The polling firm EKOS put the following question to a large sample of Canadians: If you were prime minister for a day, and had to pick overall national goals for Canada to achieve by the year 2010, which of the following would you choose? Here is how Canadians responded:
Best quality of life in the world: 66 per cent
Best health care system in the world: 64 per cent
Lowest incidence of child poverty in the world: 62 per cent
Best-educated population in the world: 57 per cent
Eliminate public debt: 50 per cent
Lowest overall tax burden of major industrialized countries: 45 per cent
Highest productivity level of major industrialized countries: 45 per cent
Highest standard of living of industrialized nations: 30 per cent
http://www.thetyee.ca/Views/2005/03/23/ProCanadian/
Now that is the Canadian Spirit!
Don`t ya just love this site!!!
And sorry Dobbin, there are plenty of Canadians (a majority perhaps) who reject your "social democratic ideals" and the leftist obsession with equality of outcomes at all costs.
And there is plenty of xenophobia and bigotry in Canada, but it's directed almost exclusively at Westerners, Christians (at least those who consider their church something more than a social club), rural Canadians and uniligual Anglophones.
But there seems to be a special place in the spleens of Canadians for the successful among us, unless that success is handed to them by government.
The only people these Canadians seem to resent as much as they do Americans are those self-made successes among us. They prefer mediocrity and cronyism to meritocracy and earned success.
Urban blacks have a very evocative term for someone with this type of attitude - "playa hater".
Canada has, unfortunately, become a nation of playa haters.
I don't think it's possible to fit more right-wing stereotypes, lies, and
propaganda in a single post.
Not that it's possible to refute any of it, as there is no factual basis provided,
merely a string of insults interlaced with not so subtle levels of fury and
bigotry.
Most US citizens would also probably agree this it what a nation should be about.
So, this is more about getting rid of the blood-sucking parasites that many 'self-made' anon contributors to Vive and other site actually represent, and creating a nation and world that respects humanity.
This has nothing to do with left or right, it has to do with using the salt to eliminate the 'anon' leeches that attach themselves to the body of society, then pretend they're the body rather than the leech.
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"When we are in the middle of the paradigm, it is hard to imagine any other paradigm" (Adam Smith).
But the rest???What are you talking about?
The story was about Canadians who want a better country,with health care,quality of life,not just money.
Money tastes funny ya know.Yes we need money.But it is not the only thing we need.Perhaps you should reread the original story.Failing that,you mention you have seen more hate here than the US.Well you are free to leave.I have never heard the term playa hater,sounds dumb,but that is my opinion.I have friends of just about every ethnic background and none has mentioned the drival you do.
Have a good one anyway.
PS;Hate takes too much energy.
(**I say not completely equal, because I do believe some successful business owners, who got there without greed, do deserve to reap their rewards. Whether they decide to help those who need help, is their decision to live with.)
What do right wingers think of people in poverty? Umm they think that it's their own fault, that society played no role in how they got there. Although that may be true in some cases, as some put themselves there, and some choose to stay there. The fact is though, some of them are victims of circumstances from society. I've read stories of people who came out of poverty, became successful, and today they devote part of their life, and finances to help those in need in poverty.
I find this interesting that someone who has actually been there, knows that society does play a role, and they know that helping them is, and should be a priority.
I would like to believe the majority of the population in the world believe in a system that distributes wealth more evenly, rather then just distributing wealth to those who used the very same people they drove to poverty with their debts.
Kevin
And, they can't. Because nothing they have could ever be demonstrated to most as being 'earned' or a result of any 'hard work' that is of any demonstrable value to society at large.
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"When we are in the middle of the paradigm, it is hard to imagine any other paradigm" (Adam Smith).