Canada Ping!
Posted on 09/18/2012 4:33:41 AM PDT by NorthernRight
Canada ranked in Top 5 for economic freedom Sarah Boesveld, National Post · Sept. 18, 2012 | Last Updated: Sept. 18, 2012 3:02 AM ET
Canada has taken its place among the Top 5 countries with the most economic freedom, according to a new Fraser Institute report - now leaps and bounds ahead of the United States thanks to the gradual shrinking of the Canadian government since the mid-1990s as America's just got bigger.
The annual Economic Freedom of the World report, released Tuesday, has Canada tied in fifth place with Australia - up one spot from last year. Hong Kong remains at the top, Singapore's next, then New Zealand.
Meanwhile, the United States, once a "standard bearer" of economic liberty among industrial nations, spiralled 10 spots from the 2011 rankings to 18th place - its lowest position ever, and a huge drop from its second place spot in 2000.
And as the size of Canada's government continues to slightly shrink due to slowed growth in government spending postrecession and America's continues to expand, this indicator could eventually make us the industrialized world's new leader on economic freedom, said Fraser Institute president Niels Veldhuis.
"What we have in front of us is a marked opportunity," he said. "We can significantly exceed the U.S. in economic freedom over the course of, I would say, the next five to 10 years. The question for Canadians is are we going to seize the opportunity or are we going to let the opportunity go by?''
The study's authors point to research that shows nations with high levels of economic freedom - plenty of personal choice, voluntary exchange, freedom to compete and security of private property - do better in terms of well-being.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalpost.com ...
Go Canada! Show the way! You’re doin’ it right!
Another America downgrade courtesy of Obungles.
Guess I know where I moving to if the AnnointedIdiot gets re-elected....=.=
1. Cut the size of government and government spending.
2. Exploit your own resources, especially energy.
3. Get out of the way.
The US could be there in a few years (months?).
And it used to be sunlight to a vampire in terms of it's socialist ways and lack of personal freedom compared to the USA.
Gee, we've come a long way baby, in America...
Of course Canada doesn't have the 100 billion here and 100 billion there given to tyrants worldwide to buy peace.
Piece of cake!......once you get by 535 hard core self anointed dictators starved for hard earned labor to buy votes in Washington DC.
I wish, but I don’t think it is going to happen.
The best we can do is slow the growth and impingement of government. Its not like any bureaucrats are going to give up pieces of their little empires for the general welfare of the Nation.
When one considers the entitlements in this country, I am really surprised that we are shrinking the government. We hand out money like there’s no tomorrow.
In any case, good for us.
Irony of ironies...my severely Democrat daughter (mid 20s) moved to Canada to get her master’s degree and has found permanent work there.
Canada Ping!
How did it happen?
Their version of the Tea Party, based in Alberta, finally got fed up with the Tory RINOS and split. (Google C-CRAP to learn more about this). This led to more than a decade of Liberal dominance where they were free to do whatever they want. This chastened the RINOS, who came crawling back to a much more Conservative party (and a nation weary of the inevitable screwed-up results of continual rule by Liberals)
We may need to do likewise. It’s a very, very painful road though.
and now the Rino CINO Canadians are running the party again
Well thats what happens in a police state.
Canada got lucky. The FTA with the US really helped our economy. Even the liberals who were in charge in the 1990's realized that unlimited deficit spending was unsustainable.
Canada got real lucky when conservative forces aligned themselves and Harper was elected with a parliamentary majority. Canada got lucky again with a couple of brilliant Bank of Canada governors who understood what to do.
Under reasonable leadership, a country like Canada, with tremendous physical resources and entry to the biggest consumer market in the world cannot help but succeed.
I wish the US similar luck.
Not only did the Conservatives get religion on economic issues, even the Liberals did to the point of running budget surpluses. Two of Canada’s three top federal parties are to the right of the U.S. Rs economically. Unfortunately, as GeronL points out, they are both definitely to the left of the Rs socially, and at least one (and probably both) to the left of the Ds as well.
Still, half is better than nothing—and this is an economics thread.
The conservative dominate Alberta and passed a law banning home schoolers from teaching homosexuality is a sin. A private conversation with your own kid at HOME is now regulated by “conservatives” in Canada.
They might have cancelled it, but they supported and passed it first.
I am quite aware of how bad things are in some places in Canada—but while a private conversation in Alberta is regulated, and maybe in Quebec, but we are still a little bit better off in Ontario. And to make matters even worse in Alberta, the WildRose party largely caved on a whole stack of social issues.
Still, I stand by the position that from an economic viewpoint, Canada is in better shape—and would still be in better shape under the Liberals than the U.S. would be under the Rs. I also think that as a smaller country the bureaucracy is somewhat hobbled.
Sounds like an awful lot of “luck”. Or was it?
In other areas I could go on and on about how providence has graced both countries, but things are a little easier for Canada. Canada does not have the third world on its southern border, in fact its only land border is with the US. Best neighbor in the world. Plus, since we share the continent, the US would never allow a foreign power to invade Canada.
From what I can see, there is not as much corruption in Canada. Politics is not a blood sport. The left wing parties do not resort to smear as much and the actual voting process is basically honest and above board. You do need to show ID to vote, and they cross your name off the list when you get a ballot.
Is the Canadian electorate smarter? I think the literacy rate is higher but the average voter isn't any smarter. Left wing politicians still pander and try to buy votes with the voter's own money. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.
Call it luck or the confluence of events. In 1993 the remains of the conservative party held two (2) seats out of 295. The could literally hold a caucus in a phone booth. A man named Preston Manning came from Alberta and formed a new right wing party, the Reform Party. In the next election Reform won 60 seats and the conservatives got 20. They kept increasing their election totals until 2006 when Harper was able to form a minority government.
Just last year Harper finally won enough seats to form a majority government. In a parliamentary democracy with no real constitution, a majority government has virtual dictatorial powers. As long as they can maintain party discipline, everything gets passed.
The markets seem to like what is going on. The Canadian dollar is up about 25% vs. the greenback since 2009. The country's debt has a AAA rating. The banking system is solid. The Bank of Canada is NOT printing money. The federal budget is scheduled to BALANCE in two years. I'll take it.
If you want a take on Canada's foreign policy, I love posting this picture.
Notice the relaxed body language and genuine smiles from both of these guys.
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