USA outperforming Canada

[Cartman]

I am doing very well economically. My productivity is demonstrated by the fact that I have two new cars, a new home, an RV, boat etc. Of course, I spent all my record savings and went into record debt but I am still doing great.

[Guest eureka]

http://stats.bls.gov/fls/flsgdp.pdf

You might find this document useful If you read and digest it, it will save us from your blathering for a time. You will note that the US dies not do so well as you would like to have believed.

If you do the exercise of factoring in the decline of the US dollar, we will be free of your nonsense for longer and the US will show an even worse picture. Long term growth my eye. The long term rate - uver the past twenty five years scarcely keeps up with that needed to keep up with the growing population.

I have another comparative analysis that I will not trouble you with since it covers all nations. The US is even further down the list on that one as many developing nations outstrip it.

Canada's long term trend is worse than the US but over the past few years, we have pulled up our socks.

[Cartman]

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/20...rvey041107.html

Well, Canada does not look that bad.

[Boondoggle]

Canada has had seven years of surplus, which it uses to pay down debt. Currently Canadian debt stands at about $500 billion. In contrast, US debt is over $7 trillion (about a third of that is financed by foreign countries), and recent US deficits are almost as much as Canada's debt.

In 1997, Canadian debt-to-GDP ratio was 71%, which has dropped to about 42% today. Over the next ten years, the government plans to lower it to 25%. This reduces the amount of money wasted on interest payments on debt, and makes Canada less vulnerable to interest rate shocks as a result of things that happen beyond Canadian borders.

Comparing Canada to the US by converting to USD is flawed because of fluctuation in currency value. In just two years, the Canadian dollar has gone from 62 cents US to 83 cents US, and obviously a 21 cent increase in such a short time will have an impact on the figures. Further, such a sharp drop in the value of the USD shows that all is not well.

The main reason why it's a waste of time comparing the US to other countries isn't because the US is so much better, but because the USD is the main reserve currency around the world, which gives the US a huge advantage. However, Russia and OPEC have been considering the Euro, and as the USD weakens, it makes more sense.

US dollar hegemony has got to go

[CdnRepublican]

The US is the world's reserve currency because it is the greatest store of value after gold. The Euro only accounts for about 30 % of world reserves, the great bulk are still in US $. The EU's economic performance is so mediocre that the currency's value is wholly dependent on US monetary policy ie. cheap or dear dollar dependent on US money supply and interest rates.

Canada has only paid off $55 billion in the last decade of debt. The economy as grown so your debt/GDP is misleading. Canada has per capita debt all totalled of $174.000 per person. Sure Fed debt is $535 billion in total, out of a $1 Trillion economy. But this has more to do with Ontario and Alberta growing their economies than with fiscal discipline. A conservative financier Paul Martin never was. Total aggregate debt overall has gone only up, when all levels of government are added in. Plus you don't add in unfunded liabilities which are $1 Trillion in total. Apparently Enron execs should go to jail for off balance sheet financing but not Finance Ministers.

The C$ is only up due to oil and commodities and 2 % interest rate differential with the US. When oil comes back down to $35 per barrel the $ will decline.

The main factors are that the US has more net income per capita, more net assets per capita, higher living standards and higher productivity.

There is no reason to believe that such gaps will narrow anytime soon. Especially as Bush spurs his economy with further tax cuts and social security reform, something you will never see in Canada.

[Guest eureka]

Do you ever have have any idea of what you are posting? Can you multiply $174,000 by 31 million?

You have given no credible information about anything so far> you could try not to turn the forums into scenes from the theatre of the absurd.

[caesar]

Live on in your dream world CR. Someday you Americans will have to pay the bills for the damage done in Iraq and all the young American soldiers who will be maimed for life. Perhaps another Timothy Mcveigh like after the first Gulf War. These young people often come home with more than physical injuries. The USA now has its largest deficit ever; the USA dollar is sinking below all other currencies due to this huge deficit.

[Big Blue Machine]

And the deficit will only grow, and their dollar will go lower and lower, with Bush in power.

[daniel]

Canada has a lower standard of living and lower wages than the US and most nettlesome - a far higher structural unemployment rate that deeply burdens the country

....

Canada has many economic rigidities that need to be destroyed or is status quo good enough for everyone ?

Back in July of this year, Canada was ranked number 4 in the world with only two Scandanavian countries and Australia ranking better.

Did things change that much in just four months?

[August1991]

For Gawdsakes, what do you mean by "outperforming"?

I've always thought Canada outperformed the US in seasons. We get a real winter and a real summer.

[caesar]

I've always thought Canada outperformed the US in seasons. We get a real winter and a real summer.

Not here in lotus land. What is winter? What is snow?

[Cartman]

Sorry Caesar, I have lived in Van/Burnaby/MapleRidge (I admit it ) and I will take Calgary's weather any day of the year, any year. Can't stand the low sky, rain, wind and darkness (or the mess when it does snow) in activistland (BC). On the other hand, it was too hot here today, even in shorts.

[caesar]

Well Cartman you can have it. Snow in the middle of summer even. Yeah right; too hot You must be cold blooded.

[caesar]

Cartman you were 48 we were 52. I wore my fleece. Oh well, tomorrow may be a tad warmer

[Big Blue Machine]

It was warm outside today, can't say the same for Nova Scotia.

[caesar]

ooops getting a little off topic here. To bring it back on topic : even our weather out performs the USA. Despite the fact they believe we all live in the frozen north.

[August1991]

Cartman you were 48 we were 52.

Huh? Do you people still use Fahrenheit? Like, ulp, the Americans?

[caesar]

I do, I am too old to change. I understand Celsius; it is a much better system but... too old to change. I still like to buy a pound of meat or potatoes not that kilogram stuff. I even like miles; I know without trying to convert how far it is.