ddrueding
Fixture
Why Canada? I don't disagree in the least that the US is going to be a place I don't want to live within the decade, but Canada? I'm thinking Australia, New Zeland, Spain, even England, but Canada is far too cold for my liking.
/still looking for a job in Canada.
- Thread starter ddrueding
- Start date
CougTek
Hairy Aussie
Vancouver isn't cold or even cool.
Mercutio
Fatwah on Western Digital
It's easier to emigrate to Canada and I'm fairly confident that I could bring my belongings (including my pets) with me.
I've had e-mail correspondence and I was actually one of the top three applicants for a position, but it did not pan out.
One of my brothers is trying for the an academic position in Czech Republic right now. He's having a hard time with that as well.
I've had e-mail correspondence and I was actually one of the top three applicants for a position, but it did not pan out.
One of my brothers is trying for the an academic position in Czech Republic right now. He's having a hard time with that as well.
CougTek
Hairy Aussie
I've looked for jobs in well-paid places like insurance companies, but most of them ask for bilingual candidates, which isn't your case. Same thing for government. I guess E-Dawg and CityK could help you more since they live in an English-speaking province.
Here, you'd have to speak French. I heard it's kinda hard to learn.
Here, you'd have to speak French. I heard it's kinda hard to learn.
sechs
Storage? I am Storage!
Learning Quebeker (they don't speak French in Canada) would be awfully helpful.
A review of the film "Canadian Bacon" should help you considerably.
A review of the film "Canadian Bacon" should help you considerably.
ddrueding
Fixture
If I were to go to Canada, it would definatly be Vancouver. Last time I was there I had a great time, but anyone who doesn't call it cold is crazy.
I recently got an offer in Cape Town, that's tempting.
I recently got an offer in Cape Town, that's tempting.
Mercutio
Fatwah on Western Digital
Given that I don't exactly live in a hot-bed of south african immigration, I know a scary number of south africans (seven) who have all said some variation on "It's too dangerous for civilized people to live in South Africa".
Vancouver is just too expensive. Cost of living there looks like it's just staggering.
Vancouver is just too expensive. Cost of living there looks like it's just staggering.
ddrueding
Fixture
Eh, once Northern California separates from the rest it'll be a worthy place to live.
jtr1962
Storage? I am Storage!
If/when it happens. That's been talked about for years. So has NYC seceding from NYS or even the US, and becoming its own city-state like Hong Kong or Singapore. Somehow I doubt either will happen for a long time, if at all. I'd love to see NYC as its own entity. Since we send out more in federal and state tax than we get back the taxpayers here would have it easier. Also, no more unfunded federal or state mandates.ddrueding said:
Mercutio
Fatwah on Western Digital
The whole northern half of the US essentially underwrites life below the mason-dixon line.
Build a wall from, oh, south of Maryland all the way over to Utah, call that "the Confederate Theocracy of NASCAR" and watch life for the rest of us magically get better.
Build a wall from, oh, south of Maryland all the way over to Utah, call that "the Confederate Theocracy of NASCAR" and watch life for the rest of us magically get better.
mubs
Storage? I am Storage!
I'd like to go elsewhere too, but am too old to be attractive as an immigrant. There are some very rough times ahead for the U.S.
"The pig is moving through the python". America's aging. An increasing %age of the population will not be working but will have to be paid (SocSec) and cared for (healthcare bills).
I see society in America becoming bipolar - the very rich (haves) and the poor (have nots). There will not be a middle-class (me). The existing middle-class is slowly sliding into the poor category.
My family has slid from owning a home and two good cars to living in an apartment with one car falling apart. For the past 5 years, making barely 25% of our previous income has all but eroded the nestegg we got when we sold our home in 2001. We've lived on the razor's edge, with no healthcare, no light at the end of the tunnel. This has been our personal Gordian Knot. There are going to be very big changes in our lives, that's for sure.
