I guess Canada must be doing things right

[Crazy Dave]

Single payer health care, no talks of austerity or cutting education and social program spending or making people have to work until they're 70.

Do you think they'll ever take jobless and people with chronic health issues as refugees?

[DrDan]

1. they have also pulled out of these needless wars, didn't they?

eh?

oh yeah - the best sandwich in the world at Schwartz's in Montreal

[Crazy Dave]

2. Yes and I believe there must have been treaties in place...

That forced them to go along with the US in the first place. Now that I'm divorced maybe I should try to find me a Canadian bride so I can move there ;-)

[eridani]

8. The Hook a Canuck website went down a few months after--

--the releas of SiCKO, unfortunately.

[Crazy Dave]

10. I'll use craigslist

:thumbsup: :D

[grasswire]

4. what kind of sandwich is that? n/t

[DrDan]

11. "smoked meat" - salivating just thinking about it - with a pickle on the side

http://schwartzsdeli.com/index_eng.html

pictured in the middle of the menu

[wishlist]

3. All those pesky government regulations prevented a meltdown there

Rather than gutting regulations in a misguided attempt to stimulate the economy the way US did, Canada kept their financial regulations in place averting the crisis. I suspect their tax policy is more progressive also.

[grasswire]

5. the Canadian Constitution guarantees "good government"

While we have life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, they have peace and good government.

As of April 2009, I was granted citizenship by virtue of their new law restoring that status to people born outside Canada to Canadian citizens. It was cool to learn that my dad left that legacy for me if I need to use it.

[Art_from_Ark]

6. Canada is fortunate in that it has a relatively small population

and a lot of resources that are currently commanding high prices.

[Bigmack]

7. The canadian dollar is now at par with the US $. nt

[Yavin4]

9. It's Difficult to Emigrate to Canada, But Not Impossible

It can be done if you plan it well.

[angryfirelord]

12. They got their banking system right

Not one of the Canadian banks needed a financial bailout during the global crisis. The reason? They nationalized their central bank (Bank of Canada, the equivalent of the Federal Reserve) in 1938. Some say that a public central bank is bad because political figureheads are too slow to act, but so far, Canada's financial system has done quite well.

Personally, with the way our Federal Reserve has been acting, I think it would be a good bi-partisan act to nationalize it. It would certainly satisfy those on the left and the right who feel that the Fed's actions are too opaque while at the same time still keeping a central bank in place.

[eridani]

13. A good idea. Has anyone ever done model legislation? n/t

[angryfirelord]

14. Not that I know of

Kucinich has spoken against it being privatized:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pVV4n2lKHk

But no legislation has ever mirrored what Canada did. I mean, there's Ron Paul's bill (which is a good start for transparency), but he wants to abolish the Fed, not keep it in place.