Things I'm tired of

[FascistLibertarian]

well its the internet. People can pretty much take whatever view they want. I know what Im talking about in regards to this issue, if you dont think I do then I dont care (why would I).

A lot of people who post on message boards dont know what they are talking about, yet their views are given just as much weight.

If you want to debate the cultural, economic, and social differences between Canada and the US I would love to. I just fail to see the point.

[jdobbin]

This study came out this week on Canada and U.S. immigration numbers.

http://www.acs-aec.ca/Polls/Americans%20Go...h%202%20_2_.pdf

It would seem Canada is taking the highest number of U.S. immigrants since the 1970s. Ontario appears to the main beneficiary.

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/st...665cb29ac66&k=0

OTTAWA • The number of Americans admitted to Canada last year hit a 30-year high, fuelling a pattern that suggests the drain of Canadian brains south of the border may be a shrinking phenomenon.

The number of Americans accepted into Canada reached 10,942 in 2006, almost double the number admitted in 2000. By contrast, the number of Canadians admitted to the United States in 2006 dropped sharply from the previous year, falling to 23,913 from 29,930.

The data were gathered and analyzed by the Montreal-based Association for Canadian Studies. Executive director Jack Jedwab said an analysis of the numbers shows Canada is enjoying an upswing as a preferred destination for Americans, many of whom are increasingly well educated.

[ft.niagara]

If you want to debate the cultural, economic, and social differences between Canada and the US I would love to. I just fail to see the point.

Forget about debating such a heavy issue, just let us know where you came by the 'FascistLibertarian' moniker. Don't you understand that you have not established any credibility, and you come off like a blabbering ..... The "I just fail to see the point" just reinforces that view. Why not take a leave of absence and come back in maybe ten years.

[ft.niagara]

This study came out this week on Canada and U.S. immigration numbers.

It was published in our newspaper also, but such small numbers mean almost nothing when compared with the size of the populations IMO, and certainly can be explained by changing perceptions of safety, and economic opportunity.

[jdobbin]

It was published in our newspaper also, but such small numbers mean almost nothing when compared with the size of the populations IMO, and certainly can be explained by changing perceptions of safety, and economic opportunity.

I think it is more than a blip about the decrease to the States and an increase to Canada. Still, without a further analysis of the numbers, it is hard to determine what has motivated the change.

[FascistLibertarian]

Fine I have no cred. I dont really care about that.

The point is, if you want to defend the idea that Canada and the US are equal and that no society or country can be better than any other one and cultural relativism makes sense 100% you can do that.

But no one is going to do that because that position is undefendable.

All I said was in my view, due to my personal experinces, Canada is a better country. I dont feel the need to go into detail because its off topic.

The real issue is Canadians defining themselves on being better than America/Americans, which is bloody stupid. I think Canada is better than a lot of countries, as is my right, but I would never define myself on it (besides maybe in respect to tolerance as this is important to me).

My user name is the paradox I feel about how society should be governed. On the one hand the government should stay out of peoples lives and do as little as they can. This doesnt work. On the other hand the government needs to step in and push people in the right direction. This also doesnt work.\

It really depends on the specific set of circumstances (clearly).

My user name is just one I choose, as a fencesitting liberal Conservative bisexual agnostic some might say I have trouble making choices.

[bush_cheney2004]

I think it is more than a blip about the decrease to the States and an increase to Canada. Still, without a further analysis of the numbers, it is hard to determine what has motivated the change.

There may well be a change, but even those numbers continue a trend that has gone on for many years...far more Canadians (from a smaller population base) head south. And that's OK, since we already know the reason why.

Edited August 4, 2007 by bush_cheney2004

[jdobbin]

There may well be a change, but even those numbers continue a trend that has gone on for many years...far more Canadians (from a smaller population base) head south. And that's OK, since we already know the reason why.

I expect the larger market and more temperate climate will always attract Canadians south.

Still, I expect Canada's population to continue increasing and the American component is likely to grow, not decrease.

[ft.niagara]

Still, I expect Canada's population to continue increasing and the American component is likely to grow, not decrease.

I recently met at a party a young couple who met at a college in Buffalo. She is American, he Canadian. They are living in Ft. Erie, she working in Buffalo, and he working in St. Catherines for a car rental agency. I have a woman who is working for me whose sister recently died. She was born American married a Canadian and may or may not have become Canadian, and was living in Canada when she died. The father has taken to drink and another woman and can not care for the 13 year old, so she will be coming here to live with her aunt and finish school. There are many different reasons why people come and go.

BTW, I asked the girl living in Ft. Erie how she did her taxes. She said that she had them done at HR Block in Buffalo, and them took them to HR Block Ft. Erie. She paid some tax in Canada, but not much, but she gets credit for your health and retirement system. She really did not know what she was entitled to, but my questioning made her interested, and I am sure she asked further. The biggest problem is border crossing, I heard on the radio that the wait coming into the US was 90 minutes on the Peace and Rainbow bridges, and three hours on the Lewiston bridge today.

