The power of that characterization, no matter how unfair, cannot be underestimated. That is the common Canadian perception of America, cited in jest and in all seriousness. Whether Americans view that perception as a problem or not, they're doing nothing to change it. If the media provides any measure, then we're learning that more and more Americans see a viable solution to their problems in murder and suicide. Whatever the cause, that kind of violence almost never happens in Canada.
Comparisons are really only useful in a few instances, and economically speaking, even fewer.
We could point to America's economic growth and compare it to Canada's, but this is really only a rewarding endeavor because 80 percent of Canada's trade is with the US, and the spectacular growth there has failed, somehow, to rub off on Canada. The Intrusions of Government on the Individual Unfortunately for the truth, so much debate in Canada has been wasted in a circus of comparisons. Never mind comparisons with other countries, or the benefits of that redistribution. The process fits in perfectly with a tradition of locking citizens into cooperation and complacency, trading limited benefits for unlimited obedience and sacrifice. The redistribution of wealth in Canada is another piece of a hierarchical system that has from the beginning left citizens, once entwined, no avenue for retreat or change.