The Culture of Illusion

First I would like to introduce myself. My name is Evan Allen. I was born in Canada. My family became legal Permanent Residents in the USA in 2008. I currently reside in Las Vegas. In this article I will share with you the difference in each country in a number of topic. Most in which the people that run the USA will tell you isn't true. Why? Well if Americans knew the truth they might just like it.(Information may vary state to state or province to province.)

HEALTHCARE

CANADA.Universal Healthcare is free. With the exception of the Province of British Columbia which charges through the Medical Services Plan based on income. I didn't ever pay more than $30.00 a month for mine. On a bad year with a low income I paid nothing. I had a bad accident at work and ripped my shoulder apart in three places. ER, Assessments, Doctor's Visits, X-Rays, Physio Therapy, Surgery, Re-training, and in my rare occasion a payout. FREE. This would have cost At least $150,000.00 in the USA. We get a health card, every single citizen no questions aksed. No insurance companies in the way to deny our claims. We can walk in and out of our family doctors or walk in clinics as we please. Free. USAI went to the doctors for a stomach issue, they offered me a ride ambulance for no reason and sent me to the ER just to be prescribed something a regular doctor could have given me. I declined the ambulance and went myself. I was on travel insurance so only had to pay 350 instead of 700 for the visit. If my shoulder injury occurred in the USA. Life would have been over. I would have been in debt for life.

The argument that Universal Health Care does not work is a complete lie. It works. It is tax payer money. It is used properly by government in Canada as it is supposed to. Investing in it's own people. Just to be in the very presence of a doctor just for a check up. $50.00.

WAITING LISTS

Canada

Yes, you may be on a list for surgery. It goes by who needs it first. If it's life-threatening. You go in first. If it's not, you wait and do physiotherapy to strengthen muscles before surgery until it is your turn. If you were working then WCB covers your lost wages. If not there are other programs.

USA

Money talks.

INSURANCE COMPANIES

CANADA

Where I am from in Western Canada. The Vancouver B.C. area. We have one insurance company I.C.B.C. Yes, that is a monopoly but the rates are not that bad. Coverage is in the millions for liability. You're car has to be registered one time at the point of purchase. If your car insurance lapses. That's it, it's just done. There are no fines. You just tell them when you insurance again. You can walk into any place with an Autoplan center to renew that insurance and it take maybe ten minutes out of your day. We take our drivers tests at a separate facility. No DMV line ups. USA

I am speaking from my experience in which may differ from most. Las Vegas DMV 3-5 hour wait. You have take the day off work to go. Registration once a year. Fines if late. It is a frustrating and expensive journey, to say the least.

POSTAL

CANADA

Five minute line up.

USA

1 hour

That's all I'm going to say about this.

BANKING

CANADA

I have had the same banks for a long time. I don't use some of them for months, maybe even a year. But that account is still there when I go back to it as long as it is about zero. For the last 10 years or so, you can email transfer somebody money through your bank in seconds. I don't think I've used a check in 15 years beside cashing them. We don't use money orders. Never ever heard of them till I moved to the USA. You can even take a picture of a check on your phone and deposit it remotely.

USA

Well, the USA is slowly catching up to Canada. Very slowly. But let me tell you it's been nothing but a pain in the ass to pay with money orders for rent down here. When I'm used to an email transfer in seconds from home or my phone.

PEOPLE

I wouldn't call us any different. Both countries are diverse. Both countries are accepting. Both countries also have racism. I love the people in both countries I call home.

Poverty hits both countries. Both have systems to help the poor. Food stamps in the USA. Welfare in Canada, they trust you with the cash their though which may or may not be a good thing.

EDUCATION

CANADA

We have universities, collages and trade schools. A very good education system from K-12. Lots of after-school programs. A chance for every kid. Yes, number crunches lead to school closures on occasion lose some activities. I believe that some career paths need 2-4-8 years of school like the surgeon who worked on my shoulder.

But, some topics like film and television do not need extended education for things you learn from others on set. And I own a film school, but I gear towards short 100 percent hands-on filmmaking with youth and adults over 6-13 days and that's it.

USAVery good universities, I'm sure. The debt you have to work the rest of your life to pay off to go work for someone else and line their pockets. I will never understand this. Not just in the USA but anywhere. Before I contradict myself, doctors, please to school. Culturally these differ so much. I don't even think we have frats in Canada. Maybe we do and I just don't know.

I've worked no problem in Canada for 18 years in film and television. Very qualified and can't land a single film job in Las Vegas. Figure that one out? The only thing missing from my resume is 4 years at a university and big old pile of debt.

POLITICS

USAYou have two choices. Left vs. Right, Democrat vs. Republican, Wrong vs. Right. The lesser of two evils. This time around the choices where a corrupt, lying senator with a husband who received sexual favors leading to his impeachment.

The other option was a reality TV billionaire. All third parties aren't invited to most televised debates so you have no idea that there are actually other Candidates.

Lobbyists from giant corporations paid to sway senators to pass the bills they write. It is the most corrupt system I have ever seen. Then we vote and everyone below a certain tax bracket gets screwed even more.

CANADA

We have lots of candidates to choose from, from different parties. I do not I believe we still have lobbyists. I also think out candidates have not done the best job in a long time. But at least we have choices.

PRISON

CANADA

Yes we have prisons. 2015-2016 there were a total of 40,147 adult offenders incarcerated in Canadian federal and provincial prisons on an average day for an incarceration rate of 139 per 100,000 population.

NOT FOR PROFIT

USA

2,220,300 adults were incarcerated in US federal and state prisons, and county jails in 2013—about 0.91% of adults (1 in 110) in the U.S. resident population.

FOR PROFIT

VACCINES

CANADA

We have a choice.

USA

You don't in some states.

This is a sore topic. More and more studies have come out showing the link with Aluminum Adjuvants which travel through the blood stream into the brain. Findings in patients with Autism had a ridiculous amount of Aluminum in their brains. There also 24 studies in which disproves this, unfortunately, one of the co-authors of 21 of them, scientist Poul Thorson, is also a wanted fugitive and awaiting extradition from Denmark for his crimes. Crimes which include FRAUD. Now I could go on and on but will leave that for another article.

IN CONCLUSION

I love to be and live in the USA. I love to live in Canada, we have it a lot easier to get by in life there though. Americans, you have it rough. I am right there in the thick of that struggle to put food on the table. Land of the Free perhaps, but that "free" comes at a very high price tag.