XPost: ab.general, ab.politics, calgary.general   
   XPost: can.general, can.taxes, ont.politics   
   From: Some@Other.Guy   
      
   Americans pay less in taxes because their gov'ts are running larger   
   debts (both per-capita and as a percentage of GDP) as is the case in   
   Canada.   
      
   Right now the US federal debt is something like 65% of GDP, while it's   
   40% in Canada.   
      
   If you want a gov't that borrows from the future to pay it's current   
   expences, then you'll love the USA.  Especially when that gov't has   
   spent more than 300 billion dollars in an illegal and immoral invasion   
   and occupation of another country and has received no benefit from   
   that act - only pain, suffering, and death of 3000 soldiers and   
   serious debilitation of thousands more that will put a HUGE drain on   
   their VA medical system for decades.   
      
   As a small business partner in Ontario, I couldn't imagine the costs   
   of setting up and participating in a medical insurance plan like they   
   have to do in the US.  The biggest pain in the ass for small business   
   owners in the USA is employee health care.  I thank god we have OHIP.   
      
   For those that say that Canada has 1/10 the population and therefore   
   has to spend 10x as much, that's bullshit.  Canada has a population   
   that's on par (roughly) with New York state or California, but it   
   doesn't cost them 10x as much to build a highway, etc.  Taxpayers in   
   Boston don't contribute to the cost of building and operating grade   
   schools in Seattle or a fire trucks in San Antonio, etc.   
      
   I think that the real drain (in Ontario at least) is the public school   
   system and that half of our property taxes goes to a school system   
   that's out of control and is keeping many schools open that have low   
   attendence and in general teachers are paid way too much.   
      
   (if you reply to this, you probably want to remove the "followup-to"   
   setting that I was forced to add by the news server I'm using)   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)