[peirrotlunaire]

Can't forget DCM, of course. 

[peirrotlunaire]

Those are awesome!  Thanks for sharing.

[peirrotlunaire]

Jebriodo always delivers.  I'll add more as I think of them.

[peirrotlunaire]

Very nice ending.  Thanks for finishing this story and adding your writing talents to the forum.  😀  Now get a start on your next story!  Please!

It was nice to see a erotic growth story that didn't have to involve sex.  Thanks for keeping Superman mostly true to character as far as Lois is concerned.

[peirrotlunaire]

Likewise, countries like Mexico and Canada have gone about 140 and 200 years, respectively, without significant armed activity on their territory, at least in part because of their proximity to the United States.

..except that it was the US that attacked Canada and Mexico 200 and 140 years ago.  The British and Canadians beat you back to a draw and you took Texas and California from Mexico.  So proximity to the US seems to have made armed activity worse.  I'm being a little silly here now that we are all allies, but you see my point.

[peirrotlunaire]

Well, I said I was going to leave it but I won't. 

As far as nationalism vs. patriotism, point taken.  I think were splitting hairs a bit here.  However, the support for the invasion of Afganistan and War in Iraq (at the time) by the general American population surely speaks of at least some nationalism.  And before you go off on a tirade, I'm well aware of your opinions of those conflicts.  Let's just say we disagree. 

My use of the softwood lumber dispute was merely an example.  Of course it is not the same magnitude as healthcare expenditures, but it served as an example of the U.S's own free market system not meeting the US's needs and the government stepping in to help the economy through job preservation. 

Of course, the Canadian and American economies rely on one another, we are each others largest trading partners.  Canada and the US economies would be in real trouble if they stopped trading with each other.  However, drugs would be cheaper for everyone if the American drug companies were not so dependent on making a profit and were geared around the public interest.  More money for real cures instead or baldness preventative and beauty enhancement as well. 

As far as military spending goes, is the number 4% one you made up? where did you find it?  Yes, Canada has a very small military, however, the government has increased its funding in just this past year.  However, the military is not an essential part of the Canadian identity.  We are proud of our service men and women (patriotism, I believe), but traditionally (last 50 years) our military has been used as UN peacekeepers (originally a Canadian idea), so a large military is unecessary.  We also have a reputation as a fairly peaceful country, without a great need for a large defence force.  A large military seems to do little good against random terrorist attacks anyway.

[peirrotlunaire]

Hmmm… it would seem that Lingster and I regardless of the information we present will not agree.  To your credit Lingster, you do back up your points of view and do not reduce yourself to name calling, which is nice, thank you. 

However, you (and others in this thread) have an unwavering belief in the free market, whereas I do not.  I believe some things, like medicine, education etc.. should not be left to the whims of the market.  This of course is a fundamental values question, not an economic situation one.  Therefore, I don't feel the need to continue this discussion, suffice it to say I agree to disagree.

A couple things that were bugging me though.  Last time I checked, the United States was incredibly nationalistic, correct me if I am wrong.  Economic parasitism goes both ways with Canada and the U.S., look at the softwood lumber dispute and Bush's failure to follow the rules of NAFTA.  And finally, please tell me you know more about Canada than Mounties and Molson…. :-

[peirrotlunaire]

Just a note about Canada.  I'm Canadian and have never been refused treatment, nor has anyone I know.  I think a lot of what foureyes said was incorrect.  The biggest problem in Canada is waiting lists for treatment.  This is a concern for some Canadians, but every election the population voices their strong support for government run healthcare.  Is it perfect, no, but is the most equitable and fair to all our citizens. 
As for Canadian innovation, many Canadian medical professionals are highly regarded in their field and yes Canada has made many medical breakthoughs, not the least of which was insulin and most recently a new kind of artificial heart. 
As for left/right wing.  It is interesting that totalitarianism has not been mentioned once in this discussion.  Marx's communism has never existed, all have been various forms of extreme socialism or totalitarianism in the case of Stalin's USSR and Mao's China.  So while many people died in those countries in the 20th century it was most often due to war (WWII for example) or the delusions of a maniac (Stalin).  Remember, just because I say I am a genius doesn't mean I am.  Stalin said he was a Communist but he wasn't in reality.  The fascist Nazi's called themselves the socialist party for chrissakes!
Keep in mind also, that as economic and social theories go communism is fairly young.  Democracy started with the Greeks and it has taken us thousands of years to even sort of get it working right.  And yes, Socialism and Communism are quite different, not the least of which concerns violent revolution.  (something I am quite shocked that Lingster opposes!  Amazon women of the world unite!)

As for socialized medicine slowly leading to the slippery slope of communism in America, well that just seems a little ridiculous.

Sorry for the long post, but I thought some new ideas might help this discussion.

[peirrotlunaire]

Well that was pretty awesome!  Thanks for posting.

[peirrotlunaire]

Thanks Hatour! 😀

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