"The pig is moving through the python". America's aging. An increasing %age of the population will not be working but will have to be paid (SocSec) and cared for (healthcare bills).
The Medicare problem is magnitudes worse than SocSec, but nobody wants to speak about it. The great leader prefers to focus on his pet project, SocSec. Meanwhile the fiscal deficit is out of control. The trade deficit is out of control.An article in the L.A. Times said:
I see society in America becoming bipolar - the very rich (haves) and the poor (have nots). There will not be a middle-class (me). The existing middle-class is slowly sliding into the poor category.
My family has slid from owning a home and two good cars to living in an apartment with one car falling apart. For the past 5 years, making barely 25% of our previous income has all but eroded the nestegg we got when we sold our home in 2001. We've lived on the razor's edge, with no healthcare, no light at the end of the tunnel. This has been our personal Gordian Knot. There are going to be very big changes in our lives, that's for sure.
ddrueding
Fixture
Slipping indeed. I'm also at about 25% of my past income. Fortunatly, those dependant on me left shortly after the money. A funny statistic; the last doctor I have on record has been dead 7 years now...
Mercutio
Fatwah on Western Digital
And just to chime right in... my income took a nosedive in September of 2001. I earned about 40% of what I made in 2000 in 2003 and 2004, and this year it's looking like about 30%, due to obnoxious scheduling demands from my "steady paycheck" job.
I will not argue that I was overpaid from 97 to early 2001 but the trend is positively depressing.
I will not argue that I was overpaid from 97 to early 2001 but the trend is positively depressing.
e_dawg
Storage Freak
Ha! The grass is always greener, my friends. I want to get a job in the US and I'm not the only Canadian yuppie (in the complimentary sense) who feels that way.
One of the reasons is that many of the head offices are in the US. We work for companies that are subsidiaries of the US MNC. Problem is that all the decisions are made in the US, all the money, infrastructure, job opportunites, etc. are at the US headquarters. For example, we are just starting to get the portal and intranet technologies they've had in the US for years. We don't even really have a useful Intranet. The only thing of value on there are the Org charts.
Another reason is taxes. You don't get to see a third to half of your paycheck when the government is done with it. Add to that the capital gains taxes on securities and real estate holdings and you feel like you're serving food at a cafeteria, but instead of food, you're serving up an entree of $100 bills to a never-ending queue of tax collectors.
And for us techies, you never get any of the good deals or selection that there is in the US. And everything you have to ship here from the US costs major $ in S&H, brokerage fees, and taxes that it's not worth doing in many cases.
Now I'm not saying it's unequivocally better to live in the US -- otherwise I'd be down there already -- but Canada and other countries are not necessarily as good as you think.
One of the reasons is that many of the head offices are in the US. We work for companies that are subsidiaries of the US MNC. Problem is that all the decisions are made in the US, all the money, infrastructure, job opportunites, etc. are at the US headquarters. For example, we are just starting to get the portal and intranet technologies they've had in the US for years. We don't even really have a useful Intranet. The only thing of value on there are the Org charts.
Another reason is taxes. You don't get to see a third to half of your paycheck when the government is done with it. Add to that the capital gains taxes on securities and real estate holdings and you feel like you're serving food at a cafeteria, but instead of food, you're serving up an entree of $100 bills to a never-ending queue of tax collectors.
And for us techies, you never get any of the good deals or selection that there is in the US. And everything you have to ship here from the US costs major $ in S&H, brokerage fees, and taxes that it's not worth doing in many cases.
Now I'm not saying it's unequivocally better to live in the US -- otherwise I'd be down there already -- but Canada and other countries are not necessarily as good as you think.
Platform
Learning Storage Performance
ddrueding said:
Jamaica say you will, mon.
sechs
Storage? I am Storage!
What we need is a "righteous" war wherein we can get lots of these disagreeable elements to join the military and die.
Right now, only the poor folk do that.