[ft.niagara]

My user name is just one I choose, as a fencesitting liberal Conservative bisexual agnostic some might say I have trouble making choices.

A bisexual fencesitter. Trouble making choices, I guess so. One day one body part, another day another body part. Both good, but neither perfect.

Now are you still sure Canada is better than the US? Are you sure?

Edited August 4, 2007 by ft.niagara

[jdobbin]

I recently met at a party a young couple who met at a college in Buffalo. She is American, he Canadian. They are living in Ft. Erie, she working in Buffalo, and he working in St. Catherines for a car rental agency. I have a woman who is working for me whose sister recently died. She was born American married a Canadian and may or may not have become Canadian, and was living in Canada when she died. The father has taken to drink and another woman and can not care for the 13 year old, so she will be coming here to live with her aunt and finish school. There are many different reasons why people come and go.

BTW, I asked the girl living in Ft. Erie how she did her taxes. She said that she had them done at HR Block in Buffalo, and them took them to HR Block Ft. Erie. She paid some tax in Canada, but not much, but she gets credit for your health and retirement system. She really did not know what she was entitled to, but my questioning made her interested, and I am sure she asked further. The biggest problem is border crossing, I heard on the radio that the wait coming into the US was 90 minutes on the Peace and Rainbow bridges, and three hours on the Lewiston bridge today.

Long weekends are the toughest. I was in the States during the week and spent about 20 minutes waiting and around one minute for them to review my passport and papers.

[FascistLibertarian]

Canada being better than the US is not the point at all.

There is no better country than Canada.

Canada is the best country in the world.

(these are my views, I never stated these are 'facts')

Having gone to many places I can say there is no where I would rather have been born or live.

Winters and summers suck a bit though

I would def condering living in the USA, it is one of the best countries int he world and has some amazing cities. There are so m any great things about the States.

One day one body part, another day another body part. Both good, but neither perfect.

And I dunno how the heck you could choose.......

[bush_cheney2004]

Long waits to cross the border into the US at Emerson....what does this mean?

"We're just actually trying to get across the border, then we have to do a U-turn,'' she said. "We're doing residency cards.''

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/stor...0804?hub=Canada

I don't know of the American equivalent, despite having a cabin home only an hour from the border (International Falls).

[jdobbin]

Long waits to cross the border into the US at Emerson....what does this mean?

"We're just actually trying to get across the border, then we have to do a U-turn,'' she said. "We're doing residency cards.''

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/stor...0804?hub=Canada

I don't know of the American equivalent, despite having a cabin home only an hour from the border (International Falls).

It's a long weekend in Canada and with the dollar as high as it is, many Canadians are vacationing south.

You should take note that every campground in Manitoba is also booked, all the beaches are packed and the city is practically empty. It is one of the busiest travel weeks across Canada.

The price differential on books, appliances and cars even has the finance minister of Canada telling Canadian business to wise up. The increased shopping across the border reflects the gouging on items that should have come down in price but haven't.

Even when the Canadian dollar was down, it didn't offer a discount to Americans coming across to shop because it meant that imports were high priced.

[bush_cheney2004]

It's a long weekend in Canada and with the dollar as high as it is, many Canadians are vacationing south.

You should take note that every campground in Manitoba is also booked, all the beaches are packed and the city is practically empty. It is one of the busiest travel weeks across Canada.

OK....but what does "doing residency cards" mean? Are these Canadians trying to keep temporary residency in the US active? And if so, why do they need to do this?

[jdobbin]

OK....but what does "doing residency cards" mean? Are these Canadians trying to keep temporary residency in the US active? And if so, why do they need to do this?

Residency cards for Americans living in Canada have to be applied for in the U.S. the last time I heard. I have no idea what this families particular situation is though. They certainly chose the wrong weekend to cross.

Edited August 5, 2007 by jdobbin

[Guest American Woman]

There may well be a change, but even those numbers continue a trend that has gone on for many years...far more Canadians (from a smaller population base) head south. And that's OK, since we already know the reason why.

What would that reason be?

[bush_cheney2004]

What would that reason be?

The core reasons are economic, whether that be employment, taxes, or opportunity, the same reasons many immigrants come to the US from around the world. But don't let me speak for Canadians....this forum reveals some nuggets:

http://forums.canadiancontent.net/canadian...-moving-us.html

My brother-in-law is from Montreal and says he has no reason to permanently return to Canada, but he does like to visit in summer!

[jdobbin]

The core reasons are economic, whether that be employment, taxes, or opportunity, the same reasons many immigrants come to the US from around the world. But don't let me speak for Canadians....this forum reveals some nuggets:

http://forums.canadiancontent.net/canadian...-moving-us.html

My brother-in-law is from Montreal and says he has no reason to permanently return to Canada, but he does like to visit in summer!

Canadians have always been attracted to the larger U.S. market. They are also attracted to the more temperate climate and similarities to Canada in language and some areas of culture.

