* Approx. 22% of Canadian households own at least one firearm, but only 2.3% own a handgun. Canada has strict controls on handguns and you need to obtain a restricted license to own one. But anyone who thinks Canadians don't own guns are delusional, please watch "trailer park boys".
* The total defense budget for USA in 2010 will be somewhere between $880 billion to $1.03 trillion USD. This figure will represent over 25% of US Federal government spending in 2010. It's a lot of money, but still far less than what we spent during the Cold War era in % GDP.
* USA's military expenditure is about the same as the rest of world's military spending combined. This represents the high cost of a forward-deployed military posture and strong emphasis on naval battle groups. The cost of constructing an aircraft carrier has risen from $4.5 billion for a Nimitz class to $9+ billion for Ford class.
Naval ships take a lot of punishment at sea and require costly maintenance and overhauls. The operating cost alone will add up to many billions of dollars. But since our aircraft carriers have estimated operating lifespan of up to 50 years, it's actually a good deal (more bang for the buck) compared to USN cruisers (Virginia & Ticonderoga class) & Spruance class destroyers that got scrapped after only ~20 years of use.
* Canadian health care systems works if you live in areas with good access, and your health issue is not dental related. My Canadian friends come to US to see a dentist and pay cash. Every system has its good and bad points, you just find ways to work with it.
* One very important aspect of the US health care reform is prohibiting the insurance company to deny you coverage (and charge unreasonably rates) for pre-existing health conditions. This is a non-issue for most of you, but if you have relatives with heart conditions or lupus, it's a life saver.
* The US is able to maintain its momentum by both domestic resources and importing he best and brightest from abroad. You can measure a country's success by the number of foreign students studying there. During China's Tang dynasty, royalty from neighboring countries sent their children to China to be educated. Even during the late Ming Dynasty era, Manchu royalty employed Ming Chinese tutors for their children. China stopped being ahead when its wealthy families started sending their kids (my grandfather) to Japan for advanced education.
Predictions of America's downfall are greatly exaggerated. When foreign students stop coming here, you can start panicking. If I ever see that happen, I'll convert my assets to gold and take the next boat out.
http://www1.voanews.com/learningenglish ... 41727.html
"Number of Foreign Students in US Hits New High
A new report shows that India and China remained the top senders of students last year. In all, seven of the ten top countries sent more, just as the recession was worsening."
