Canada

[evanescence]

I would like to know how being like Canada would make the US a better place.

Apparently, they have more jobs, a less corrupt government, etc. What changes would the US need to make to be like this?

[Michael]

Originally Posted by evanescence

I would like to know how being like Canada would make the US a better place.

Apparently, they have more jobs, a less corrupt government, etc. What changes would the US need to make to be like this?

I don't think it is that simple.

Anyway, here are a couple of suggestions...

Parliament to eliminate that 'special interest' problem Congress has.

Gun laws too.

A fully universal healthcare program is also required.

And that "War on Drugs" thing will have to go.

And you'll have to stop letting the MIC run the government. That's very unCanadian!

[Americano]

Originally Posted by Michael

I don't think it is that simple.

Anyway, here are a couple of suggestions...

Parliament to eliminate that 'special interest' problem Congress has.

Gun laws too.

A fully universal healthcare program is also required.

And that "War on Drugs" thing will have to go.

And you'll have to stop letting the MIC run the government. That's very unCanadian!

Nice thoughts, but due to #1 being insolvable I'm afraid it'll be business as usual.

[evanescence]

I was thinking of the specific reforms. I think it was mentioned in another thread somewhere. Obviously, the US cannot be like Canada, and I was being snide. But they did have reform that seems to work.

[The Drunk Guy]

Originally Posted by Michael

I don't think it is that simple.

Anyway, here are a couple of suggestions...

Parliament to eliminate that 'special interest' problem Congress has.

Gun laws too.

A fully universal healthcare program is also required.

And that "War on Drugs" thing will have to go.

And you'll have to stop letting the MIC run the government. That's very unCanadian!

I think stronger education and killing media giants would do. Also, more atheists is always a plus.

[Michael]

Originally Posted by evanescence

I was thinking of the specific reforms. I think it was mentioned in another thread somewhere. Obviously, the US cannot be like Canada, and I was being snide. But they did have reform that seems to work.

The biggest difference between US and Canadian governments is in regulatory policy. In Canada, we have a professional civil service that runs the varous regulatory agencies. This prevents the regulatory agencies from being stacked full of industry lobbyists (and or political hacks) as is the common practice in the USA (especially under Republican administrations) with the senior management of all government agencies being turned over with each new Presidential Administration.

This is (I believe) the main reason that Canada's banking regulations managed to prevent the sub-prime mortgage crisis and the derivatives trading crisis that has caused so much damage in the US.

[Michael]

Originally Posted by The Drunk Guy

I think stronger education and killing media giants would do. Also, more atheists is always a plus.

It might help, but (for the record) Canada has just as much media concentration as the USA does.

This is counterbalanced by the existence of the CBC of course.

[Michael]

Originally Posted by Americano

Nice thoughts, but due to #1 being insolvable I'm afraid it'll be business as usual.

Yes, I'm inclined to agree. Whenever I look at particular policy areas, and/or potential solutions, it all keeps coming back to Congress and the way Congress is "owned" by various industries that prevents Congress from addressing the issue in any meaningful way.

[evanescence]

Originally Posted by Michael

The biggest difference between US and Canadian governments is in regulatory policy. In Canada, we have a professional civil service that runs the varous regulatory agencies. This prevents the regulatory agencies from being stacked full of industry lobbyists (and or political hacks) as is the common practice in the USA (especially under Republican administrations) with the senior management of all government agencies being turned over with each new Presidential Administration.

This is (I believe) the main reason that Canada's banking regulations managed to prevent the sub-prime mortgage crisis and the derivatives trading crisis that has caused so much damage in the US.

How does that work? And who could qualify as a professional civil service? It seems to me that this system could just as easily become corrupt as the US.

[Michael]

Originally Posted by evanescence

How does that work? And who could qualify as a professional civil service? It seems to me that this system could just as easily become corrupt as the US.

The Canadian Civil Service works pretty much the same way that it works in just about every western country (except the USA of course).

All government services and government offices are staffed by fulltime employees of the civil service. They are hired according to objective criteria and an open and public process through the government Human Resources department.

As such, every department of the government is run by a permanent and professional staff (not political appointees as in the USA). Instead, every major government department has a Cabinet-rank minister assigned to 'represent' that department. Political interference in the operation of a government department is held to be illegal.

The benefits of this system are several, but most notably, a significant reduction in corruption (Canada scores much higher than USA does according to Transparency International - an independent watchdog that monitors international corruption), as well as reduced opportunities for political operatives to turn government departments into partisan weapons (see Bush Admin Justice Department).

Another benefit is that after a major election defeat, we can change the party in government very quickly (matter of a couple of weeks) as a matter of routine. In comparison, the Obama Administration still isn't fully staffed yet, 18 months after Obama was sworn in, or 21 months after the election.