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I find your posts bizarre.
I can't speak for the knowledge of other Canadians any more than you can speak for other Americans. But making broad generalizations on a country based on a couple of bad experiences is the definition of stereotyping. It's insulting. Where in this thread did I take potshots at America? Out of nowhere you start commenting on Canada, health care, socialism, and the apparent trend of Canadians to rip you off, and then you ask me why they might do that. I don't know, man. Hey, since you're American and all, maybe you can tell me why Howard Stern is such a jackass. Help me out?
Anytime I've ordered a product from the States, I've never had the opportunity to screw over the vendor even if I wanted to. If a courier brings a package to you, you have to give them your credit card, which they charge brokerage fees on, before they give you your box. Ditto for USPS - they keep your box in the back room until you pay. If you don't pay, you don't get your stuff. Perhaps it's different for FedEx, but that's an American company I've never had any exposure to.
I'm confused why you're suggesting you are somehow paying for healthcare through mail fees. Did you actually see a fee listed someplace on an invoice for "health care"? If you did, I have no idea why you would have.
Just so you know, Canada isn't a socialist country, no matter what conservative talking head told you that on Fox News (I voted conservative, by the way. Yes, you can vote conservative in Canada - the stripe of our current government. Can you name our prime minister? I'm God-fearing Protestant, drive a 4x4, have a massive gun collection I hunt animals with, and like my coffee black. No pansy liberals in my family.)
"Canada is a federal constitutional monarchy with parliamentary democracy." Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada
I take offense not to outside definitions of my country, but any negative connotations that are being applied to it - in this case, unprovoked. (You're a vendor, too? Why are you taking shots at the country of a bunch of potential buyers? I just don't get it.)
Not that you have much interest, but I'll take my country every day of the week and twice on Sunday; I like the idea that if I get hurt, I don't have to bankrupt myself to get healthcare. I like the idea that cities here are unlike, say, Detroit, where the city is gutted from the inside-out to the point where you can pick up a 70's bungalow for a couple of grand thanks to reckless sub-prime lending that may yet send America's economy into the sewer.
I like the idea that Canada is nearly debt-free, despite the fact that we have a taxpayer-funded program to ensure universal health care (it's just a progam - like "medicare" or "social security" that you pay for - what's the problem with paying for health care?) whereas the States owe almost 10 trillion dollars, and their unfortunate response to fixing the problem is printing more currency; the greenback is fast becoming devalued compared to other worldwide currencies, and America is adding 700 billion to its national debt each year - when Canada hasn't run a deficit in a decade. We've got more oil and natural resources than the Middle East, though that probably means America will send the Army over the border someday to acquire it. I fear very much the worldwide consequences of the incredible degree of reckless spending Bush initiated once he took office from Clinton, the guy who left America with a 500 billion-dollar surplus.
If you visited here, you'd probably like it, incidentally. I'm guessing that will never happen either, because you wouldn't want to be infected with some horrible kind of socialism disease.
And by the way, nothing I've said is intended as a slight on America, Canada's greatest trading partner and best worldwide friend, no matter what they say about us on Fox News (which I watch all the time). I'm just confused as to why you'd whip out the commentary on something completely unrelated to some questions about a moped engine kit.
Anyway, thanks for your information. So you don't overcharge, good to know.
