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Guess we need more gun laws. Lol

*shrugs* Canadian here. No interest in leaving, especially to the US of all places.\n\nI mean think that through. My income tax is around 17% of my income. My capital gains on investments is around 15%. I get free health care (which while obviously not free - is paid out of my taxes, yet isn't rationed or in-network restrictions, doesn't have copays and cover 90% of my medical needs). I have a government that even at its worst, is orders of magnitude more rational and public serving than the US (and god help you if Trump gets back in). Not to mention a country that doesn't literally have a major gun violence/mass shooting even EVERY FRICKING WEEK, unlike the US.\n\nAnd yes, I live in Metro Van and I have an 850 sq ft two bedroom apt I'm renting for $1250/mo - so maybe the problem isn't simply that the housing market is too tight (which it is), but that you've picked a city in high demand that's boxed in on four sides - ocean to the west, mountains to the north, US border to the south and what little farmland the lower mainland can sustain to the east. You could, of course, move elsewhere in Canada like Edmonton or Calgary, but yeah...not whiny enough, I guess.\n\nSorry, you're entitled to you views of course, but I can't help thinking most of your problems are self-inflicted... so yeah, move to the States.\n\nI'm SURE it'll work out better for you....

Maritimer here: I remember going to a small town in Maine for my cousin's funeral a few years back (half my family is American), and when we were checking-in at the hotel, there was a couple taking their suitcases out of the trunk of their car. The man had a handgun tucked in the back of his pants, and I remember the feeling I got seeing it when he bent over. It was pure Fear. In my mind, this man could kill me or my family in an instance if he wanted to. To me, that was the scariest thought, it felt so wrong that it was normal to carry a weapon. \n\nMind you, we have guns in Canada, they are mainly used for hunting or gun ranges, and you need a licence, which you need to pass a test if you want to go hunting with it. I guess growing up in Canada made me think that guns are dangerous and should be kept away from people... so hearing about the children's safety concerns around guns.. is probably because to us, guns out in the public is inconceivable... even worse around children. \n\nWhen there's a shooting in Canada, it's not a feeling that is reserved for the town or city where it happened. The country in its entirety mourns, it becomes Our issue. Anyways, I know my response is months late, but I felt compelled to share. :P

Yes, American citizens need to be taken care of first before we let any more people into the country, but let's keep thinking about this... Why are so many people trying to escape Venezuela? Could it possibly be the cripplingly sanctions the US has imposed on Venezuela for decades? There is no better example of how sanctions don't work and only make the population of the country suffer and not the leaders. Why are people trying to leave Mexico, which is a country where guns are 100% illegal? If you guessed violence from the drug cartels being one of the main reasons, good job. Now, why do drug cartels in Mexico even exist? To supply the gigantic appetite that Americans have. Where are the cartels getting their guns from? Once again the answer is Mexico. If you are someone saying Mexico needs to fix itself, just remember that they have the one of the worst neighbors ever. We have no problem giving Israel $3 billion every year and sending our military all over the world to bring democracy to people who never wanted it, but our neighbors to the south? Fuck em. War on drugs? Lol. That's a war America doesn't really want to win.

Well, as a Canadian, I guess i'll pitch in.\nWould I move to the US? The short answer is no. But I will explain more in detail.\n\nFirst, I do not see any advantages to the US compared to Canada. Americams often tout their country as the beacon of freedom and the land of opportunities, but I don't feel that Canada is so different there. We're actually higher on the world freedom index, and its not like our economy was in shambles and everyone dirt poor... We pay more taxes, fine, but we also get more services in return, and that last part has the advantage to remove a big layer of worry. Like, for healthcare, I don't have to worry if i'm covered by insurance or not, or if the insurance carrier will drop me on some technicality. I'm a citizen. All the basic needs are covered; no questions asked (and the healthcare quality is not half bad. We just prioritize urgent cases over non-urgent; so if you go to the hospital for something non-urgent, you will wait, and more urgent cases will pass before you. Annoying when it happens, but I understand and agree with that in the end)\n\nSecond, I do see a lot of disadvantages. All the points raised in the video are valid, from the private-sector healthcare system, the gun control laws (or lack thereof), the social policies and legislation in some states; they don't agree with me.\n\nI think it comes down to some specific social and cultural ideas that are prevalent or at least present in a substantial manner in the american society. Bear in mind that I am generalizing here, not every american believes these points, but many do. I'm talking about ego, nationalism/patriotism, secularism etc.\nI feel that the US often has a really overinflated vision of itself. Like, the idea that America is the best. At everything. Wich is factually not true, but this idea also poisons the debate on many issues, and tends to limit social introspection that could lead to real advances.\n\nI've also noticed that the american basic school system is strongly patriotic. Everyone in the US is taught a lot about the US themselves in school, but not much about the rest of the world. Not great for open mindedness and introspection when you have little comparison points.\n\nAndlets not delve into the religious aspect. I've seen a poll somewhere where 48% of americans were AGAINST the separation of church and state. For me thats not only insane, its dangerous. It fits the individualistic mentality where people can more easily start thinking that their way is THE way. It creates a very polarized society much more prone to high volatility.\n\nSo, yeah, no, I wouldn't live in the US. I'd much rather stay in Canada where i don't have to worry if I get sick or hurt, if some agressive drunk idiot in a bar is armed, or if some fundamentalists from some religious congregation is gonna be able to try to politically force their point of view.