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| Ad campaign in Canada. |
While the largest faith in Canada remains Christianity, nearly one-quarter of Canada’s population has no religious affiliation, according to the 2011 National Household Survey released Wednesday.
That’s roughly 7.8 million people who don’t identify with a religion, up from 16.5 per cent of the population a decade earlier.
Free health care (Correction, universal health care.), no constant warring with other nations, and now a dramatic increase in freethinkers.
Oh Canada, I think you're trying to seduce me.
Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...
Someday John. someday.
I dont' think "no religious affiliation" equals freethinkers. I don't even think "atheist" equals freethinkers. But CAnada seems like a lovely place.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure the health care is all that free. I think the care for the poor is better in CAnada than US. But I understand those with money simply come to the US for procedures that CAnada won't provide, or would take months to get an appointment for treatment.
ReplyDeleteThose with money leave the US for healthcare because our outcome statistics are not all that great. Our healthcare system is not that great.
DeleteI haveto wait months to see my primary care phsycian unless igt is an emergency - and then I get to go see a nurse practionaioner at UrgentCare and pay twice the copay for lesser qualified care. Don't even talk about getting into a specialist - the wait time for an appointment and copays are even higher.
I get very impatient when people brag about our healthcare sysgtem as it is now. Plus, if you live in a rural area - well, good luck.
7:24 - are you speaking of the U.S. system? or CAnadian system? I'm thinking you are CAnadian because I'm not familiar with people leaving the US for healthcare in Canada - and I live near the 49th parallel. But perhaps I am mistaken. and you meant "leave the US for healthcare"
DeleteRegular reader here, but first time commenter. Life long Canadian. Health care is universal in Canada. Not free and I know that I am one Canadian that is more than happy to be taxed at a higher rate for that healthcare. Do we have waiting lines? For sure, it's not perfect here, but if you are have a serious illness that requires fast treatment, you do go to the top of the list as a priority. If you can't get the treatment in the time that your doctor feels is necessary, they will move you to another province or state that can provide the needed care and our provincial hospital insurance will cover it. The procedures that Canadian will go abroad for and pay for privately are surgeries like hip and knee replacement and plastic surgery. We, like the US are an aging population and the line tend to be long for aging related surgeries. There are very few procedures that Canada won't provide, but you may have to wait for non urgent surgeries. In Canada, like the United States, all medical procedures and drugs are put through rigorous testing before being put into widespread use. Lastly there are very few procedures that you have to wait more than 3 to 6 months. There are exceptions, but they are just that...exceptions, not the rule. Okay, I've mouthed off enough....
DeleteWell said. Thanks!
DeleteFrom a fellow "Regular reader here, but first time commenter. Life long Canadian."
We can but dream, Gryphen. We can but dream.
ReplyDelete(And work our butts off trying to bring it about!)
Now if I really COULD work this butt off.... (snark!)
The health care is NOT free. It is universal. Big difference.
ReplyDeleteImagine I'm a dreamer...:(
ReplyDeleteAs long as there is "the Will to Power" there won't be peace, dammit!
Just a small clarification about health care in Canada. It is not free. Health insurance coverage, however, is very cheap and sometimes free, and is provided regardless of preexisting conditions. In Ontario, for example, it is free only to those whose taxable income is below $20,000. Above that there is a sliding scale of premiums culminating in those with a taxable income above $200,600 for whom it costs about $900 per year for mandatory insurance. It is collected through the income tax system. In addition, private sector supplementary insurance is advisable to cover such things as drugs, dental, vision care and hospital accommodation above ward among other things. Sometimes such coverage is employer provided as an employment benefit.
ReplyDeleteI am no fan of Sarah Palin by any stretch of the imagination. However, having said that, I have seen a number of claims over the years that Sarah Palin's family came to Canada when she was a child for free health care. I suspect that her family did not receive free health care, but either paid for it out of pocket or through US health insurance coverage reimbursements. You have to show proof of coverage for health care in Canada before receiving services - failing that you are informed that you will be charged for services. This applies even to Canadians receiving health services outside their province or territory of residence.
Anyone visiting Canada from the US should keep this in mind. If you are uninsured in the US, you are uninsured in Canada. If you are vacationing here, you might want to check with your health care insurer to confirm whether or not you are covered for travel health expenses outside of the USA, and if necessary, purchase additional insurance.
Hi Gryphen! Hell yeah, come on over! If you are getting tired of all the bullshit in Wasilla, come over to Whitehorse! No more, Palins, no more gun nuts, no more bullshit! The possibilities are endless!
ReplyDeleteI think all you libs on this blog should go to Canada. Thats a great idea, but don't expect the same welfare you have been living off of here in the USA. Oh and btw...healthcare in the states is much better..so good luck with that.
DeleteI love being American.
