Canada back to a Balanced Budget.

[Northern Lawn]

After about 4 years of deficits we're back to a balanced budget. Before that we had 10 years of surpluses.

Surely Canada and America can't be that different in... for lack of a better word or understanding, business. So what is really with this trillion dollar crap down there?

Do you think it's really just corruption? Because if they collapse the world economy again and in a much worse doomsday fashion like Peter Shiff likes to talk about, then there should be a revolution and the entire political class and their families should go to the guillotine. (figuratively speaking of course)

Balanced budget AND free health care for EVERYBODY, socialism for the win.

 

[nickbits]

With a top tax rate near 50% the budget better be balanced.

Also thanks for paying for the new windsor/Detroit bridge!

 

[Engineer]

Balanced budget AND free health care for EVERYBODY, socialism for the win.

It isn't 'free' but Canada does seem to have it figured out much better than the US, sadly. Of course, Canada doesn't have much of a military and relies on the US to provide most of defense in that department.

Throw in some good oil exports and there's another plus.

Not sure of Canada and wages or trade deficits though...

Edit: Looks like Canada had a trade surplus until about 2008 (recession) and has went negative/positive/negative since (not even close to what the US does though).

 

[Doppel]

That's impressive. Although Canada's military is an absolute farce, I think that if the US had a similarly laughable one it would still end up going balls deep into deficit in no time at all.

 

[cubby1223]

After about 4 years of deficits we're back to a balanced budget. Before that we had 10 years of surpluses.

Surely Canada and America can't be that different in... for lack of a better word or understanding, business. So what is really with this trillion dollar crap down there?

Do you think it's really just corruption? Because if they collapse the world economy again and in a much worse doomsday fashion like Peter Shiff likes to talk about, then there should be a revolution and the entire political class and their families should go to the guillotine. (figuratively speaking of course)

Balanced budget AND free health care for EVERYBODY, socialism for the win.

Two things:

(1) a great abundance of natural resources versus a small population
(2) doing like the rest of the world does and leave the responsibility to the U.S. to be the global military presence.

 

[Orignal Earl]

Lol
Thank you US from saving the world from Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan...we are forever in your debt

 

[Argo]

Two things:

(1) a great abundance of natural resources versus a small population
(2) doing like the rest of the world does and leave the responsibility to the U.S. to be the global military presence.

#2 always bothered me. I don't claim to understand the politics of the situation, but it seems like the rest of the world is benefiting from the US military presence. Should we just send them a bill?

 

[Argo]

Lol
Thank you US from saving the world from Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan...we are forever in your debt

You have a point there. But to be fair, you have to also mention first Iraq war, S. Korea, WW II, cold war.

 

[cubby1223]

Lol
Thank you US from saving the world from Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan...we are forever in your debt

If you believe you can do a better job of keeping the global peace, by all means I welcome Canada's military to step up to the plate.

 

[cubby1223]

You have a point there. But to be fair, you have to also mention first Iraq war, S. Korea, WW II, cold war.

Bosnia, Somalia

 

[Orignal Earl]

If you believe you can do a better job of keeping the global peace, by all means I welcome Canada's military to step up to the plate.

I don't think anyone outside of the US thinks the US keeps the global peace

 

[Matt1970]

It isn't 'free' but Canada does seem to have it figured out much better than the US, sadly. Of course, Canada doesn't have much of a military and relies on the US to provide most of defense in that department.

Throw in some good oil exports and there's another plus.

Not sure of Canada and wages or trade deficits though...

Edit: Looks like Canada had a trade surplus until about 2008 (recession) and has went negative/positive/negative since (not even close to what the US does though).

This.

 

[Orignal Earl]

It isn't 'free' but Canada does seem to have it figured out much better than the US, sadly. Of course, Canada doesn't have much of a military and relies on the US to provide most of defense in that department.

Throw in some good oil exports and there's another plus.

Not sure of Canada and wages or trade deficits though...

Edit: Looks like Canada had a trade surplus until about 2008 (recession) and has went negative/positive/negative since (not even close to what the US does though).

Canadians say you guys took all our jobs with the free trade agreement
You guys say Mexico took all your jobs with the free trade agreement
There's no jobs in Mexico
Wtf?
,)

 

[Sonikku]

OP is obviously fudging the facts. If any country truly embraced socialism and free healthcare on the level Canada has then I'm pretty sure it would be imploding in a matter of months.

 

[nickbits]

If you believe you can do a better job of keeping the global peace, by all means I welcome Canada's military to step up to the plate.

I wish we would get out of that business. We'd have a lot less enemies and the crazies would nuke each other into oblivion. Win win.

 

[cubby1223]

I don't think anyone outside of the US thinks the US keeps the global peace

Then urge your country to step up to the plate and take over global leadership.

Last time the U.S. decided not to get involved, WWII happened.

 

[JulesMaximus]

That's impressive. Although Canada's military is an absolute farce, I think that if the US had a similarly laughable one it would still end up going balls deep into deficit in no time at all.

We have the GREATEST MILITARY IN THE WORLD!!! But we can't pay for it...

 

[KMFJD]

It isn't 'free' but Canada does seem to have it figured out much better than the US, sadly. Of course, Canada doesn't have much of a military and relies on the US to provide most of defense in that department.

