Author Topic: An American's View of Canada (Read 21070 times)

Red01 · « **Reply #15 on:** June 01, 2006, 01:39:46 PM »

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Canada has more of its population living in urban areas...

And the vast majority of those urban areas are a short drive from the US border.

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...and accepts more immigrants per capita than the United States.

Is that a good thing? Maybe so, when their tax rate is so high, it gives the gov't more income to pay for their social programs. Especially that 'free medical' that's so great Canadians flock to the US to pay out of their pocket for health care just bypass the long waits in their country.

Canada - a nice place to visit, I just don't wanna live there.

Desolation Angel · « **Reply #16 on:** June 01, 2006, 02:35:51 PM »

Quote from: Sven

Quote from: PaulVS

+1 (or perhaps +100).

Quote from: PaulVS

+2 (darn that PaulVS and his frivolous posts

)

Quote from: Red01

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Canada has more of its population living in urban areas...

And the vast majority of those urban areas are a short drive from the US border.

Quote
...and accepts more immigrants per capita than the United States.

Is that a good thing? Maybe so, when their tax rate is so high, it gives the gov't more income to pay for their social programs. Especially that 'free medical' that's so great Canadians flock to the US to pay out of their pocket for health care just bypass the long waits in their country.

Canada - a nice place to visit, I just don't wanna live there.

Uh oh, this could get political. Duck & cover!!

jbrough7 · « **Reply #17 on:** June 01, 2006, 02:55:13 PM »

Geez! I don't know what to attack first so I think I'll just keep my mouth shut!

Red01 · « **Reply #18 on:** June 01, 2006, 03:21:09 PM »

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Red01: Canada - a nice place to visit, I just don't wanna live there.

Mind you, that's just my own personal opinion. . . and not meant to be a slam against Canada - or any other country. The US does have it's share of problems, but of all the places I've visited, I've yet to find another country that I'd rather live in.

jbrough7 · « **Reply #19 on:** June 01, 2006, 06:33:22 PM »

So you're dissin' us but you're NOT dissin' us, you S.O.B!!!

Seriously, though, I know what you mean...makes you feel for those who leave their homeland and all they grew up with...

This might seem a paradox but I don't think it is - What I really hate are people who go to a new land and then just moan and groan about how it's not like their homeland - well, no kidding! Be glad its not like your homeland! That's why you left the friggin' place! Get over it and get on with your life!! (Whew! i feel better!)

Sven · « **Reply #20 on:** June 02, 2006, 08:52:04 AM »

In all sincerity: I have never been to Canadia, but I've always thought that the only thing I would NOT like about it is that it's further north. Me no like the winter weather. When I lived in WV, I would come home from work in the dark, and lay on the sofa and eat and watch TV until bedtime. That's not life. Maybe if I knew people who could teach me winter activities, it would be better.

jbrough7 · « **Reply #21 on:** June 02, 2006, 09:51:18 AM »

I can teach ya, buddy! You already know the basics with the sofa (or couch), eating and TV but you have to throw in C.C. over ice as well!

The weather does suck and as you get older, you start to dream of Texas or some place where you can go out and ride or do whatever in the winter.

But then when spring does hit, the change in you and your lifestyle is really incredible. I'm outside all the time doing tons of physical stuff.

I read something somewhere about people in Northern climes are healthier because they shut down over the winter and rest up. Just gets pretty boring being inside all the time.

Just realized I pay nearly $1000 for bike insurance but that's just for a short six month season (and that's stretching it!). What a friggin' rip!

Desolation Angel · « **Reply #22 on:** June 02, 2006, 10:14:26 AM »

Quote from: Sven

...When I lived in WV, I would come home from work in the dark, and lay on the sofa and eat and watch TV until bedtime. That's not life...

It's not? Cr@p! That's what I do!

Red01 · « **Reply #23 on:** June 02, 2006, 12:59:39 PM »

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Sven: Maybe if I knew people who could teach me winter activities, it would be better.

Canadian women are supposed to be pretty wild - I'm sure you could find one to teach you.

