Just had to reply, although I haven't read all the postings. However, they all lean toward something very unprepossessing in political arguments and that is the 'canada' vs 'america' argument. To do this you have to look ONLY at the purviews of the federal government, which is nada when it comes to health care, education, and welfare. As somebody who lived in both New Brunswick and New York, let me tell you, you are FAR better off in New York. Although you get a little bit more in NB (3300 per year vs. 2900) the cost of living is far greater (middle class housing in New York city of course has gone through the roof, however, percentage spent on housing in the province vs. the state are pretty much the same.
Also, there are far far more independant NGO's operating in the state because of their larger population. In New Brunswick you can't find a free place to stay if you are homeless, and there are few soup kitchens.
The bigger question though is the middle class. There are tons of state sponsored initiatives, particularly in the New England states, that help defray medical costs. In Canada, while some surgeries have short waiting periods it literally is a crap shoot. Much of the money in Ontario has gone to revamp the clinic system since it is known that it is impossible to find enough doctors.
My point is this: the main argument for the 'canadian system' seems to be arguments for the canadian system as it USED TO BE. Not as it is now. In some cases you may be lucky. I kept calling and got my wife in to get her gall bladder removed in a relatively short time, while many literally have to wait months or years. And of course the medications that are covered by medicare get less and less.
I suggest people check out the sections here on direct democracy, because you haven't got the same country you had a decade ago, and few politicians care. You can argue back and forth about who has hypothetically the best country, it's moot anyway.
