Offical Oct LSAT thread: Proving lawyers to be are neurotic messes

[Lindbergh]

You can hardly deem a two party system as "partisan".

Why not?

I don't know why Americans insist on believing that their country is truly democratic.

What do you define as "truly democratic"?  Direct democracy?

Given you guys still had a monarch until recently, I can understand your confusion, though.

[High Life]

You can hardly deem a two party system as "partisan".

Why not?

I don't know why Americans insist on believing that their country is truly democratic.

What do you define as "truly democratic"?  Direct democracy?

Given you guys still had a monarch until recently, I can understand your confusion, though.

I struggle to see why Canadians have the urge to criticize america whenever they are given the chance.  Sadly, it seems that Canadian identity is often solely established by delineating their differences with america. It seems as if america were to vanish, canadians would have little identity of their own. 

(I actually wrote a paper that detailed how New Zealand and Canada both suffer from inferiority complexes. The former to Australia and the latter to the States.)  Overall, its really just sad.

[Lindbergh]

You can hardly deem a two party system as "partisan".

Why not?

I don't know why Americans insist on believing that their country is truly democratic.

What do you define as "truly democratic"?  Direct democracy?

Given you guys still had a monarch until recently, I can understand your confusion, though.

I struggle to see why Canadians have the urge to criticize america whenever they are given the chance.  Sadly, it seems that Canadian identity is often solely established by delineating their differences with america. It seems as if america were to vanish, canadians would have little identity of their own. 

(I actually wrote a paper that detailed how New Zealand and Canada both suffer from inferiority complexes. The former to Australia and the latter to the States.)  Overall, its really just sad.

It's the little brother complex.

That said, I like Canadians, given that they're basically just mellow Americans.  But that's the problem -- there's so little difference between the two nations, it messes with their head sometimes.  How would you like someone almost exactly like you, but 10 times larger and wealthier, living next door?

[!закон и право!]

Along with the highest-quality health-care system in the world.  Fortunately, you guys can cross the border when you need something better then the govt-run crap provided up north.   

(At least unless/until the dems socialize ours as well.)

lol.. highest quality? For whom exactly? All Americans? Sure if you exclude both Canada and all of Western Europe.

Maybe if you have money, but the same healthcare is available to the wealthy here as well.

Clearly you don't know all that much about healthcare in Canada or your own country for that matter.

You can hardly deem a two party system as "partisan".

Why not?

Considering the policy platforms between the democrats and republicans are virtually indistinguishable; not mentioning that idealogically the American two party system differs about as much as factional politics in communist Russia.

Most Americans know nothing of their own political system, a minority vote, and those who are in fact exposed to political matters know nothing more about their politicians or legislative propositions than those that are presented in the pop media. American politics is less about policy and more about personality. Hollywood for ugly people as they say.

I don't know why Americans insist on believing that their country is truly democratic.

What do you define as "truly democratic"?  Direct democracy?

Given you guys still had a monarch until recently, I can understand your confusion, though.

Recent? 1867? Funny, the United States was founded as a British Crown Charter company. /point

As for Democracy:

Direct democracy is neither feasible nor desirable. Liberal democracy entails a majority rule with protection of minority interests, and this is probably the most feasible democratic inclination. Or proportional representation. Certainly not this quasi-democratic laissez faire garbage that has caused more harm than good.

The ridiculously inefficient electoral system in the United States ensures that a minority of interests are protected and the vast majority are left in the lurch. In the wake of this Wall Street bailout I would have assumed that more Americans would be skeptical of their political system. Nope as ignorant as ever it seems.

That said, I like Canadians, given that they're basically just mellow Americans.  But that's the problem -- there's so little difference between the two nations, it messes with their head sometimes.  How would you like someone almost exactly like you, but 10 times larger and wealthier, living next door?

And I like Americans. There are many intelligent and well informed United States nationals, but I do think the vast majority of Americans are seriously misinformed of their country's misgivings. I'd like to think I'm speaking to a more enlightened crowd of yanks when I say these things. Americans have always struck me as afraid to criticize their government. Deference is a dangerous habit in the world of politics.

As for wealth and size:

Per capita our countries are the same, infact, in terms of our middle class incomes, Canada is better off. But alternatively you can think of it this way; the United States is the leader of the world in the unequal distribution of wealth.

In terms of landmass and extractable resources, Canada is larger. And that will make a world of difference in 30 years when the world is trying to feed its appetite for natural gas and water.


One observation though: American are far more patriotic than many Canadians. I wasn't born in Canada, nor do I consider myself particularily Canadian (surprise). I wouldn't identify myself ethnically or nationally as Canadian if asked "where are you from?" This is true for many or most urbanized Canadians.

This isn't so for Amricans however. The United States has successfully turned everyone into a self-proclaimed American, whether you're Ukranian, Hispanic, Jewish, Chinese, a naturalized American or American born.

[High Life]

Thankfully, elite canadians tend not to be so narrow minded about America and realize all that is has to offer. For example, a good friend of mine attended the Upper Canada College in Toronto, which is well regarded as the most elite secondary school in the country.  Nearly all of their students head off to college in the States.  I guess Canadian schools just cannot compete.

And for fun, read this about where the school sends people.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Upper%20Canada%20College

[!закон и право!]

Thankfully, elite canadians tend not to be so narrow minded about America and realize all that is has to offer. For example, a good friend of mine attended the Upper Canada College in Toronto, which is well regarded as the most elite secondary school in the country.  Nearly all of their students head off to college in the States.  I guess Canadian schools just cannot compete.

And for fun, read this about where the school sends people.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Upper%20Canada%20College

I can guarantee that this article was written by some UCC fanboy. UTS is better.

[BarryLaine]

You can distract yourselves all you want with all this Canada/USA/Beer talk...but one week from today - it's on...

[BarryLaine]

...wait a minute - "beer" might be from another thread...

[meggo]

Ah yes, the classic Canada v. US debate. We had to give you back Detroit (still glad?) and we burnt down the 'white house' so let's just be friends, shall we? It's funny, I definitely don't agree with everything that Thales says but assumptions like Lindbergh's about the 'Little Brother' complex are so funny, it's such a a classic American myth 'everyone else wants to be us or just like us, they just don't realize it yet'. Of course, not all Americans subscribe to this myth, but it has definitely been present in American foreign policy for the past 100 years or so. If anything, I find the differences break down regionally (ie people from WA state and those from southern BC will have similar attitudes and opinions and those from the Windsor-Detroit are similar, though different from people from western Canada/US).

But Barry brings up the most important point - the test. I've definitely hit a lull these past few weeks and had difficulty concentrating but I'm finding myself improving when I focus on doing things in sections. I feel better about LR and am able to start catching some of my mistakes before time is called....

[High Life]

Thankfully, elite canadians tend not to be so narrow minded about America and realize all that is has to offer. For example, a good friend of mine attended the Upper Canada College in Toronto, which is well regarded as the most elite secondary school in the country.  Nearly all of their students head off to college in the States.  I guess Canadian schools just cannot compete.

And for fun, read this about where the school sends people.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Upper%20Canada%20College

I can guarantee that this article was written by some UCC fanboy. UTS is better.

That may be true, but you fail to address the point of why Canada's elite students select the states for their university education.