GWiz

- “The power of government in this state does not come from this Capitol,” she said of the building that was surrounded by teachers, educational assistants, nurses, snow-plow drivers and state engineers, as well as their tens of thousands of backers. “The power comes from the people.” Me thinks there are a few Americans on the RIGHT that may want to make note of that, or ignor it at their own peril...

Hmmm, all in all, VERY good point you make...

I gotta tell ya, it ain't all peaches and cream living in Aussieland... It's good, don't get me wrong, but it is VERY expensive to live there...

Too late, my friend, way too late... I'm a capitalist and happen to LIKE making money, especially US money... Having said that I gotta tell ya, I'm very reluctant these days to buy more property in Florida, even tho it's dirt cheap, based on what I'm seeing happening down your way... Been looking for a few months now and I can't bring myself to pull the trigger... Sad really...

MUCH BETTER!! That's more like my American friend...

Face the consequences NOW! I heard 8 Republican state senators are being recalled, have you heard that? How about the Gov., him too? And to think that only a few years ago Madison was rated the "best place to live" in the USA... I almost bought a house there because of that, kinda glad now I didn't...

Sorry, wasn't directed at anyone - sigh, boooring

Why would anybody want to shut you up? Certainly not Canadians, we're way too passive for that kind of nonsense... Ooops, sorry, brainfreeze from a Slurpy, forgot where I was for a sec, Winnipegs the Slurpy capital of the world you know... Anybody interested in getting back on topic?

NDP speak for SUPPORTING the budget - - He wouldn’t close the door on supporting the budget, because he said he doesn’t want to second guess what the prime minister will do. “The prime minister has the opportunity to do the right thing. There is four weeks left or so before the budget is tabled. We hope that Canadians will speak up and let the prime minister and Conservatives know that it is time they had help from the government. “ Mr. Layton said that while the NDP would look at the budget as a whole, “our position on corporate tax cuts is clear.” - Yep, typical NDP, clear that Layton will vote with Harper and the CONS...

And what does THAT have to do with the price of cheese in Florida, or this thread?

Well, like most people, BC is neither all good or all bad, kinda depends on his mood I guess... I'm "easy" to get along with...

Here I thought you were honest... My bad...

Thanks for conceeding my point... BTW - does the US include the up to 40 MILLION illegal workers in the US in calculating their GDP? Yes or No will do... BTW - does the US include your retirees and people who have dropped off the unemployment roles because their benefits have expired in their GDP calculations? Yes or No will do... BTW - are your welfare recipients of employable age and your physically disabled included in the US's GDP? Yes or No will do...

Union Busting in Wisconsin start of a national war? My answer would be yes...

Not quite, that would depend on how one looks at the argument... I'll choose my way "quality of life", you choose yours... As we've agreed, it's a choice...

and of course the warmth of the US's southern states would have no bearing on that right?

And add to that that many immigrant parents take care of young children thereby easing the burden on at least partially taxpayer funded child care...

More BS for the first 10 years it's the sponsor not the state that has that responsibility...

What I said is true... Whether you take it or leave it is up to you...

Absolutely by choice... 11 (12 in most places) paid holidays... MINIMUM 2 weeks paid vacation after 1 year working... Universal Health Care... To name just a few... I don't think many Canadians would give up a single thing regarding the Canadian "lifestyle"... Of course those Canadians the worship at the alter of the almighty dollar would, but there really aren't that many of them when push comes to shove and ALL factors are considered...

Can't be done in "simple" form, but I've already explained why here - http://www.mapleleafweb.com/forums//index.php?showtopic=18035&view=findpost&p=628740 - which only means that when and how "statistics" are presented "statistics" can mean anything you want them to - http://www.visualeconomics.com/gdp-vs-national-debt-by-country/ - therefore that site would prove my point...

Be glad to... But please understand it's not just based on one factor but rather ALL the "most important" factors... 2010 Quality of Life Index: 194 Countries Ranked and Rated to Reveal the Best Places to Live

Yes they do... Wanna do this all day?

Yes they do, in fact Canada has a higher GDP than the US as well... HOWEVER, because the US excludes virtually all "negatives" (unemployed, disabled, welfare, etc.) in their GDP calculations unlike Canada, Europe and most of the rest of the world, the US GDP will always show up as the highest... In one way it is true, US workers have the least benefits, like stat holidays and 0 mandatory paid vacations their "productivity" hrs worked minus paid unworked hours will be higher...