Socialist Vancouver, Canada again named world's most livable city

[barnesfoto]

The ranking scores each city from 0-100 on 30 factors spread across five areas: stability, health care, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure. These numbers are then weighted and combined to produce an overall figure.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulli...ility_rankings

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2010/02...y6201777.shtml

[Mikeg]

Vancouver residents of Downtown Eastside, just a few blocks from much of the Olympic activity, would most assuredly take issue with that survey, which was designed to calculate the size of relocation packages for expatriates:

Olympic torch rerouted twice to avoid protesters

According to Lauren Gill,

"One block down from the games, you're not seeing a world-class city. Downtown Eastside is an international model of disaster."

[oladub]

The average Vancouver house price is $611,000 so if you are a trust fund baby, Hong Kong millionaire with a foot in Canada, or on welfare, Vancouver is really cool. Otherwise, you are both working two jobs to make the rent. This isn't to blame anything on socialism because the mountains limit sprawl and increase the demand and cost of living space. Also, if you don't mind rain, Vancouver is as balmy as Canada gets. Still, despite not being as scenic or as warm in the winter, I would perfer to live in Rochester, MN or Madison, WI in a heartbeat.

[barnesfoto]

Thanks, Mikeg for pointing out that about 100 people were protesting the parade [[Or were they protesting the presence of Arnold Schwarznegger?) and that there are actual poor people and druggies living in a large city. Those of us who have visited Canadian cities have found that there are other glaring imperfections, for example, there people living there who [[a) get publicly intoxicated after hockey games and [[b) don't flush after using public toilets.

And as Ola pointed out, houses are expensive in places that people want to live in. Perhaps he is critiquing the free market? Or have Canada's excessive regulations on banking and finance kept real estate prices from crashing?

Of course, there is this tidbit too:

"The top ten is still dominated by Canadian and Australian cities, which benefit in particular from perfect scores for health care and education."

[gnome]

how many times has Detroit appeared on some list or another and the people here on this board call such lists biased, irrelivant, or just plain old wrong.

Now, there are a couple of lists which purport to support their limited world-view and they run and embrace those lists as validation for being unbending and rigid. "See I'm right, the Economist says so!" imprinted on their chinese made organic cotton t-shirts is all the proof needed.

No reflection, no understanding of the Vancover's geography or history, just a knee-jerk flag-waving.

go-figure

[oladub]

.
And as Ola pointed out, houses are expensive in places that people want to live in. Perhaps he is critiquing the free market? Or have Canada's excessive regulations on banking and finance kept real estate prices from crashing?

I inadvertantly was critiqing the free market to an extent. I already cited Vancouver as a nice place. Supply demand is a free market concept. I mentioned mountains as limiting lebensraum [[re: supply of land). Also I mentioned the Hong Kong millionaires who flooded Vancouver with cash when they weren't sure how the Hong Kong/mainland China thing would go. I guess you could say they opted for a freer market than mainland China might have offered.

Canadian banking and finance regulations have little, if anything, to do with the topic but in the States, states that were more regulated had many fewer savings and loan failures than states like California and Texas. I resented the bailouts of Texas and California financial institutions by the federal government. Such regulations were different because states, not the federal government, regulated the savings and loans. Since the localized savings and loan failures, the federal government vastly expanded its role and mucked up the entire banking industries as we have recently witnessed.

[oldredfordette]

They were protesting the Olympics. I get emails from a Canadian musician who is part of a country-wide protest of the games, which they find a drain on the economy and an event that was not democratically sought.

[Bobl]

Now, if they could just figure out how to get some snow, the downhill skiers can perform!
Seriously, most Canadians I know have a pretty good life. They certainly do not have to worry about bankruptcy if they become ill.
On the other hand, Vancouver has been gentrified to the point that few workers can afford to live there. A lot of money and real estate investment has poured in from the Japanese, Chinese, and others, pricing the working class out of the market.
Beautiful area.

[Pam]

Sure, it's all fun and Olympic games until the next earthquake, tsunami or volcano eruption:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Ring_of_Fire#Canada

[Retroit]

If Canada has such great health care, then why is the Premier of Newfoundland coming to America for his heart surgery?

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=2510700

[Jimaz]

Link patch: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Ring_of_Fire#Canada

[barnesfoto]

If Canada has such great health care, then why is the Premier of Newfoundland coming to America for his heart surgery?]

Perhaps because he has the choice of having surgery outside Canada and being reimbursed by his government??

http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=...IWxZ5E1E8lamog

Perhaps because he is confused?
: [[from the NP story: A popular Progressive Conservative premier, Mr. Williams has also seen his share of controversy. During the 2008 federal election, Mr. Williams vehemently opposed the Conservative government, launching his "Anything But Conservative" -- which has been credited with keeping the Tories from winning any seats in the province.

He's also drawn criticism for his support of the seal hunt.

Read more: http://www.nationalpost.com/news/sto...#ixzz0fTZdARvj

On the other hand, if America has such great health care, how come Hernia Surgery at Shouldice Hospital, outside of Toronto, is cheaper and better than Hernia Surgery in the US?

And which health care providers in the US allow citizens to choose surgeries outside the us?

http://www.shouldice.com/

[gibran]

I say potato and you say patato, lets call the whole thing off....I prove my point you prove your point lets call the whole thing off, I like my health care you wish you had my health care so lets call the whole thing off...I say your a conservative you say I'm a liberal...whose right yep we both are so lets call the whole thing off...

