Canada's Middle Class Now More Affluent Than America's

http://www.alternet.org/economy/wer...s-more-affluent-middle-class-america?page=0,0

Explanations? Theories? Diatribes? Manifestos?

 

Our dollars suck. That is what happens when your country goes through two major economic disasters back to back and your politicians decide not to fix anything. First we had the 2000-2001 Global tech bubble/9/11 mess so we doubled down on real estate and created a financial disaster in 2007-2008 that took down major institutions. Nothing has been fixed.

 

Not that big a surprise. They avoided the bulk of the financial crisis and have had conservative government for years. We were ground zero of the financial crisis and we've had a fairly leftist government for years.

 

Back in the mid 90s the Canadians were smart enough to cut their gov't spending significantly, which lead to fiscal solvency. That decision was made by the liberals up there too, the whole country got behind it and Canada went from being a financial basketcase to one of the world's most successful economies. In this country we can't agree on anything, and the blame for that falls on just about everybody.

 

I don't think their conservatives are the same as your conservatives.

 

Your right,
They're not exactly like our conservatives. They will actually CUT spending, and not vote for an extension of a debt ceiling.

Also they're a lot colder most of the year.

 

You do know that Canada has a single-payer healthcare system, right?

 

Neither are their liberals really. If there is a lesson to be learned here it is that without fiscally responsible decision-making, you are in a race to the bottom.

 

Before you praise Canada you should take a look at our housing market. Most Canadians cannot afford to buy homes.

 

you dont have an open border with mexico and a constant flow of poor people plopping out babies and collecting welfare from a system they never payed into.

 

Or higher minimum wages. Something anti Obama people are against.

 

Obama's only economic ideas were to give money to green energy companies, while Canada is investing in tar sands, and we all know how those initiatives turned out. But at least Obama is doubling down by delaying the Keystone XL pipeline.

 

its easier to pay your employees more when you are taxed less. funny how that works out.

 

"Explanations? Theories? Diatribes? Manifestos?" No!

Canadians don't have a president who is forcing the middle class to share their income with the "poor." The American middle class will soon be spending about half its income to comply with Obamacare and fund botique health care for American minorities.

 

Also we're paying 1.40-150 + per gallon for gas. Not many US states are paying the amount that we do. Buying new cars cost 30 % more in Canada than across the border. Repeatedly gouged by Internet companies, cellphone companies. Food costs more.

It is not all that good here for the middle class as the article makes you think.

 

Read this. We're in the beginning of a temporary foreign workers awakening and many businesses are suffering because of their greed and fallout.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...er-foreign-workers-claim-wage-theft-1.2620672

 

gas in my state is about $3.70 per gallon

 

You didn't have a Fannie and Freddie that encouraged uncreditworthy people to buy homes they couldn't afford, hence no mortgage meltdown to wipe out the middle class.

 

Canadian banks were regulated by the liberals. Prior to 2008 the Tory government wanted to deregulate the banks.

 

Completely unrelated to my point. You didn't have a version of Fannie and Freddie in existence that lowered credit requirements and subsidized down payment requirements.

 

A. Irrelevant. The topic is the middle class. If you are subsisting on minimum wages, you are not in the middle class.

B. Each State can increase it's minimum wage to whatever it want's, just like each province can.

C. Our government is actively working to push down wage rates by importing as many low skilled workers as possible. Your country seems slightly more sane in that regard.

 

18,700 IS minimum wage.

 

What happened to all those provincial minimum wages?

 

Still there. The point is even canadas lowest minimum wage 9.95 = more than 18,700 in wages, which is the number the NYT used.

 

Is that in loonies?

And why is that even relevant? The issue is the middle class.