benefit without contributing to the cost of development. Doesn't upset me all that much. I guess that falls under the heading of "life ain't fair."

We get news all the time from the US??? Canadians like their news basic and dry. The CBC is much like the BBC. I would say it is unbiased source simply because there is no commentary during our news. No one refers to it as the Communist Broadcasting Company. If someone wants to watch other news they can chose from the right leaning Global News or the left leaning CTV news.

You're soft-pedaling this one. Why did your government take so long to allow FOX?

The numbers of soldiers is correct, but the US does not defend Canada, though I'm sure the US would if Canada was invaded and Canada if the US was invaded. He is correct though that military reform is necessary in Canada.

I don't think that the intent of the statement was to infer that the US actively defended Canada. I think it's more that you benefit by proximity since any attack on Canada would be viewed as an attack on the US.

Democracy in Canada has shown that the majority of Canadians are content with the system they have.

Maybe so. I still think you're headed for some really unpleasant government restrictions on your freedoms.

 

[ScreamingEagle]

For what, products or on our incomes?

I didn't realize I had to be so specific, or are you just being facetious. Critical cases go right to the doctor, as was the case when I had a severe eye infection, no wait, went right in. If I had a sliver, I would have to wait about 2.5 hrs. I must say you are lucky if you only have to wait 20 minutes to have ingrown toenail looked at, is this the case all over America, or just where you are?

I suppose it would, but the bigger issues are over specialized clinics being able to operate outside of the health care sytem in Canada. This would take a lot of pressure off hostpital MRI serivces ect.

I guess we are pretty lucky because I've never heard of a 2-1/2 hour wait for anything. I'm sure it has happened somewhere of course, but not on any regular basis.

Why would specialized clinics do better outside your wonderful socialized health care program? (now I am being facetious )

 

[Said1]

I guess we are pretty lucky because I've never heard of a 2-1/2 hour wait for anything. I'm sure it has happened somewhere of course, but not on any regular basis.

Why would specialized clinics do better outside your wonderful socialized health care program? (now I am being facetious )

There were other replies to this thread that may interest you, but you probably just just like me the best right?