[Bobl]

If Canada has such great health care, then why is the Premier of Newfoundland coming to America for his heart surgery?

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=2510700

I don't know. Ask him. Perhaps he knows of a particularly good specialist, and is taking advantage of the reimbursement he will get from his government. My partner received excellent treatment in Ontario, several years ago, for what we thought might be a heart attack. After several tests, it was determined that there was no heart damage, which was confirmed here two days later. Our cost? Thirty dollars, for the ER physician on staff.
Why are thirty million US citizens priced out of health care? Why are thousands of Americans filing bankruptcy each year, due to health care costs?

[Detroitej72]

Vancouver residents of Downtown Eastside, just a few blocks from much of the Olympic activity, would most assuredly take issue with that survey, which was designed to calculate the size of relocation packages for expatriates:

Olympic torch rerouted twice to avoid protesters

Don't you think it was just a bunch of liberals, who are collecting welfare, high on drugs, and too lazy to work causing these protest? That seems to be the standard opinion of conservatives whenever these protests happen. Unless, of coarse, they call themselves "tea baggers", then Fox News runs continuous positive coverage.

[Papasito]

Does Canada have a massive national debt, a government that the people can't afford, and a massive military presence around the world?
Might be a stretch to compare the USA to Canada....

[Mikeg]

Unless, of coarse, they call themselves "tea baggers"

None of them call themselves "tea baggers". That is a coarse pejorative deliberately used by extremists on the left to label them with a term that describes a homosexual sex act. Of "coarse", you knew that.

[Diehard]

None of them call themselves "tea baggers". That is a coarse pejorative deliberately used by extremists on the left to label them with a term that describes a homosexual sex act. Of "coarse", you knew that.

heh heh... giggle giggle... "Teabaggers":

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andy-b..._b_460769.html

[barnesfoto]

Might be a stretch to compare the USA to Canada..

.

Revaldulton, er, Pito, makes a good point. It is probably kind of a dated concept to compare ourselves to another developed country. Perhaps, since we are in the second decade post Reagan, who began the Brazilification of our country with his policies of endless deregulation [[very Brazil like, or at least pre-Lula Brazil-like) and endless interventionism, [[not so Brazil-like) we should compare ourselves to that other fading superpower, Russia.
Or maybe, despite the fact that our taxes are still considerably higher, we should compare ourselves to our southern neighbor, Mexico, which also fails to maintain any sort of social safety net, and fails to adequately tax it's wealthy, while wasting money on silly military endeavors [[well, at least Mexico's silly military adventures are within its' own borders, unlike us.)

[QUOTE][None of them call themselves "tea baggers". That is a coarse pejorative deliberately used by extremists on the left to label them with a term that describes a homosexual sex act./QUOTE]

Well, that's why some of us more polite folks refer to these people as a "sick cult".

BTW, did you go to the "Tea Party Convention?" Just curious as to whether the 500+ dollars per person tickets were worth the cost?? Steak or Shrimp?

[Mikeg]

that's why some of us more polite folks refer to these people as a "sick cult".

Name calling is such "third grade" behavior, but I digress. I thought your contrived "sick cult" name-calling schtick was used to refer to Republicans. Have you now devalued it to include everybody who doesn't share your political views?

BTW, did you go to the "Tea Party Convention?"

Those folks are wasting their time and money.

[Detroitej72]

I thought your contrived "sick cult" name-calling schtick was used to refer to Republicans. Have you now devalued it to include everybody who doesn't share your political views?

The tea-baggers are the fringe wing of the Republican Party. That's why they sat silently on their hands while Bush Jr. sent the deficit skyward. Once he was out of office, they suddenly became "outraged" at government spending. Funny, considering most of that crowd whom I know supported the Bush Wall Street Bailout/ Gifts.

[Mikeg]

The tea-baggers are the fringe wing of the Republican Party.

You've already established with your earlier "they call themselves 'tea baggers' " comment that you don't know what you are talking about. There's no need to further prove it.

[rb336]

You've already established with your earlier "they call themselves 'tea baggers' " comment that you don't know what you are talking about. There's no need to further prove it.

no, they just talked about "tea bagging" [[and yes, those WERE their words) congress and Obama. since the person bagging groceries is a bagger, those who engage in tea bagging are, therefore, tea baggers

[Detroitej72]

You've already established with your earlier "they call themselves 'tea baggers' " comment that you don't know what you are talking about. There's no need to further prove it.

And you have established with your blind support of any right wing cause that you can't see the forest for the trees.

[Danny]

There were some flaws during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver B.C.

1. The luge accident that lead to the death of a Georgian Man.

2. Mechanical failure in one of the Olympic Torches.

3. Warmer Weather either delay or cancel other Winter Olympic events.

4. There were downhill ski accidents that cause seven Winter Olympic Athletes females to crash and burn. That lead to 2 Americans Lindey Vonn to win the Gold Medal and Julia Mancuso to win the Silver Medal. They are the ones who ski really good.

5. Security breach in one of the Olympic Events due to a fake pass that cause a con artist to sit just steps away from Vice.President of the United States Joe Biden.


Vancouver a fun time yuppied city, but at least is not Seattle, WA.