Right now, only the poor folk do that.
Howell
Storage? I am Storage!
CANADA BUSY SENDING BACK BUSH-DODGERS
by Joe Blundo, columnist for the Columbus Dispatch.
The flood of American liberals sneaking across the border into Canada has intensified in the
last week, sparking calls for increased patrols to stop the illegal immigration.
The re-election of President Bush is prompting the exodus among
left-leaning citizens who fear they will soon be required to hunt, pray and agree with Bill O'Reilly.
Canadian border farmers say it's not uncommon to see dozens of sociology professors, animal rights activists and Unitarians crossing their fields at night.
"I went out to milk the cows the other day, and there was a Hollywood producer huddled in my barn," said Manitoba farmer Red Greenfield, whose acreage borders North Dakota. The producer was cold, exhausted, and hungry. "He asked me if I could spare a latte and some free-range chicken. When I said I didn't have any, he left. Didn't even get a chance to show him my screenplay,
eh."
In an effort to stop the illegal aliens, Greenfield erected higher fences, but the liberals scaled them. So he tried installing speakers that blare Rush Limbaugh across the fields. "Not real effective" he said. "The liberals still got through, and Rush annoyed the cows so much they stopped giving milk." Officials are particularly concerned about smugglers who meet liberals near the Canadian border, pack them into Volvo station wagons, drive them across the border and leave them to fend for themselves.
"A lot of these people are not prepared for rugged conditions," an Ontario border patrolman said. "I found one carload without a drop of drinking water. They did have a nice little Napa Valley cabernet, though."
When liberals are caught, they're sent back across the border, often wailing loudly that they fear retribution from conservatives. Rumors have been circulating about the Bush administration establishing re-education camps in which liberals will be forced to drink domestic beer and watch NASCAR.
In the days since the election, liberals have turned to sometimes ingenious ways of crossing the border. Some have taken to posing as senior citizens on bus trips to buy cheap Canadian prescription drugs.
After catching a half-dozen young vegans disguised in powdered wigs, Canadian immigration authorities began stopping busses and quizzing the supposed senior-citizen passengers. "If they can't identify the accordion player on the Lawrence Welk Show, we get suspicious about their age," an official said.
Canadian citizens have complained that the illegal immigrants are creating an organic broccoli shortage and renting all the good Susan Sarandon movies. "I feel sorry for American
liberals, but the Canadian economy just can't support them," an Ottawa resident said. "How many art history majors does one country need?"
In an effort to ease tensions between the United States and Canada, Vice President Dick Cheney met with the Canadian ambassador and pledged that the administration would take steps to reassure liberals, a source close to Cheney said. "We're going to have some Peter, Paul and Mary concerts. And we might put some endangered species on postage stamps.
The president is determined to reach out," he said.
by Joe Blundo, columnist for the Columbus Dispatch.
The flood of American liberals sneaking across the border into Canada has intensified in the
last week, sparking calls for increased patrols to stop the illegal immigration.
The re-election of President Bush is prompting the exodus among
left-leaning citizens who fear they will soon be required to hunt, pray and agree with Bill O'Reilly.
Canadian border farmers say it's not uncommon to see dozens of sociology professors, animal rights activists and Unitarians crossing their fields at night.
"I went out to milk the cows the other day, and there was a Hollywood producer huddled in my barn," said Manitoba farmer Red Greenfield, whose acreage borders North Dakota. The producer was cold, exhausted, and hungry. "He asked me if I could spare a latte and some free-range chicken. When I said I didn't have any, he left. Didn't even get a chance to show him my screenplay,
eh."
In an effort to stop the illegal aliens, Greenfield erected higher fences, but the liberals scaled them. So he tried installing speakers that blare Rush Limbaugh across the fields. "Not real effective" he said. "The liberals still got through, and Rush annoyed the cows so much they stopped giving milk." Officials are particularly concerned about smugglers who meet liberals near the Canadian border, pack them into Volvo station wagons, drive them across the border and leave them to fend for themselves.