Here you are. I left a comment for you but you never answered. Why are you still lying? You do not love being American. You are a traitor to the USA and you know it.
DeleteAnd you know me how? Don't come for me unless I call for you bitch. I LOVE AMERICA and am grateful for all who have fought to protect this beautiful country. I have done my part to help ensure all those freedoms we enjoy everyday. What have you done Troll vs Troll?
DeleteI will repeat what I said to you before. Why are you so angry? Are you choking on your lies? You didn't serve in the military did you? Sarah Palin is a liar too, are you Sarah Palin?
DeleteTrollvsTroll,
DeleteI love how you presume to be so patriotic yet chastise an American for her service to her country. Dont question it! She sure doesnt owe you shit! A Ret.LTC is what she said shit for brains. I guess your jealous she did it and you didnt have the fucking balls...LMAO!! SHE IS PROBABLY ANGRY THAT SHE SPENT HER LIFE IN THE MILITARY FOR SHIT BIRDS LIKE YOU!!! LMFAO
@ 1:43pm
DeleteYour friend is NOT an American. She is a traitor to this country, why are you defending her? Also, does LMFAO mean that you are a laughing FAT person?
Chiming in as a Canadian.
ReplyDeleteI was raised in a strict Calvinist church environment. We were "in the world but not of the world". We were God's elect and our tiny denomination was likely the "only true church". All of my friends before adulthood shared my Christian upbringing. As an adult, I shifted to different denominations of Christianity.
And then... about four years ago, I began to rethink the whole supreme deity thing. Yes, Immoral Minority was a factor! I've spent hours on the internet watching talks by Dawkins, Dennett, Hichens, Harris, et. al. I've found other sites that discuss the atheist experience, one of them being The Atheist Experience. So, sitting at my computer, I've met highly rational, effective communicators who left their religion (usually Baptist or Assemblies of God). Most typically, they are located in the southern United States.
So, I thought, how about finding support groups for atheists in my province or country? Google searches have brought up next to nothing. I came to the realization that I'm an anomaly. In Canada, it is the norm to be casual about religious participation.
I'm excited about the 25% - no religious affiliation. We're going to be moving to a tipping point in the coming years. As it is right now, most politicians keep their religious views private so discussion can focus on the merits of the proposed legislation and not what God said in the Bible.
So Gryphen, this is a long way of saying thank you.
Typical of a Conservative government: make the census voluntary. When all kinds of funding and strategic decisions are based on census information, the conservatives don't want to be bothered with facts. Sounds just like the US!
ReplyDeleteBeaglemom
A U.S. friend was considering moving to Canada and, being a CPA and handy with numbers (!) she did a comparison of Canada/US tax rates, cost of living etc. and discovered that she would break even. What she would pay extra in taxes was evened out by not having to pay insurance premiums. This seems to be something that many Americans just don't (or refuse to) understand. If your employer offers health insurance as a benefit, his cost comes out of your salary. So -- either you want to support the "good health" of your insurance companies, or else you prefer to support the good health of your fellow citizens (through taxes) which ends up being good for you too.
ReplyDeleteThere were so many myths and lies told about Canadian healthcare during the 2009 fight for the ACA, and I see one of them held over in an above post. There are a very few surgeries that one would prefer to have performed by the best in the US, and only because more of them are done, and practice makes perfect. Likewise, we have patients come from all over the world (including the US) for certain procedures done here.
Just a word about emergencies while travelling: Yes, it's good to have travel insurance coverage, but the difference in hospital costs between Canada (non-profit) and the US (for-profit) are enormous. You won't go home broke trying to pay your medical bill here.
And, while you really can't believe much of what comes out of Palin's mouth, it seems her family did go to Whitehorse for healthcare BEFORE Canada enacted universal healthcare.
Meanwhile, in the real world, progress continues...
ReplyDeleteJobless claims still improving, reach another five-year low
http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/05/09/18145941-jobless-claims-still-improving-reach-another-five-year-low?lite
A 2-year-old boy died Wednesday after accidentally shooting himself in the head in the Texas town of Corsicana, the Associated Press reported.
ReplyDeleteThe child reportedly found a handgun in a bedroom while his father was in another room.
This came a day after a Florida 3-year-old fatally shot himself with a gun belonging to his uncle, and a week after a 2-year-old girl in Kentucky died after reports that her 5-year-old brother accidentally shot her in the chest.
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/2-year-old-fatally-shoots-himself-in-texas
Let's give The Cult of Reason another try: Perhaps the Revolution's most radical and divisive initiative was the move to "de-Christianize" France and institute a civil religion based entirely on "reason." Inspired by Enlightenment criticisms of the Catholic Church and in many ways embodying the Revolution's desire to transform French society at the most fundamental level, the Cult of Reason proved highly controversial in practice.
ReplyDeletefor further illumination: http://www.historytoday.com/marisa-linton/robespierre-and-terror