About the taxes....

I saw an economic comparison last year that looked at the percentage of an individual's productivity that went towards funding government, and it adjusted for the difference between the U.S. and Canada on how health care is funded; Canadians pay taxes for health care, whereas Americans pay private companies for their care.....and it was pretty much a wash. The dollar cost difference was less than 2% of individual productivity, between the two systems. That's everything all rolled in together, federal and provincial/state taxes, and services funded privately. We do things very differently, but the individual pays about the same, on average.

Yes, I pay more taxes, as a Canadian. But, I don't pay for health care directly. Right now, in my individual situation, I not only pay (virtually) no taxes, but I still retain my health care privileges, which are granted to me as a Canadian citizen. I need help right now, not bills I can't pay. And soon, this year, I expect to be paying my full taxes once again.

I think health care ought to be a right, just like free speech. It's in the Canadian Constitution. It's a right, in Canada. I don't really know what it takes to establish legal residency in Canada, but once you do, you get the same care I do. The same right to care, I mean.

Lar