The Most Popular Reader Comments on The New York Times

[cycleguy55]

Top comment written by a Canadian 'Bob from Calgary' who, as it turns out, is actually from Edmonton. Introducing 'Bob from Edmonton,' the man behind the Times' most popular comment - Edmonton - CBC News

My household makes just over $250,000 here in Canada. One of the best bargains I get for my money is living in a place where I and everyone I know sends their kids to public schools because they are really good. We end up with few criminals, because students learn how to be productive good citizens in schools.

A second bargin I get is universal health care. Great care (rated well above the American system in most measures) whenever you need it without worry about not being approved. It all comes at a bargain price of about 50% of the cost of the US health system.

A third bargain is the modernizing infrastructure. Cities in Canada are building new commuter train systems, rebuilding old overpasses and other roadways, building new schools, new recreation centres, etc. We are not quite like a new city in China, but we are not the decrepit cities of the USA where governments are shutting the lights out at night because they have no money. In Canada, we realize that we can’t live off of the work of our grandfathers forever.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/23/in...imes.html?_r=1

[Tim7139]

And yet the CDN $ is worth 80 cents US.
The public health care is great....... Unless of course you get cancer, and then you get in line and pray you're not dead before you're treatment number gets called. That's probably why anybody with a few bucks and a serious health issue comes right here for treatment.

[dblbarrel]

I often look to the newspaper comments for the truth.
I live about 20 miles from the Cdn boarder on I-5. Its not near as rosy as some people want to believe. Or make you believe.
Nice country but I wouldn't want to live there.

[Tim7139]

Remember, any article involving both the NY Times and noted objective luminary Paul Krugman is to be tak n with a small grain of salt.

[cycleguy55]

Originally Posted by Tim7139

And yet the CDN $ is worth 80 cents US.
The public health care is great....... Unless of course you get cancer, and then you get in line and pray you're not dead before you're treatment number gets called. That's probably why anybody with a few bucks and a serious health issue comes right here for treatment.

Tim, Tim, Tim - the current U.S. / Canadian exchange rate is really irrelevant to the standard of living and/or quality of life in either country and, as such, is really a red herring.

Is the Canadian health care system perfect? No, it's not, but as someone who had lived with it for 60 years I can tell you it's not nearly as bad as some paint it out to be - especially when you get past emotion and anecdote and actually step into the world of facts and data. The U.S. health care system isn't perfect either, nor is it 'leaps and bounds' better - as some might wish to have you believe.

I realize you're not a big fan of facts and data (and/or science, as evidenced by some of your specious arguments in the global climate change debate), but here are some data points you may wish to ponder. Data is represented as "USA / Canada":

List of countries by life expectancy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...ife_expectancy)
Life expectancy: 79 / 82
Life expectancy rank: 34 / 9

List of countries by total health expenditure per capita (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...ure_per_capita)
Total health expenditure per capita in US dollars (2013)
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development: $8,713 / $4,351
World Health Organization: $9,146 / 5,718

List of OECD countries by health care outcome (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...h_care_outcome)
Colorectal cancer 5-year survival rate: 64.7% / 63.5%
Breast cancer 5-year survival rate: 88.7% / 87.7%
Cervical cancer 5-year survival rate: 62.2% / 66.0%
Heart attack 30 day in-hospital mortality per 100 hospital discharges: 5.5 / 5.7
Hemorrhagic stroke 30 day in-hospital mortality per 100 hospital discharges: 22.2 / 22.3
Ischemic stroke 30 day in-hospital mortality per 100 hospital discharges: 4.3 / 9.7

Conclusion: With the exception of ischemic stroke, U.S. and Canadian health care systems have similar survival rates for major health incidents, with the U.S. generally holding a very slight edge, and Canada better for cervical cancer survival rates. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Canada has a significantly greater life expectancy, even though the U.S. spends between 60% (WHO) and 100% (OECD) more per capita health care.

I wouldn't be too proud of a system that costs twice as much, with a lower life expectancy, and which is the number one cause of personal bankruptcy (Why Americans Are Drowning in Medical Debt - The Atlantic).

Be careful about patting yourself on the back too hard, you may slip a disk or wrench your shoulder, neither of which would cost me to have addressed by my health care professionals.

[cycleguy55]

Originally Posted by Tim7139

Remember, any article involving both the NY Times and noted objective luminary Paul Krugman is to be tak n with a small grain of salt.

I should expect no less from you, especially when your primary source of fiction is Fox News.

You may wish to check this out: Why Conservatives Opt for Propaganda Over Reality | Alternet

[Tim7139]

Originally Posted by cycleguy55

I should expect no less from you, especially when your primary source of fiction is Fox News.

You may wish to check this out: Why Conservatives Opt for Propaganda Over Reality | Alternet

Written by the author of " the feminists survival guide" ???

[Tim7139]

P.S., Although I admit that although only 50 miles from the Cdn. border, I could, in an attempt for greater international understanding, greatly increase my knowledge base so I spent almost the entire day Saturday in the library boning up on history .
It was exhaustive but informative, I found out about a lot of stuff including three major contributions made by our friends to the north for the benefit of human progress.
Beaver pelts
Hockey
Walleye fishing

Pretty good.......Eh.

[cycleguy55]

Originally Posted by Tim7139

P.S., Although I admit that although only 50 miles from the Cdn. border, I could, in an attempt for greater international understanding, greatly increase my knowledge base so I spent almost the entire day Saturday in the library boning up on history .
It was exhaustive but informative, I found out about a lot of stuff including three major contributions made by our friends to the north for the benefit of human progress.
Beaver pelts
Hockey
Walleye fishing

Pretty good.......Eh.

How cerebral.

Here's a short list of 50 Canadian inventions and discoveries - it shouldn't take you more than a couple of days to get through it as it's mostly pictures. Please accept my apologies in advance for the inclusion of Justin Bieber.

Speed Hint: Don't spend too much time on the WonderBra or you may never finish.

50 great gifts Canada gave the world

[twobjshelbys]

Originally Posted by cycleguy55

How cerebral.

Here's a short list of 50 Canadian inventions and discoveries - it shouldn't take you more than a couple of days to get through it as it's mostly pictures. Please accept my apologies in advance for the inclusion of Justin Bieber.

Speed Hint: Don't spend too much time on the WonderBra or you may never finish.

50 great gifts Canada gave the world

Hmmm, a few of them are really noteworthy. On the other hand I think I'd stop bragging about Justin Bieber.

[Tim7139]

Well admittedly I missed gingerale, lacrosse......ah no, I live about 10 miles from the Onondaga reservation....where The game started.
To your credit however pablum is a winner.......just not spread on forums by yourself.
I did mention hockey however, but the golie mask is dubious.....how much credit do you need because it took somebody 30 years to cover up after all those slapshots to be the forehead?

[bliss]