Indeed, compared to other countries with high GDP per capita (and EVEN to some less-rich ones!), your country is not doing great. As a Canadian, it is very puzzling to see how everyone has just bought the “low taxes, each-for-himself” narrative.
Sure, here in Canada we are taxed more, and indeed, personally i pay lots of taxes, because i am indeed in high income tax brackets… and it’s OK! All this allows us to relieve anxiety on our citizens (including myself), while STILL allowing people to “get rich”! Don’t worry: you can “get rich” in Canada also!
We also have weaknesses, mainly due to waiting for less-urgent healthcare. If you have anything serious, you get fast, complete and extremely high-quality healthcare, without paying a penny. Ever. Yes, i know, “it’s not free, it’s paud by other people’s money”… i know: i’m an economist! And it’s true. And… get over it!
Your cou try is falling apart for mainly 3 reasons:
1) low-tax, thin-State mentality. This causes suboptimal financing of high-quality and widely dispersed knowledge, wisdom, and skills via high-quality and accessible education at all levels, for all. We have that in Canada. And we rank systematically in “top 5 countries to live”, year after year, since like forever.
2) unchecked racism. We in Canada also have racist imbecils. But the racism is kept in check my rules and social norms.
3) corporate lobbies that distort everything, cause misinformation to persist and amplify and cause bad policies to persist and good policies to never see the light of day.
Dear Southern neigbhours, as a friendly (yes we are friendly and we have a small and laughable army, yes), i tell you: wake up! The median Canadian has a way better life than the median American, despite the fact we have a lower GDP per capita and zero “global power”, of course, lol.
Reasonable taxation is not “socialism”. Reasonable “redistribution” is not “socialism”. Privilleged people in Canada also have it good and are not “oppressed” by the majority (to take Milton Friendman’s images). Multi culturalism is fine. Tolerance for difference is fine. When there is no victim, people should do as they please. And yes i am a pro-market, “Pro-freedom” standard economist who worked at the Central Bank, teaches economics in a business school university, and works as consultant. Just all take a chill pill and get rid of your rigid ideologies – they are like slavery balls and chains to your social and political evolution.