The times when the numbers going south drop have been when Canada performs well economically in relation I

I think the recent study I posted here shows that when Canada's economy performs well, it stems the flow considerably. It also increases the flow north of Americans.

I think over several governments in Canada, not enough has been done to attract Americans north of the border. In my own province, the government more actively goes after Israelis and Germans and the numbers of Americans has remained the same for a long time.

[bush_cheney2004]

Canadians have always been attracted to the larger U.S. market. They are also attracted to the more temperate climate and similarities to Canada in language and some areas of culture.

I'm sure climate is a factor, but millions of others from around the world come to both Canada and the US from far better climes. Economic opportunity means people will go to Alaska or Alberta and just wear longer underwear. It has been estimated that historical Canadian immigration to the US is over 10 million, but this is hard to prove.

Those who just want to make a "political statement" will find that alone doesn't pay the bills.

[jdobbin]

I'm sure climate is a factor, but millions of others from around the world come to both Canada and the US from far better climes. Economic opportunity means people will go to Alaska or Alberta and just wear longer underwear. It has been estimated that historical Canadian immigration to the US is over 10 million, but this is hard to prove.

Those who just want to make a "political statement" will find that alone doesn't pay the bills.

For a Canadian though, climate is a huge issue.

As I said, there will always be those that are attracted to the American market for opportunities but there are hundreds of thousands who migrate each year strictly for the climate.

[Guest American Woman]

Your responses piqued my interest to look into this further, B_C2004 and jdobbin. I felt this article-- Canadian start-ups moving south of border in search of cash, staff-- gave me the most insight.

I too would have thought climate was a major factor, jdobbin, and I also wondered if you would say people use Canada as a stepping stone to the U.S. because it's easier to get accepted into Canada, B_C2004.

But according to this article, "tax advantages, better job opportunities and stock options with high-growth technology companies were cited..." as reasons for moving from Canada to the States. I found this interesting, too: according to a study cited in the article, "Canadian doctoral students were eight times more likely that other graduates to end up in the United States."

The "brain drain," as it's referred to in the article, is a problem I was totally unaware of.

[ft.niagara]

I think there is also the 'sexual orientation drain' in the Canadian direction. There is a movement north because of Canada's love for the unusual, FascistLibertarian case in point. See the movie Chuck and Larry, some of which was filmed in Niagara Falls, Canada. There is probably a one for one exchange, one PHD for one .....

Oh, BTW idobobbin congradulations, in just over a year you have well over 8000 posts.

Edited August 6, 2007 by ft.niagara

[jdobbin]

Your responses piqued my interest to look into this further, B_C2004 and jdobbin. I felt this article-- Canadian start-ups moving south of border in search of cash, staff-- gave me the most insight.

I too would have thought climate was a major factor, jdobbin, and I also wondered if you would say people use Canada as a stepping stone to the U.S. because it's easier to get accepted into Canada, B_C2004.

But according to this article, "tax advantages, better job opportunities and stock options with high-growth technology companies were cited..." as reasons for moving from Canada to the States. I found this interesting, too: according to a study cited in the article, "Canadian doctoral students were eight times more likely that other graduates to end up in the United States."

The "brain drain," as it's referred to in the article, is a problem I was totally unaware of.

A lot of Canadian companies have tried their hand in the U.S. and come back licking their wounds.

Some companies like Flickr started in Canada and were moved down to the U.S. by Yahoo taking along many of their Canadian employees.

I totally agree that doctoral students often get jobs in the places they get their education in. The U.S. has many more universities and some excellent programs. They also have far more jobs for the a doctoral graduate to pursue. Some provinces such as Alberta have begun competing heavily with Ontario to attract back home these graduates with research chairs and money. It would appear to be working if the recent level of U.S. immigration to Canada is any indication.

[Higgly]

These are some of the things I'm tired of as an American:

1) I'm tired of Americans being thrown all in one lump as Bush supporters, war wongers, bullies, etc.

2) I'm tired of apolgizing for my government, as if it's my fault that the Bush administration is doing what it's doing.

3) I'm tired of the Bush Administration, and have been ever since Iraq.

4) I'm tired of Americans being viewed as stupid. We are no less knowledgable than any other nation.

5) I'm tired of the comparison's between Canada and the United States, as if we're in some kind of competition to prove which is better; and I'm tired of the ugliness on both sides as a result of this kind of thinking.

6) I'm tired of the U.S. being thought of as a nation of gun-toting crazies, making it unsafe to walk the streets.

7) I'm tired of the U.S. being thought of a bunch of religious fanatics.

8) I'm tired of hearing how ammoral and materialistic Americans are. I'd say Americans, as individuals, are some of the most giving people in the world.

Any comments? Any other Americans agree with me? What about the Canadians?-- What are you tired of?

Rick Mercer. Another comedian who makes his buck off the low hanging fruit. Enough Said. Let's face it, the man is no Mary Walsh.