"A lot of these people are not prepared for rugged conditions," an Ontario border patrolman said. "I found one carload without a drop of drinking water. They did have a nice little Napa Valley cabernet, though."
When liberals are caught, they're sent back across the border, often wailing loudly that they fear retribution from conservatives. Rumors have been circulating about the Bush administration establishing re-education camps in which liberals will be forced to drink domestic beer and watch NASCAR.
In the days since the election, liberals have turned to sometimes ingenious ways of crossing the border. Some have taken to posing as senior citizens on bus trips to buy cheap Canadian prescription drugs.
After catching a half-dozen young vegans disguised in powdered wigs, Canadian immigration authorities began stopping busses and quizzing the supposed senior-citizen passengers. "If they can't identify the accordion player on the Lawrence Welk Show, we get suspicious about their age," an official said.
Canadian citizens have complained that the illegal immigrants are creating an organic broccoli shortage and renting all the good Susan Sarandon movies. "I feel sorry for American
liberals, but the Canadian economy just can't support them," an Ottawa resident said. "How many art history majors does one country need?"
In an effort to ease tensions between the United States and Canada, Vice President Dick Cheney met with the Canadian ambassador and pledged that the administration would take steps to reassure liberals, a source close to Cheney said. "We're going to have some Peter, Paul and Mary concerts. And we might put some endangered species on postage stamps.
The president is determined to reach out," he said.
ddrueding
Fixture
As of today, there's no place I'd rather live than central California. However, I wouldn't be suprised if the situation changes within the next decade. Based primarily on the infringement of personal rights, excessive taxation, and subsequent misallocation of same; I'm thinking the values of this country are not only straying from my ideal, but from anything that could remotely be called sustainable.
Pardon my bitterness, I just got out of two root canals...
Pardon my bitterness, I just got out of two root canals...
e_dawg said:
You must be doing very well financially speaking (from my perspective), e_dawg. In the past I've experienced the fun of paying both Canadian and American taxes. You know what I found? I was paying less tax in Canada, and receiving more from the government for it that was immediately tangible and relevant to my life.
I think the point at which things start to be more appealing tax-wise in the USA is about $50,000 per year, but that's really just a vague guess on my part. There is a magic threshold somewhere though, and if you're making less than that amount per year, at least in terms of taxes you're better off in Canada.
I'm not moving though. Life is hard sometimes, and I'm not admitting defeat just yet.
ddrueding
Fixture
Handruin said:
That's the problem in living ina country as large as the US; millions can feel a certain way about an issue, and still represent a small minority. In a system such as this, if you are in the majority, great. If you aren't in the majority, trying to stop the flood/freight train/other unstoppable analogy is futile to the point of being stupid. I look on those who try to represent unpopular opinion (no matter how worthy) with a significant degree of pity.
e_dawg
Storage Freak
i said:
Well, I didn't say where I was on that continuum of taxation... closer to a third than a half, that's for sure
Hmm... well that's good to know coming from someone who has been on both sides of the fence. I just assumed taxes in the US were lower no matter what. You do have to admit, though, that moving up in Canada is harder than it is in the US. Not only does the income tax rate increases more sharply in Canada, but you get dinged twice because as your income rises, you are able to hold more securities and real estate but get penalized heavily if you ever liquidate -- capital gains exemptions are much better in the US, no?
I will say one thing in favour of Canada, though: the cost of living in our major cities is still quite a bit lower than the US or any other major city in the world. It's tough to achieve a good standard of living in Toronto and to a certain extent Vancouver (relatively speaking in Canada), but compared to NYC and LA, it's cake.
ddrueding
Fixture
At least they don't tax you on all those extra u's you throw around...
PUI :wink:
PUI :wink:
sechs
Storage? I am Storage!
ddrueding said:
Why would you want to live there?