Canadians enjoy a high quality of life. I would imagine that the average Canadian lives much better than the average American. Whether that is from unfair trade relations or whatever else is another matter. Canada also gets consistently higher rankings on world freedom indexes than the US, FWIW
Because we'd have to be Americans.
Yes but I kinda disagree with the freedom index. Honestly the Canadian lifestyle is from unfair trade. Same as Europe. If they spent the same percentage of money on defense as we do I think things would be different. I have not researched that so I am talking out my ass as far as Canada is concerned.
Kill your TV.
Well, looks like someone needs a new puppy.
I'm actually pretty confident that your healthcare is better than ours. The issue is the system, which seems to be based on bankrupting as many people as possible.
There is no doubt it’s way too fucking expensive here, but we don’t have to wait months or years for routine shit. And we pay a lot less in taxes than you do to cover everybody else’s healthcare.
Why do you think it's too expensive here?
In my view governments, like monarchies, cartels or any other monopoly system exist to enrich themselves at the people's expense. Granted, a successful government has to address people's well-being to some degree or there would be no support and they wouldn't remain in power. But the game is to take as much as possible yet also offer enough so that people don't revolt, and even better when people are brainwashed enough to think it's a good deal.
Drug companies and insurance companies. And because it’s a “captive” market for lack of a better term. For most things it’s not like you can choose to do it elsewhere or not to do it at all. In my opinion it should be regulated like utility companies are. The electric and gas companies here are regulated by the Public Service Commission. Rate increases have to be approved by a 6 person bi partisan unelected board.
"Captive" (Highly regulated) markets and set prices aren't congruent with capitalism. No aspiring entrepreneurs can break in here and provide actual competition that would bring better services for better prices to the consumer. Nominal private ownership of a business isn't evidence of free markets. When I talk about a rigged system, this is a major part of it.
I don't know why you think we have ( or that anyone is asking for) pure capitalism.
I am asking for it. Your suggestions for drug and insurance companies are socialist, yet you criticize Bernie Sanders for being maybe a bit more socialist that. They are degrees of the same thing in my view. I don't think we will ever have a true laissez-faire capitalist society, because it would mean big businesses would loss their cartel monopolies, and the politicians they support would not have funding. So if someone like Bernie Sanders starts hinting at problems with this dynamic, I'll promote that, even though I don't agree with socialism in principle or even particularly like Bernie Sanders.
You are asking for pure capitalism ? Either you don't know what that is or you are insane. All the things you constantly bitch about would be 1000 times worse under pure capitalism. And I don't disagree about the degrees. It's like anything else. Some dickbag always tries to take it too far. The fact is we pay taxes to local, state and federal governments to provide services. Which is to a degree socialist ( at least by your definition). The problem is as always, people. The people spending our money are greedy and stupid. Those mother fuckers rape us with FICA our whole lives and then when we're almost dead we get really shitty insurance for free. Fuck that. I live on a private street. My neighbors and I pay for our road. We all pay for the county highway it takes us to.
Well, I'm not really one for ideologies, and we don't need to split hairs on terminology, but in my view I would represent the capitalist position and you represent the socialist position. There's plenty of debates and writing on the topic, so we don't need to try to rehash it here. Practically speaking though I think we would both be much happier with a minarchist/"Night watchmen" state in keeping with what the founders had in mind. And to your point, they would be turning in their graves at the current tax rates.
Pure capitalism is not what anyone had in mind for government. Ever. Not the founders, not anyone.