Throw in some good oil exports and there's another plus.

Not sure of Canada and wages or trade deficits though...

Edit: Looks like Canada had a trade surplus until about 2008 (recession) and has went negative/positive/negative since (not even close to what the US does though).

I don't think a single working Canadian think's it is fee

 

[Whiskey16]

You have a point there. But to be fair, you have to also mention first Iraq war, S. Korea, WW II, cold war.

You did all such alone?

For decades after WWII the Brits often out-spent, despite far greater expense of that war, per-capita, on defence.

WWII? You Yanks were a bit late to the party and the Atlantic Convoy War was not lost despite many US efforts in the beginning to squander with tragic incompetence, even with much of US activity being within eyesight of your own coastline.

My P&R trolling of the day - Yanks bravado and arrogance is typically farcical in mythic proportions.

In the end, Canada has different and more relatively successful priorities. Yet, the economic stability gained through pains of the 1990s is being squandered and mishandled over 8 years by the Conservative Party of Canada self-labelled 'Harper Government.'

$3.1B announced today in military cuts will further cripple and degrade the status-quo. Air force operations cut-back by 25%. One a single blue-water combat ship is mission ready in the Pacific fleet. The lone destroyer now permanently relegated to training duties and due to Harper cuts will not again be refitted to re-achieve service ready operation. 9 years ago up to 4 replacement supply/multi-role ships were on track for tender, but then cancelled by the then-new Harper government, and now his owned 3 year old National Supply Ship Procurement on hold for at least another 3 years...

 

[Brainonska511]

I don't think anyone outside of the US thinks the US keeps the global peace

They want us to support them. Eg: Libya. Europe ran out of bombs because they've tried to turn NATO into a two tiered relationship, where we send our men and women to fight and they send moral support, since they don't want to foot the bill to maintain their militaries.

Our large military grants us a large sphere of influence and the ability to do a lot of different missions, be they humanitarian or military. But I think the downside is that too many politicians in the US want to reach for the gun first before exhausting other options.

 

[AViking]

#2 always bothered me. I don't claim to understand the politics of the situation, but it seems like the rest of the world is benefiting from the US military presence. Should we just send them a bill?

Are you going to bill them for protection from Iraq, Afghanistan, Grenada, Panama, Korea, Vietnam?

LOL

Maybe it would be wiser to stop fighting stupid wars.

Nobody is benefiting from the US war machine besides those building the guns. It's like the gold rush. Prospectors didn't get rich. Those selling the tools did.

 

[AViking]

If you believe you can do a better job of keeping the global peace, by all means I welcome Canada's military to step up to the plate.

Define global peace. Who exactly are the US protecting the globe from?

 

[cubby1223]

Define global peace. Who exactly are the US protecting the globe from?

I like to think the world has an obligation to help innocent citizens from their unruly leaders.

How many people died from Pol Pot? From Mao Tse Tung?

Go back to Hitler, Mussilini, & Hirohito.

Do you believe the citizens of South Korea would prefer to be under the leadership of Kim Jong-Un?

Saddam Hussein attempted to kill every Kurdish person in his country. There was the ethnic cleansing in Bosnia.

Libya, Syria...


The U.S. doesn't always do things right the first time, but at least we're trying, which is a helluva lot more than can be said about any of the other countries who only talk about wanting global peace and do squat to actually help achieve it.



Not all of us are victims of Stockholm syndrome (kidding!)

 

[Northern Lawn]

America did wondrous work for the people of Japan and South Korea but I believe that is a testament of the strength of those cultures and that was decades ago, you ain't done sh*t in Afghanistan. You created a more dictatorships than democracies and now your own is in jeopardy.

Your military has been funded by the chinese NOT the american taxpayer in the last 13 years. Wait till china hands you the bill for the last 13 years of war, maybe we should thank the chinese for global peace? LOL.

I actually feel bad for america now they can't even get into space without hitchhiking a ride with the russians, that must be humbling and who are we supposed to hitch a ride with? I was actually thinking about that the entire time I was watching Gravity.

Anyway, a stock market crash is one thing but a Dollar crash is another. If what peter shiff says is true we are going to be living in some interesting times.

 

[Northern Lawn]

It isn't 'free' but Canada does seem to have it figured out much better than the US, sadly. Of course, Canada doesn't have much of a military and relies on the US to provide most of defense in that department.

Throw in some good oil exports and there's another plus.

Not sure of Canada and wages or trade deficits though...

Edit: Looks like Canada had a trade surplus until about 2008 (recession) and has went negative/positive/negative since (not even close to what the US does though).

In Canada we seem to desire a weak dollar, they say "if we have a weak dollar Americans will buy more of our goods." But in America (well on your tv) they talk about how important it is to have a strong dollar. Maybe it's because the American dollar is the world currency but I still don't get it.

Same with trade deficits. We get like 90% of our goods and clothing from Asia, I'm not sure what our deficit is but it must be 9:1 in their favour. They send us computers and clothing we just pay for it. I can't imagine what we could sell them... hockey helmets? nah, they probably make those as well. In fact, I bought a bench press and barbells and even they were made in china. steel barbells from china... unbelievable.

I'm just rambling.