[Newsbot]

Title: Opinion - When it comes to healthcare and guns, Canadians have no reason to be smug
Category: Political
Posted By: uwish
Date: 2009-09-24 14:18:45
Canadian

[uwish]

"Healthcare in the U.S. works in much the same manner.

Of course, this private model can leave individuals with large medical bills, but large medical bills are far better than suffering or, as our Supreme Court notes, sometimes dying on a waiting list.

Further, it is not only the Americans that rightly reject our healthcare system � so does every major country in Europe. All of them have parallel private, two-tier systems of medicine and none of them are considering moving to Canada's Marxist model of pure government delivery.

On the gun issue, the Americans are also correct.

The purpose of firearms policy in a free country is primarily to guard civil liberty against tyranny, not to allow recreation within the boundaries of public safety.

The reason public safety arguments have resonance in our country is that we are repeatedly told by the members of our illiberal social democratic ruling class that American values include a right to bear arms and Canadian values do not.

This is historically inaccurate. When the American passed their Bill of Rights, which includes the right to bear arms, they were reaffirming the traditional British liberties listed in English Bill of Rights, which include the right to keep arms for defence.

The English Bill of Rights is part of Canada�s legal tradition and at the time of Confederation our founders were keen to protect the traditional British liberties found in it.

In fact, they chose British institutions because they felt America was too egalitarian and not concerned enough with the British liberties that originally inspired the American Revolution.

A famous line from a famous speech by Richard Cartwright during our founding debates is �I own frankly I prefer British liberty to American equality.�

Further, in 1868, Parliament established the Dominion Rifle Association so that well-armed Canadian citizens could protect the nation from American incursions.

The Americans, by contrast, only founded the NRA in 1871. In fact, it was not until 1977, that self-defence stopped being alegal reason to purchase a firearm in Canada."

[Akhenaten]

The premise of the article is backwards. It's not Canadians who are smug about guns and health care we just don't like one and like the other. I think we'd be perfectly happy to just be left alone on the subject. The only time I see Canadians getting 'smug' about it is in defense of it when others are unfairly critical.

Democrats in the US however continually bring Canada into their various debates re; handguns/healthcare and they do it smugly. Not our fault. Not our problem. If they want to put us on a pedistal fine, nothing we can do about it. If they want to paint Canada as some kind of Shangri-La, just what are we supposed to do about it?

Republicans do the same thing in reverse and if there is ever a response by Canadians to being unfairly critizied or characterized then I'm sure we sound 'smug' at that point.

The prevailing attitude I've ever seen from Canadains is "We're going to do what we like in regards of handguns or healthcare" and few care what others think about it. That's smug? Ok. We're smug then.

[BartSimpson]

Honestly, the thing that really tweaks me about Canadian gun control is that your politicians have a nagging tendency to blame the various failures of their gun control schemes on our right to keep and bear arms. But, of course, the same folks say that legal marijuana in Canada has no effect on drug trafficking in the USA and law enforcement in the USA says otherwise.

It's a mutual flogging and I suppose the best we can do is accept it, shake hands, and

[Akhenaten]

$1:

Honestly, the thing that really tweaks me about Canadian gun control is that your politicians have a nagging tendency to blame the various failures of their gun control schemes on our right to keep and bear arms.

I have to agree that too often our politicains use the illusionary spector of "becoming like the US" (whatever that's supposed to mean) in order to stifle reasonable debate on everything from health care reform here to municipal liquor licenses. It's a weak ploy unfortunately it remains because it's often successful.

[Public_Domain]

Akhenaten Akhenaten:

The premise of the article is backwards. It's not Canadians who are smug about guns and health care we just don't like one and like the other. I think we'd be perfectly happy to just be left alone on the subject. The only time I see Canadians getting 'smug' about it is in defense of it when others are unfairly critical.

Democrats in the US however continually bring Canada into their various debates re; handguns/healthcare and they do it smugly. Not our fault. Not our problem. If they want to put us on a pedistal fine, nothing we can do about it. If they want to paint Canada as some kind of Shangri-La, just what are we supposed to do about it?

Republicans do the same thing in reverse and if there is ever a response by Canadians to being unfairly critizied or characterized then I'm sure we sound 'smug' at that point.

The prevailing attitude I've ever seen from Canadains is "We're going to do what we like in regards of handguns or healthcare" and few care what others think about it. That's smug? Ok. We're smug then.

What this guy said.

[leewgrant]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

Honestly, the thing that really tweaks me about Canadian gun control is that your politicians have a nagging tendency to blame the various failures of their gun control schemes on our right to keep and bear arms. But, of course, the same folks say that legal marijuana in Canada has no effect on drug trafficking in the USA and law enforcement in the USA says otherwise.

It's a mutual flogging and I suppose the best we can do is accept it, shake hands, and

A Canadian politician is one who blames the Americans for letting their guns into our country but who also says that Canadian pot going into into the US is an American problem.

[Wada]

ya but pot going into the US doesn't kill anyone, so it's not noted as a problem.

[bootlegga]

I'll take both of our systems over theirs any day of the week.

Frankly, I'd just as soon the US didn't bring us into their debates on gun control and health care, as most Canadians prefer our system to theirs and could care less whether or not they like them.

[Praxius]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

Honestly, the thing that really tweaks me about Canadian gun control is that your politicians have a nagging tendency to blame the various failures of their gun control schemes on our right to keep and bear arms. But, of course, the same folks say that legal marijuana in Canada has no effect on drug trafficking in the USA and law enforcement in the USA says otherwise.

It's a mutual flogging and I suppose the best we can do is accept it, shake hands, and

I think it'd be more appropriate to smoke some doobies and shoot some guns off in the air.... more fun too.

[Praxius]

bootlegga bootlegga:

I'll take both of our systems over theirs any day of the week.

Frankly, I'd just as soon the US didn't bring us into their debates on gun control and health care, as most Canadians prefer our system to theirs and could care less whether or not they like them.

Agreed.... However, it'd be nice that if they are going to toss us in their mud slinging, at least get their sh*t right.

Death Panels?

Thanks Palin for that one, keep looking at Russia from your window and keep forgetting that Canada is right behind you...... you friggin nut.

[Apollo]

$1:

Thanks Palin for that one, keep looking at Russia from your window and keep forgetting that Canada is right behind you...... you friggin nut.

Actually, Russia can be spotted from Alaska. I'm not kidding.

[Apollo]

Oh yeah....proof.

http://www.heywhatsthat.com/alaska.html

[OldChum]

Of course, this private model can leave individuals with large medical bills, but large medical bills are far better than suffering or, as our Supreme Court notes, sometimes dying on a waiting list.

Wonder what you do when You have borrowed all you can and mortaged all you can, and you still need more ,just die in the corner or the basement ?

[Apollo]

OldChum OldChum:

Of course, this private model can leave individuals with large medical bills, but large medical bills are far better than suffering or, as our Supreme Court notes, sometimes dying on a waiting list.

Wonder what you do when You have borrowed all you can and mortaged all you can, and you still need more ,just die in the corner or the basement ?

An option would be to walk into a State sponsored hospital and be treated for free.