Red01 · « **Reply #24 on:** June 02, 2006, 01:02:07 PM »

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jbrough7: Just realized I pay nearly $1000 for bike insurance but that's just for a short six month season (and that's stretching it!). What a friggin' rip!

OUCH! Even with the exchange rate, I'm feeling pretty darn good with my $99 for my 12 month coverage.

stormi · « **Reply #25 on:** June 02, 2006, 01:29:38 PM »

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Just realized I pay nearly $1000 for bike insurance but that's just for a short six month season (and that's stretching it!). What a friggin' rip!

Jim, Try TD Canada Trust. They do insurance, and it's underwritten by Primmum. I -assume- that's for full coverage, not what Red likely has ( plpd only)

My old ins co wanted $1332 (full coverage - coll, comp, and plpd.) to insure the blue beast. TD wanted $572 (same coverage).

My 919 should cost more to insure than your 650,... in theory. Of course, now that the 919 appears to be a restricted bike,... luckily the ins co doesn't know yet that a CB900F is the same as a 919.

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Ins co: What's the model of the bike?
Me: CB900F
Ins Co: Hmm,.. that's not the 919 though right?
Me: The Bill of sale says CB900F...
Ins Co: Ok,.. that should be fine then...

In fact, by switching to TD for the bikes, I saved over $1k in insurance.

The B4 went from $449 for plpd and theft and fire, to $300 ( it would have been lower, but I put the other half on the bike so he can get his first year of motorcycle ins over with before he buys his own bike.)

jbrough7 · « **Reply #26 on:** June 02, 2006, 01:44:11 PM »

Thanks, Stormi - I AM with TD Canada Trust. Did a lot of searching around and found them really cheap - my old 1988 Savage was only $660 but that jumped to about $970 (now full coverage) with my 2006 Bandit.

I still don't have my full M license so maybe that hurts (although I have a perfect record for car license) and have only been fiding for two seasons. Also, I live in a kinda built up area and that hurts.

Are you in the country?

stormi · « **Reply #27 on:** June 02, 2006, 02:40:51 PM »

Yikes!! Is your bike rated for "pleasure use"? (5000kms or less a year) I'm not too sure what the M license entails, it sounds like a graduated license? That could be doing it. They're talking about instituting that here, but nothing yet. You haven't taken a Safety course yet, right? I wonder if that's hurting you. In AB, TD wouldn't even insure you without the course, unless you'd already been insured somewhere else for more than 3 yrs.

I'm not in the country, but I ride through it every day.

I live in Morinville, that's about 25kms north of Edmonton.

jbrough7 · « **Reply #28 on:** June 02, 2006, 03:07:17 PM »

No- I did the safety course right away - I think they passed me just to get me outa there!

M1 is just the easy written thing; M2 is the next step with the safety course and all the riding around on a parking lot. Then I get my M after I try the full-fledged license test with the tester in the van yakking to me on the headset and me going out on the four lane highways, etc.

I don't think the graduated thingie has hurt me for price as they weren't even concerned about what level I was at or if I had done the safety course. It was just kinda one price and that was it!

I live just on the edge of a town and ride to work every day through the country as well. I don't know if I can get 'just pleasure use' here so maybe I'll try that.

You know how banks just take you for granted after a few years? Wonder if that's what's happened to TD insurance with me? They have me with the auto/home/ motorcyle so they figure they've got me by the you know what.

But I'll flip in a second if I can find anything cheaper.

stormi · « **Reply #29 on:** June 02, 2006, 03:39:00 PM »

I have heard that ins co's get complacent as well. You should at least look around every 3 years. I just pulled my insurance away from the company I'd been with for 12 yrs. They were a little surprised. I still have my auto and house insurance there, but those are all moving as soon as the policies expire.

They verified that I would be putting 5000k or less on the bike,.. and asked me the same for the bandit and the KTM ( of course, on a dirtbike, I'd like to see them prove or disprove that I did that many KMs.) but interestingly enough, I don't recall them asking the milage of any of the bikes... so how are they going to enforce that?

Wow,... you mean they,... wow. You're allowed to ride on the street without another fully licensed rider before you have the full motorcycle endorsement? That's a quick way to a license suspension here.