#(that they can't afford to move out of bc what's it's currently worth won't buy them a decent house less than 1/2 the size)

[grunge-mermaid]

so this just came up on my pinterest feed:

the average individual income in my nearest major city is $64,500 and average household income is $126,700. (according to Career Beacon, whoever they are)

assuming Career Beacon means that is the average gross salary, at 2.5x that's $161,250 and $316,750 respectively.

if they mean that is the average net household income, that bumps it up to $87,500 and approximately $200,000. So according to the pinterest advice, your budget for a house should be $218,750 or $500,000.

average house price in that same city? close to $700k

In my old neighbourhood in that city, condo PARKING SPACES were regularly listed for $40k-$75k. you can't even get a reasonable studio condo anywhere in the city proper for $316,000. in the outskirts, like out past the suburbs...maybe. but then you're paying through the nose for transportation.

you can get a nice (and I do actually mean nice, I'm not being sarcastic or snarky at all I swear) trailer home in the middle of fucking nowhere in a 55+ community for $150-$300k. good luck accessing transit though.

[genx3791]

Here are 51 reasons why Alberta & Saskatchewan would enjoy better lives as citizens of a U.S. state. 

1. No more French language

Say goodbye to French on signs, products, government documents. No more French taught in schools. No more being greeted in French when you speak to customer service.

2. Free to travel to sunny states for as long as you want

Want to live in Florida, Arizona, or Maui for a while without raising eyebrows with U.S. border patrol or risk being double-taxed by IRS & CRA?

3. 2nd Amendment rights

The right to bear arms is an inalienable right ingrained in the U.S. Constitution, which can't be taken away. In Constitutional Carry states, you can even carry a concealed firearm without permits or red tape. In Canada, you will just have to watch your family get mowed down by bad guys.

4. Donald Trump

You get the ultimate leader of the people, a non-stop machine who works for you 20hrs a day instead of Trudeau who uses you to fund his vacation.  You get an alpha male leader you can be proud of & truely loves his country instead of a sissy.

5. Protection from US military

You get the full protection of the Pentagon and its 1.3 million active duty personnel.

6. Safety of US dollar

You'll be earning US dollars which are the world's stable, standard currency and a safe haven of investment.

7. 1st Amendment

The right to free speech is ingrained in the U.S. Constitution. You are free to speak your mind without being fined or jailed for offending people.

8. Benefit from economies of scale

320 million people create a lot more buying power than 35 million. That's why prices of consumer goods and services tend to be better in the U.S. That's also why the U.S. has better infrastructure.

9. Better postal service

USPS is thriving in the digital age while Canada Post is cutting services to stay afloat. Order something cross country and USPS has it to you in 3 days or less at a fraction of the cost of Canada Post.

10. More banking options

You get a multitude of banking options rather than being stuck with Canada's banking oligopoly.

11. More phone & cable plan options

You get more choice of carriers and greater coverage in the States. Plans are usually cheaper as well.

12. More electronics, lower prices

There is so much more competition in the home electronics/appliances industries that it keeps prices lower in the U.S. than in Canada.

13. Cheaper car insurance

Car insurance tends to be about 40-50% lower in the U.S. than in Canada. Again, it's probably due to a larger economy of scale.

14. More famous restaurant franchises

You favorite U.S. restaurant chains will be more eager to operate north of the 49th when they're not faced with Canada's over-regulation of food, language and labor.

15. More affordable air transportation

How come you can fly from Phoenix to Las Vegas for $50 but flying from Calgary to Vancouver (same distance) is $200? 

16. Better quality groceries, more choice

While Canada only has two big grocery companies that control 90% of the market, the U.S. has a multitude of options. With greater competition comes better quality and more options.  Also, many great food companies in the U.S. won't export to Canada because of the cost of complying with Canada's food and labelling regulations.

17. Don’t pay duties for online shopping

Let's face it, all the good stuff online is shipped from the States. Then it gets dinged for up to 35% by Canada Customs when it comes in. This won't happen when Alberta is a U.S. state.

18. Won’t get made uncompetitive by Carbon Tax

Canada's obsession with climate change has mandated a carbon tax that is about to render its industrial output unable to compete with countries that haven't fallen for this hoax.

19. Won’t get made uncompetitive by new US import taxes

Trump is going to play hardball on trade. When he has leverage, he will use it to the advantage of the USA. He will start making Canada pay for the protection it gets from Uncle Sam, and if Canada won't pay, he'll make it up on increased tariffs.

20. Tougher justice system

The prime minister of Canada doesn't even think terrorists should lose their citizenship. Canada is a very liberal country that is soft on criminals in hopes that they can be rehabilitated. Meanwhile, very bad people are walking our streets.

21. Fewer refugees

Trump is proposing a total, temporary pause on refugees coming into the US until they figure out a way to vet them properly. Canada is simply an open borders country that will invite in as many refugees as it can to prove a point about how liberal it is.

22. Melting Pot, not Salad Bowl

The United States with its melting pot culture encourages immigrants to assimilate into English-speaking American culture. Canada encourages immigrants to maintain the cultural identities and customs of the home countries. This creates a lot of tension and a lack of shared identity in Canadian society.

