is John Wayne dead ?

[Eric]

Originally Posted by steeljack

is that a sly dig at California ? sounds a bit like those bumperstickers we often see on the cars in the State north of us " Don't Californicate Oregon"

Maybe because of the West Coast location ... and compared to BC the rest of the country (apart from the far north in my opinion) is geographically challenged. They are both seen as paradise on the Pacific. Did you realize that BC's leading cash crop is marijuana?

[steeljack]

Originally Posted by Eric

Maybe because of the West Coast location ... and compared to BC the rest of the country (apart from the far north in my opinion) is geographically challenged. They are both seen as paradise on the Pacific. Did you realize that BC's leading cash crop is marijuana?

LOL, it just seems we get a lot of bad press from the other 49 states as being the land of "fruits, nuts and flakes"

[LancYorkYankee]

Originally Posted by steeljack

LOL, it just seems we get a lot of bad press from the other 49 states as being the land of "fruits, nuts and flakes"

Oh come now Steeljack, all 49 states don't say that about you as far as you know. At least Hawaii must appreciate California "diversity!"

Brian

[bullseyebarb]

Originally Posted by Eric

Before I start to disagree with evrthg you say I do hope that your relatives enjoy living in the great white north. I particularly envy your cousins in BC (we often call it British California). I hope that your aunt is happy in Ontario, where, if she should need medical care, she will get the best in the world at no cost. I had to get that one in.

I really have no idea where the "lefty east" is. In Ontario we have a liberal govt. Ontario liberals are like Northern Democrats. But the
Conservatives (like Northern Republicans) are very strong.

I am surprised at the cavalier way you dismiss your major cities ... some of them anyway ... have you given up on them? Is it ok that drive by shootings, 1000's of homeless sleeping on the streets are features of the major metropolitan areas of the richest and most powerful country in the world? Canada's largest city (Toronto) is the fifth largest in North America (Mexico City is the largest) yet, tho' it has some of the problems of large urban centres, it is clean and safe.

The idiot who pulls the gun on the highway must have access to that gun in the first place.

The question of punishing the guilty is not at issue. What is, is the element of revenge in capital punishment, not to mention the fact that innocent men and women may die on the scaffold or in the chair. The State must not exact revenge. Revenge is passionate, highly charged and very personal.

Anyway, it is a beautiful evening, the open road calls, so I will hop onto my motorcycle and go blow some of the cobwebs out of my mind.

My Ontario relatives hate the winters!

I think the U.S. has the best medical care. I have sampled socialized medicine and found it lacking. Maybe that's why Canadian doctors come down here to work and your citizens often cross the border to get attention. We even get Canadians way down here in the south seeking medical care.

There are few true liberals left. If your Ontario "liberals" are anything like our Norther Democrats - then they are left-wing socialists.

I don't dismiss our major cities. I just don't choose to live in one of them. Those with the worst problems generally seem to have one thing in common. The people in charge are Democrats.

You are too hung up on the gun issue. Fortunately, our law-enforcement people view the law-abiding citizen, (armed or otherwise), as part of the solution rather than the problem. All of these feel good solutions on the banning of guns will not keep weapons out of the hands of criminals. Only the law-abiding will obey the law.

Capital punishment is not revenge, it is justice. No-one wants to send an innocent person to death row and goodness knows it takes long enough to carry out the sentence. Many years, in fact. Plenty of time for appeals, etc., Plus we have DNA now. If a life sentence really meant life, then I think we might reconsider. But it doesn't in all cases. Plenty of examples of people being paroled and going on to kill again. So, take your pick.

[Eric]

Americans no doubt would like to think that their Canadian neighbours are like Americans who don't quite get it right (or right wing). The majoritory of Canadians ... I don't speak for the opportunistic and selfish Canadians like Conrad Black, but the ones who vote election after election to maintain our way of life ... believe that medical care should be available to all, that the poorest among us should get the same treatment as those more fortunate. We believe that the unfortunate in our society should not be completely shut out. We believe that those in the world who need are help, victims of events beyond their control, should also benefit from our immense wealth.
I should also like to point out that though most of us like our southern neighbours as individuals, most of us do not like America and what it stands for in the world. Canadian voters destroyed one political part for being too cosy with Reagan. Mulroney's conservatives were reduced to 4 seats in our House of Commons because of their pro-American policies.

We are not the fifty first state and we never will be. We hold different values. Through the governments we elect, we try to make sure that all in our country and many around the world share in what we have. As a country, we are blessed. Western Canada is floating on a sea of oil, as is the offshore of Newfoundland and Labrador. Uranium, potash, lumber, nickle, bauxite, natural gas, fresh water .... and on and on ... we have it all. But we don't use our wealth to throw our weight around. We do not storm all over the world trying to shove our system down the throats of those who do not want it. Our power is not in our military might; we are respected in the world, not feared.

This does not mean that we will not fight if necessary. Canadian troops are fighting as bravely in Afghanistan as did their great grandfather's at Vimy Ridge and the Canal du Nord, and as their grandparents did at Dieppe, Juno Beach, and in the liberation of Holland.

We respect our laws. We have Charter of Rights and Freedoms which guarntees us all the basic rights Americans have. We do not walk around in our communities armed to the teeth. Yet we have a very low murder rate, and, in fact, violent crime is on the decrease in our country. If people need guns to protect themselves from their fellow citizens something is wrong, sadly wrong.

[bullseyebarb]

Eric, I think we are getting off the original subject of this thread and will soon be scolded by the powers that be. I am sure that you and I will have plenty of opportunities down the road to discuss the many blessings/drawbacks of our respective countries as new topics bring us back into focus.

However, insofar as socialized medicine goes.....please visit Cyfr's thread entitled "The NHS is ridiculous." I just made a quick post on it and added a link that you might find of interest.

[Eric]

Originally Posted by bullseyebarb

Eric, I think we are getting off the original subject of this thread and will soon be scolded by the powers that be. I am sure that you and I will have plenty of opportunities down the road to discuss the many blessings/drawbacks of our respective countries as new topics bring us back into focus.

However, insofar as socialized medicine goes.....please visit Cyfr's thread entitled "The NHS is ridiculous." I just made a quick post on it and added a link that you might find of interest.

Ta NHS? Is that like OHIP?