It is charity season .

jujube said:
Interesting that our hospitals are full of "winter Canadians" who get their hip replacements and knee jobs here on their own schedule while they're here for the winter. Wonder why they do that if the health system is so perfect in Canada?
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The waiting lists are long in Canada and some other countries with national healthcare. My DIL’s mother in Poland waited 3 years for a hip replacement. There’s good and bad in both systems.
 

jujube said:
Interesting that our hospitals are full of "winter Canadians" who get their hip replacements and knee jobs here on their own schedule while they're here for the winter. Wonder why they do that if the health system is so perfect in Canada?
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Care to cite at least one news article from your home area, that backs up your words ? The facts are these. Canadians who winter in Florida or other US states BUY travel medical insurance so that if they suffer an illness or an injury while in the US, they are covered. WHY would a Canadian PAY to have an operation in the US , when they can have it done at home for NO COST to them? Your examples of non emergency medical procedures being done on Canadians in Florida are questionable. Back up your words with facts. JimB.
 
Teacher Terry said:
The waiting lists are long in Canada and some other countries with national healthcare. My DIL’s mother in Poland waited 3 years for a hip replacement. There’s good and bad in both systems.
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My 55 year old son in law Steve has been on the waiting list for a hip replacement for 3 months. He would have had the procedure done in less than 2 months, but he contracted Covid, so his operation date was pushed back by 4 weeks. His operation is scheduled for January the 4th, at Toronto General Hospital. In October of this year, I was diagnosed with a lower abdominal hernia. I will have that procedure on January the 9th, also at TGH, as an out patient. In at 6am, home by 3 pm. In both cases I cited, there will be no cost to either of us. JimB.
 

jimintoronto said:
My 55 year old son in law Steve has been on the waiting list for a hip replacement for 3 months. He would have had the procedure done in less than 2 months, but he contracted Covid, so his operation date was pushed back by 4 weeks. His operation is scheduled for January the 4th, at Toronto General Hospital. In October of this year, I was diagnosed with a lower abdominal hernia. I will have that procedure on January the 9th, also at TGH, as an out patient. In at 6am, home by 3 pm. In both cases I cited, there will be no cost to either of us. JimB.
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It’s interesting that you are able to get your surgeries quickly. There’s Canadians on the Mr Money Mustache forum that report just the opposite.
 
Teacher Terry said:
It’s interesting that you are able to get your surgeries quickly. There’s Canadians on the Mr Money Mustache forum that report just the opposite.
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I live in the largest city in Canada, Toronto. If somebody lives in Timmins 600 miles north of Toronto, their experience will be different. I will compare it to an American who lives in NYC, to another American who lives in rural Montana, in terms of how good their medical care is.

I will also point out that in Canada, you cannot "Pay your way to the front of the line ". Decisions are made between the patient and their Doctor, based on the nature of the medical situation and the severity of it. I spent ten years working for the largest Ambulance service in Canada, here in Toronto, so I know how the triage system works. In simple terms, in an emergency the worst go first, the least go last. Changes in medical conditions will result in the status of the patient being upgraded accordingly.

Is our system 100 percent marvelous ? No it isn't perfect, but it is a lot better than the mess that Americans have to deal with daily. Do a Goggle about " what is the leading cause of personal bankruptcies in the USA ? " You will find the most common cause is medical debts of all kinds. Canadians don't have that kind of worry hanging over their heads. JimB.
 
jimintoronto said:
Care to cite at least one news article from your home area, that backs up your words ? The facts are these. Canadians who winter in Florida or other US states BUY travel medical insurance so that if they suffer an illness or an injury while in the US, they are covered. WHY would a Canadian PAY to have an operation in the US , when they can have it done at home for NO COST to them? Your examples of non emergency medical procedures being done on Canadians in Florida are questionable. Back up your words with facts. JimB.
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Having worked in a large hospital system for years is good enough for me, Jim. I don't feel the need to look up statistics for everything you don't like about the United States.

You do you and I'll do me.
 
I like some things about Americans. I am not so impressed with what your Federal Government does as the world's bully in chief. JimB.
 
I don't give to charities anymore because I question their motives. I see too many ads for charities to be believed. This year I am helping my own community. A friend of mine who was actively engaged in this endeavor has become seriously ill so it seems a good time to take care of those I know in my own hometown who are in genuine need.
 
