US losing faith in Canada

[Asher]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
There are two ways to solve this problem. The first one is to improve logistics.

We can't create soldiers out of thin air. We need more funding for that, you know...

The seond one, to reduce the men fielded.

So Canada should continually reduce our peacekeeping forces? I'm ideologically opposed to that.

Given the size of Canada, not a lot of countries can conquer it. Invade, sure, but conquer, no.

That argument doesn't really cut it. The vast majority of Canada's population is concentrated in certain areas.

There's certain areas in particular that hold more oil than all of Saudi Arabia, and have only about half a dozen F-18s defending it...

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Asher
You know what? F*ck you. You're exactly the reason why I won't risk my life for Canada. Canada doesn't respect me, Canadians don't respect me or people from my province in general, and I sure as hell won't put my ass on the line so you can sit on your high horse and shout down at people and judge them based on their opinion of your federal government.

Well, what makes you think that the US will respect you?

[Asher]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
Well, what makes you think that the US will respect you?

They already have.

[Willem]

Originally posted by obiwan18


Why do you think our birthrate is so low? That's the real brain-drain. That is why we are having trouble finding enough immigrants to fill these positions.

But that's not a uniquely Canadian problem, all the industrial nations are facing it.

[KrazyHorse]

Except the US.

[KrazyHorse]

And I don't see it as a "problem" at all.

But I do think that government should do more to encourage procreation in the form of tax credit and direct subsidies.

[Willem]

Originally posted by obiwan18
Frogger:

I hate to kill a thread, but I think it's

Tax-funded abortion on demand.

Obiwan, take a look at other countries before you make such a blanket judgement. Shrinking populations are occuring every where, not just in Canada. It's one of the side effects of an industrialized country. There's a lot of people who feel that they have better things to do with their time and money than have children, or they may decide to have only one. Availabilty of abortions has very little to do with it.

[Willem]

Originally posted by Frogger
obi:

Doesn't answer the question. Even if you added that in we'd be far short of the US birth rate. And IIRC the abortion rate in the US is higher than here.

Look at the marriage rate...

People in Canada aren't interested in getting married and having children as young as those in the States.

You also have to look at who's having the babies in the US. There's a reason why Spanish is becoming a predominant language in parts of the US. Same with other immigrant groups. If it wasn't for immigration in both countries, the populations would be shrinking on both sides of the border.

[KrazyHorse]

IIRC the US actually reproduces its own population.

But if you want to get into ethnic comparisons, then yes, IIRC, both whites and blacks in the US fall a bit short of breakeven while hispanics go beyond.

(This is IIRC. I saw the figures recently, but cannot say where)

[Jon Miller]

Originally posted by Frogger
And I don't see it as a "problem" at all.

But I do think that government should do more to encourage procreation in the form of tax credit and direct subsidies.

:d:

Jon Miller

[KrazyHorse]

My reasoning actually isn't to encourage people to have more babies...but to remove some of the financial burden having children places on people.

It's more a social justice than social engineering issue in my mind.

[Willem]

Originally posted by Asher
An example of why the US system is better: Bush wanted to do a $715B tax cut, the Senate disagreed, and actually had power to cut that thing in half.

If this were in Canada, no one would be able to question or second-guess the PM passing that tax cut.

Well on that we agree, our system needs more checks and balances. I would like to see a reformed Senate, and removing the Queen as our head of state and replaced by someone who has been elected. I do think we could learn a few lessons from the Americans in that regard. Majority governments can do pretty much anything they want once they're in power.

[Willem]

Originally posted by Asher

The recruiters I spoke to gave a decidedly different impression...

Obviously they don't know you very well.

You know what? F*ck you. You're exactly the reason why I won't risk my life for Canada. Canada doesn't respect me, Canadians don't respect me or people from my province in general, and I sure as hell won't put my ass on the line so you can sit on your high horse and shout down at people and judge them based on their opinion of your federal government.

If people from Alberta would stop shooting their mouth off all the time, maybe the rest of us would take you more seriously. Take this letter by Klein to the US ambassador. What business is it of his to stick his nose into it.? It's clearly not in any province's jurisdiction. How can we have respect for someone who's constantly trying to undermine what the majority of Canadians believe in?

[Ben Kenobi]

Good points all round.

The abortion rate in the US is lower than Canada

http://www.webhart.net/vandee/abortstat.shtml

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0764203.html

32.2 for every 100 live births in Canada
30.2 for every 100 live birth in the US.

Our birthrate stands at 1.4
While the US is around 2.1

But that's not a uniquely Canadian problem, all the industrial nations are facing it.

And all the industrialised countries allow abortion on demand.

So the difference in abortion rates do not account for all of the birthrate difference between Canada and the US.
So clearly, abortions are not the whole story.

But they do provide a brain-drain of 100,000 people a year whom we would otherwise have as Canadians.

I agree that industrialisation will drop the birth rates, but abortion on demand is also lowering the birthrates.

[Willem]

Originally posted by Asher


There's certain areas in particular that hold more oil than all of Saudi Arabia, and have only about half a dozen F-18s defending it...

From who?