Canada does have a different political climate and more left wing nutters who feel that the government should be given all the power it asks for but Canada and the US are very similar. We're happy in the US now because the economy is overwhelmingly better for us (we make tons more money than we could make in Canada), we much prefer the location (in the winter on a warm day you can wear a t-shirt), and frankly I'm a bit fed up of the liberals up there to be honest.
I've not lived outside of eastern canada as an adult, but there is a great feeling there at least of government holding the hands of a lot of people. The economy is continually stifled and the general public has grown quite used to it.
The grass is greener on the other side. If I didn't live in the US I'd move to Ontario, or perhaps even further west (although going further west you start to get very far away from anywhere worth visiting for trips and what not).
I haven't heard about anyone from Canada complaining about the socialized health care.
The only people I hear bitching about it are people who've never been to the country.
Somebody I know who needed to get a test done on his heart had to wait several months. Down in the US he'd have had it much quicker. Canada's healthcare is good if you're not particularly rich, because rich or poor you get the same as everybody. Down in the US if you're poor you get screwed. But if you're rich, you're going to have the best health insurance and your quality of care will be better than that in Canada. And I don't mean top 2% of the population. personally I feel that it's probably better for me to have a major illness down in the US than in Canada (not counting any possible long term costs, which clearly could blow my finances out of the water). Canada's health care system is stretched - everybody in Canada will admit that (if they know anything about it). Doctors are overworked. Nursesatients ratio is low. Wait times are long, etc.
I dunno, I find the american health care system wierd. Paying thousands of dollars for a hospital visit, paying to go see the doctor. That's just ... I dunno
Stop watching sensationalized news programs. We have insurance, like most people in the US, and the last doctor visit cost me $25. Mrsskoorb spent about $2k in the hospital a couple years back and the grand total to us was less than $100 - money we made up for very quickly by the much lower taxes. The benefit of that is that if you have a snuffle you don't feel compelled to see a doctor, because it's not free (and a source of abuse by millions in Canada).
I see a lot of misinformed (say I anyway!) opinions about the US from Canadians and vice versa. Some commonly held on to stereotypes are infrequently grounded in truth in the matter, but it's a favorite pass time for Canadians to knock the US, and less so for the US to feel superior to Canada (I say less so, because the US feels superior to every country and gives less consideration to Canada than Canadians give to the US I believe).
Both countries have bad things going for them. Some of the bad in the US has been mentioned below. My pick would be that this war on terror has the potential to turn America into a spiralling mess of patriotic fury. My pick for Canada would be that the mindset there is too liberal and socialistic for my liking.
In regards to pop culture you can't really pretend it's much different in Canada than in the US. Most Canadian tv is us-based. Canada enjoys a greater influence from canadian bands and that's about it. People watch the same crappy tv and listen to the same annoying rap stars.
Its not hard at all to see a doctor in Canada. I had an ingrown toenail Thursday night, made an appointment about 3PM and got an appointment Friday at 10AM. I can't claim to get much better then that...
Its only bad if you only visit a certain family doctor, and he happens to be very popular. Then you could wait a week....
If you don't care about the doc, then its no problem...
I guess experiences differ. Try finding a family doctor in Halifax right now - there are damned few taking new patients.