I’m also grateful that I live in a large country that has the ability to successfully handle rare conditions. A family member had a rare huge brain tumor that very few surgeons could handle. She was able to go to the best surgeon and it was successful with no deficits.

There’s no one in Poland for example that can perform the surgery. It was a million dollar surgery that cost her 5k out of pocket. Worth every penny!!
 
jimintoronto said:
I live in the largest city in Canada, Toronto. If somebody lives in Timmins 600 miles north of Toronto, their experience will be different. I will compare it to an American who lives in NYC, to another American who lives in rural Montana, in terms of how good their medical care is.

I will also point out that in Canada, you cannot "Pay your way to the front of the line ". Decisions are made between the patient and their Doctor, based on the nature of the medical situation and the severity of it. I spent ten years working for the largest Ambulance service in Canada, here in Toronto, so I know how the triage system works. In simple terms, in an emergency the worst go first, the least go last. Changes in medical conditions will result in the status of the patient being upgraded accordingly.

Is our system 100 percent marvelous ? No it isn't perfect, but it is a lot better than the mess that Americans have to deal with daily. Do a Goggle about " what is the leading cause of personal bankruptcies in the USA ? " You will find the most common cause is medical debts of all kinds. Canadians don't have that kind of worry hanging over their heads. JimB.
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As often happens here, your contributions miss the point of the thread, charities you support, but are instead focused on waving the Canadian flag while stomping on the US's. It's boorish and tiresome.
 
OK, so in your mind it is just fine for Americans to praise their country, and be proud of it, BUT when a Canadian does that, it is boorish and tiresome. Nice double standard attitude.

BY the way I do support some Canadian charities, including the War Amps Child Amputee program, which provides limb prosthetics to children who were either born without a limb, or had a traumatic limb amputation. When I die, I will leave a $10,000 donation to War Amps CHAMP program. JimB.
 
Charities I support include Kiva.com, a charity that lends money to individuals around the world who are trying to improve their lot. You read a quick story and loan them money in a crowd-funding manner. They pay the money back and you loan it to someone else. Since I'm a plant-based eater, I don't loan money to people who want to raise livestock. Oftentimes, I click the search bar to find people wanting to build bathrooms to improve their sanitation conditions.

DH & I also support St. Jude, NPR, Habitat for Humanity, Wikipedia (it's non-profit with no advertising), and others.
 
jimintoronto said:
OK, so in your mind it is just fine for Americans to praise their country, and be proud of it, BUT when a Canadian does that, it is boorish and tiresome. Nice double standard attitude.
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I have no problem with people praising their countries, but when it's done to simultaneously disparage another country, the posts get annoying and tedious.

Let me show you how this works:

The US remains a quite reasonable, reliable service that I can't recall ever going on strike. (Perhaps it has, but if so, it's such a rare occurrence that I can't bring it to mind.) Canada Post had 19 strikes, walkouts and lockouts between 1965-1997 alone and there have been some since 1997, but I won't belabor the point beyond this:
"Starting October 22, 2018, Canada Post workers have organized rotating strikes nationwide, the major friction points being major processing centers, including Toronto and Richmond.[60] In mid-November, annual Black Friday and Cyber Monday online purchases, and even Christmas holiday deliveries, appeared at risk.[61] With a 30-day backlog of mail stored in 600 trailers at distribution centers, CP appealed to the 190 Universal Postal Union (UPU) countries to hold Canada-bound mail.[62]"

I mail dozens of packages this time of year within the US via Priority Mail. Each weighs approx 5 lbs and pack them in very sturdy boxes provided free by the USPS. 11" x 8.5" X 5.5". They arrive in 2-3 days virtually anywhere in the country, depending on the postal route. $14.75 USD/ $19.80 CD. (Same size box in Canada would be $61.49 CD for 2 business days, $29.90 CD for 5 business days.

Might I sometimes come on here saying I mailed out a bunch of packages and am delighted they arrived safely, quickly and inexpensively? Sure. But do I state that while blowing a horn about how much better the USPS is versus other countries and cite examples to denigrate their mail systems? Nope. It's bad manners. I felt terrible even typing up what I did above about Canada Post, but did so to show you that Canada has sore spots of its own.

BTW, few Americans come on SF "praising" our country. Most Americans are well aware of our country's shortcomings and areas needing improvement.
 
