Aaron Chapman ([info]arono) wrote,
@ 2005-04-12 12:08:00
Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend  Next Entry
Current mood: productive

The Future of Canada
Some connies think that Canada is headed for some kind of doom simply because we are maturing and choosing a direction that's different from where the United States is being steered. My question to them: What is your opinion of Scandinavia? How do they manage to maintain such a high quality of life and renowned desirability despite being even more left-leaning than Canada? Why haven't they liberalled themselves into oblivion?

Are Canadians finally abandoning the pursuit of the "American Dream" in favour of the "European Dream"? Will Harper become PM and flush us down the American toilet? There's a great, epic moral battle on the horizon and Canada's the prize. Pretty heavy shit.


(8 comments) - (Post a new comment)


[info]montrealais
2005-04-12 11:04 am UTC (link)
It's always kind of disturbed me that the US is the only country we seem to compare ourselves to -- favourably or unfavourably.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]kajiki
2005-04-12 11:36 am UTC (link)
Don't feel too bad. Europeans do that a lot too. Not exclusively, but more than neccessary.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]kajiki
2005-04-12 11:27 am UTC (link)
Hate to break it to you, but Canada might actually be in a better position than Sweden. We've gone too far. One particularly large generation has been selfishly squandering lots of money in order to live comfortable lives, and the following generations have to pay for that. The old farts are hogging jobs and when they retire within the next ten years, there's a lot more of them than their children can feed.

We pay more taxes than most people in the world and yet there "isn't enough money" to keep the police, hospitals, schools and other important social services running well. There's a lot of mismanagement going on here, to say the least. We've just unraveled widespread corruption in the state owned alcohol business, who knows what else may turn up in the following years...

And what's even more frightening is, that the people who have it even worse than us and seek refuge here are routinely spat upon. Our government is willing to send back refugees to countries that practice torture so long as those countries don't openly admit to it. There are 150 apathetic children who have to be force fed because they'd rather die than return - and the government wants to send them back.

The European dream seems to be closing in on the American one in a lot of ways. Software patents are on their way into the EU, for instance, as well as laws concerning "illegal circumvention". But at least our McDonalds restaurants don't supersize yet...

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]jankol
2005-04-12 11:31 am UTC (link)
Not to mention the even more major, recent scandal in SSU, the youth organization of the very same Social Democrat Party that's been ruling the government most of the past century or so.

Long story short, that organization has maybe 15,000 active (i.e. paying) members, yet report 45,000 - and get influence and funding for that. And this is where most of the current government has been schooled in politics...

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]okaree
2005-04-12 07:21 pm UTC (link)
What is the state of health care in Sweden? I'm curious how it compares to Canada's.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

[info]kajiki
2005-04-13 03:27 pm UTC (link)
Well, it has its ups and downs. On the downside, hospitals are shut down, merged and/or regularly understaffed due to a lot of people having to take sick leave because of the stress. The staff who remain are bogged down with paperwork because most of the paper shufflers were rationalized away. Basic treatment is OK - apart from the crappy phoning hour - but it can take a long time to get specific treatment if it's not an emergency (unless you have money to go to a private doctor). A lot of people can't afford to go to see a dentist anymore. Care of the elderly has been reported to be shockingly bad in some places, but I think that's still the exception rather than the rule.

Above all, there's a coordination problem, people who abuse drugs will be sent back and forth and end up on the street again after or even before they're done, without any followup. Some things have been so ignored that voluntary organizations or even families and friends have been left to sort them out. Youth with mental problems are in a bad position here. Those who even get noticed will usually be given drugs rather than therapy.

On the upside, where the system works, it works well and the state subsidies for medical care make sure that patients won't go broke because they've had bad luck. Lots of medicines are also subsidized, you don't even have to pay more than an upper limit every year, after that the state pays for everything.

I can also add that doctors here are rather conservative and skeptical to any kind of treatment that hasn't been proven more effective than placebo. They are prone to prescribing brand name medicine rather than the cheaper generics, and the government is of course a bit miffed over this.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

[info]okaree
2005-04-13 05:15 pm UTC (link)
Thank you, that's very interesting!

(Reply to this) (Parent)
Suuport grows for NDP and Greens!
[info]esperantomobilo
2005-04-14 04:08 am UTC (link)
Nu, mi povas ĝojigi vin per la subaj novaĵoj pri la NDP-sukcesoj (bedauxrinde mi ne havas ligilon, do estas devigita citi la tutan tekston). Kaj eble vi povos pri proksime konsideri la Verd-Partian agendon? :-)

Canada: NDP buoyed by jump in support
Liberal slip sparked a gain for Layton. Green party also sees boost in polls.
OTTAWA - Federal New Democrats have been buoyed by a poll that shows they're gaining support at the expense of the scandal-plagued Liberals. Voter support for the NDP is 20.5 per cent, up five points from last June's election, in the wake of damning allegations from the Gomery inquiry last week. But as the NDP woos disenchanted Liberals, party leader Jack Layton should keep an eye on his rear-view mirror. The Green party got a boost as well ? it's at 5 per cent nationwide, according to a Toronto Star poll conducted by EKOS Research ? and an influx of cash thanks to new election financing rules. And in the battle for environmentally conscious voters, each party is trying to paint itself as the greenest. Layton says the NDP Kyoto strategy, unveiled in January, has won acclaim from environmental groups, and he touts his own long record on the issue. "I've been working on environment issues for 20 years," said the former Toronto councillor. But Tom Manley, deputy leader of the Green party, says the NDP environmental plan falls short. "They don't have a solution to sustainability any more than the Liberals do," Manley said in an interview. The Green party is looking to woo support from across the political spectrum but the NDP in particular feels the pressure, he said. "If we're going to take a couple of points from them, that hurts," he said. Manley said new political financing has made a "world of difference" for the growing party. Under election financing laws, each political party gets $1.75 for every vote it got in the last election, a move that will pump about $1 million into the Green party coffers this year. The new cash, up dramatically from the one-time annual budget of $35,000, has allowed the party to keep a staff on a payroll instead of having to close up shop between elections, he said. Still, despite the Green party's optimism, it's the NDP that has been capitalizing on Liberal misfortunes and is now poised to do "surprisingly well," said EKOS president Frank Graves. "They are up slightly since February, but more importantly, they now lead as the second-choice party for those whose voting intention may change."


Kaj — jes, mi klopodas sekvi skandinavian, kanadan, nov-zelandan kaj eŭropan politikon krom mian hejmlandan politikon kaj mondo-novaĵojn… :-)

— Oleg

(Reply to this)

(8 comments) - (Post a new comment)

Create an Account
Forgot your login or password?
Login w/ OpenID
English • Español • Deutsch • Русский…