23. Military industrial complex creates jobs

There is no arguing with the fact that the U.S. military industrial complex, with its world-leading innovation and massive productive capacity generates a tremendous amount of jobs and economic output. Canada's is nearly non-existent by comparison.

24. More diverse economy than Canada’s oil & health

Canada has put all its eggs in the oil and health care industries. This lack of diversity is very risky, as witnessed after the fall of oil prices. All the brightest minds in Canada who aren't working in oil or health move to the States to work in other industries.

25. Get to vote for President, not just watch

No longer will Albertans have to just sit on the sidelines and watch Americans elect the leader of the Free World.

26. Get a national culture & identity (vs “post-national”)

Americans have a strong sense of shared identity, cultural practices and values. Canada's leaders have declared it a "post-national" country, having no single shared identity. This encourages Canadians to stay in their ethnic cliques rather than work together like Americans do.

27. America first vs. globalism

Alberta will become part of America; a country now lead by those who put American priorities ahead of matters abroad. Canada is becoming the last bastion of globalism and makes domestic matters take a back seat to "virtuous" acts of saving people in faraway lands.

28. U.S. conservative values align with Alberta's

Canada's political spectrum is sharply to the left of the United States. The Conservative Party of Canada would be to the left of the Democrats if it was part of the U.S. Alberta keeps voting conservative which means it belongs in a more right-oriented political system like the U.S.

29. No more monarchy

Americans had the balls to evict the Crown 240 years ago, while Canada is still appeasing the Royals.

30. Access to better quality health care

You probably know at least five people who have had to go the the U.S. for serious health procedures. Most affluent Canadians go to the States for procedures. Why would any good doctors want to work in Canada's socialist health care system, when they can live in the States, make more money and work with the best technology?

31. Shorter wait times for operations

No more waiting days in a hospital corridor to get your rupturing appendix removed!

32. Might get an NFL franchise

Sure, you love your CFL teams, but wouldn't it be more exciting if your local franchise was NFL?

33. Help MAGA

You get to apply your energy to making America great again, instead of being trapped in a socialist country where your blood, sweat, and tears (and tax dollars) go to a leftist government that makes terrible decisions which work against you.

34. Be proud of your country again

There has never been a better time to be American. Those who support MAGA are walking with pride as their country is rebuilt, while Albertans walk with hunched shoulders, not proud of the country that mocks and exploits it.

35. Don’t have to feel second class around Americans anymore

You will be a first class, American citizen rather than being teased about being from wimpy Canada, eh?

36. Earning $USD, you can go to BC and shop/vacation in CAD pesos

When Alberta becomes part of the U.S. and Albertans are earning $USD, they will be able to go to BC for cheap cross-border shopping and holidays because the $CAD will be worth less than $0.50 $USD.

37. Elected Senate

You'll get to elect your senators rather than having them appointed by the elites.

38. State that treats you like grown up, not a nanny

Albertans are freedom-loving people. Why should they be over-regulated and talked down to by a government that thinks it knows what's best for its people and treats them like babies? The American society treats you like a grown up by default.

39. No more CBC

No more of your tax dollars going to support the government-backed Canadian Brainwashing Corporation.

40. No more forced CanCon

You will no longer be forced to ingest watered down versions of Netflix, Pandora, iTunes or having to listen to Nickelback, Bieber, or Alanis 50% of the time by law. No more government-funded shows like Little Mosque on the Prairie.

41. No more draining equalization payments

Less of your hard-earned dollars will go to buying beer and cigarettes for unemployed Quebecers.

42. No more government in absentia

The ruling government in Ottawa currently only has 4 MPs from Alberta. Alberta voted conservative and now has almost zero representation in government. This is complete political alienation.

43. Lower corporate tax better for small business

Trump is proposing dropping corporate tax to 10-15%. This will give American small business a major boost and Canada's small businesses will be unable to compete.

44. No longer lagging 8 years behind the US

Isn't it frustrating to have to repeat the same historical mistakes as the U.S., 8 years later? Canada elected its Obama (Trudeau) just on the eve of America rejecting him.

45. Lower gas tax

Gas taxes are lower in the U.S.

46. Lower liquor tax

Liquor is taxed at a lower rate in the U.S., too. Why pay more tax if you don't have to?

47. Won’t be trapped in Canada by a plunging Loonie

When America steps up their economic & trade games to a whole new level, the Loonie is going to be driven down by so much money flowing from Canada to the U.S. This will hurt Canadians' ability to buy vacations, real estate and consumer goods from the US. 

48. Your children will have more job opportunities

America's economic diversity, military industrial complex, and world-leading innovation provide orders of magnitude more opportunity than Canada's narrow oil & health focus. By the time your children are old enough to join the workforce, Trump will have made America even stronger with even more opportunities, which will dwarf Canada. With Alberta part of the U.S., your children won't have to leave to get jobs.

49. Your children will have more education options

As U.S. citizens, your children will benefit from having the choice of hundreds of great American colleges and universities where they can make great connections with the leaders of tomorrow, rather than being marginalized nobodies who graduated from some unknown Canadian school.

50. Cheaper to heat your home with no CO2 tax

No more having to choose between heating vs. eating in the frigid winter months.

51. Never be ruled by another Trudeau!

Nothing needs to be said about this one.

Feel free to copy n paste, I did.