At one time I donated to larger charities until I researched their administrative costs and I saw how little was actually reaching the intended population. Now I donate to smaller, local ones such as the food bank, the local SPCA (they ask for donations of food, litter, etc), a safe house for victims of domestic violence and a community center.
 
Don M. said:
If you see a charity being advertised on TV, you can bet that a major share of the donations they receive go to Executive Salaries, and Administrative Costs. Far better to check on small local charities that put most of their money to good use.

Here's a list of Charity Millionaires..........

https://www.charitywatch.org/nonprofit-compensation-packages-of-1-million-or-more
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I'm certainly glad the charities that I occasionally give to are not on that list. After seeing all of those millionaires connected to Shriners and St. Jude, they are not going to get a penny from me. They have all of those "tug at your heartstrings" commercials, that make you think all of your contributions go to helping children. Yeah right! Thanks for posting. My mailbox this month has been stuffed almost every day with organizations wanting money. Bah humbug!
 
jimintoronto said:
You need to ask the Canadians who are members of SF this question ? Are you satisfied with the Canadian health care system, or would you like to change to the US mess ? Have you ever lived IN Canada? I didn't think so. JimB.
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My gandmother's from Canada - albeit probably before that was instituted. LIkewise, many of we Americans don't want to switch to yours. Yours is literally euthansizing humans as if they were a sick cat or dog. 'Nough said if you really want to go tit for tat. I suggest we agree to disagree and don't go down that rabbit hole. Merry Christmas.
 
jimintoronto said:
Care to cite at least one news article from your home area, that backs up your words ? The facts are these. Canadians who winter in Florida or other US states BUY travel medical insurance so that if they suffer an illness or an injury while in the US, they are covered. WHY would a Canadian PAY to have an operation in the US , when they can have it done at home for NO COST to them? Your examples of non emergency medical procedures being done on Canadians in Florida are questionable. Back up your words with facts. JimB.
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Why would there be news stories about it? That's hardly newsworthy and flat out a violation of our HIPPA laws too, an utter invasion of patient privacy. Frankly, it's very telling that you'd so casually disregard the privacy of patients.
 
jimintoronto said:
I live in the largest city in Canada, Toronto. If somebody lives in Timmins 600 miles north of Toronto, their experience will be different. I will compare it to an American who lives in NYC, to another American who lives in rural Montana, in terms of how good their medical care is.

I will also point out that in Canada, you cannot "Pay your way to the front of the line ". Decisions are made between the patient and their Doctor, based on the nature of the medical situation and the severity of it. I spent ten years working for the largest Ambulance service in Canada, here in Toronto, so I know how the triage system works. In simple terms, in an emergency the worst go first, the least go last. Changes in medical conditions will result in the status of the patient being upgraded accordingly.

Is our system 100 percent marvelous ? No it isn't perfect, but it is a lot better than the mess that Americans have to deal with daily. Do a Goggle about " what is the leading cause of personal bankruptcies in the USA ? " You will find the most common cause is medical debts of all kinds. Canadians don't have that kind of worry hanging over their heads. JimB.
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You can't pay your way to the front of the ER in the US either. Whatever gives you the misguided impression that you can? We likewise go by severity. Do you seriously believe such nonsense? That a poor person bleeding out will be left to bleed while they tend to the rich man with the sniffles? It's simply not true. You are extremely bigoted towards America and it shows.
 
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jimintoronto said:
OK, so in your mind it is just fine for Americans to praise their country, and be proud of it, BUT when a Canadian does that, it is boorish and tiresome. Nice double standard attitude.

BY the way I do support some Canadian charities, including the War Amps Child Amputee program, which provides limb prosthetics to children who were either born without a limb, or had a traumatic limb amputation. When I die, I will leave a $10,000 donation to War Amps CHAMP program. JimB.
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No. No one is finding fault with your being a proud Canadian. It's the attitude towards America that we have a problem with. Again, my grandmother immigrated from Canada. Both my French grandparents were immigrants - one from Canada and one from France, they met here.

I have not seen any Americans pronounced our love for our country by putting yours down. It is extremely rude. My grandmother was rude too but I hardly think all Canadians are because two of you behave boorishly.
 
StarSong said:
You pick on the US for a wide variety of problems, but can't take it when someone gives you a you a taste of your own medicine. People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. And we ALL live in glass houses. Even Canadians.
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Yoiu bashed our entire health care system but are whining when postal strikes in your country are pointed out. Really? Hypocrite.
 
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