General Politics Discussion

[SammyOES]

I'll donate $500 to the Waterloo Food Bank if you provide proof verifying these statements.

Edit: To be clear, I think it's reasonable for you to decline for privacy reasons.  But figured I'd throw the offer out anyway.

Ha! Now I'm really curious to know what part of my statement is so unbelievable

Not sure if you're aware but most entrepreneurs and business professionals vote conservative

First, are you going to accept? The food bank can always use money.

Second, I’m not born yesterday and your claims are just incredibly unlikely to be true.

- Most “entrepreneurs and business professionals” don’t advertise their partisan beliefs because it’s bad business.
- Most people with a successful business with at least mid-7 figures in revenue don’t pick up and move said business to a different country.
- Most people with a successful business would recognize the incredibly difficult situation you face moving to the US right now. Immigration doesn’t allow people to just enter and set up a business. It definitely doesn’t let you bring your non-US citizen employees.

Now, given all that, maybe I’m wrong about you. But then we get to the point that the details you’ve revealed are so specific that anybody that actually knew you in real life would recognize you from those details. So given that, why not get the food bank some extra cash?

[tomh009]

According to the Montreal Institute 44% of every dollar spent in Canada is spent by government

Ah, the magic of statistics! "Dollars spent" can be spent multiple times. For example, the Ontario government will pay health-care groups (typically of family doctors) for services provided. This will count as "government spending" and yet those groups will also spend the money, and then their employees will spend them, too. The total "spending" in Canada will be far higher than the GDP.

So, you can't just use "dollars spent" divided by GDP as a metric.

And, just FYI, the US estimate for the same ratio is 36%. And that's without universal healthcare--notably 16% of US GDP goes to healthcare.

[bravado]

According to the Montreal Institute 44% of every dollar spent in Canada is spent by government

Ah, the magic of statistics! "Dollars spent" can be spent multiple times. For example, the Ontario government will pay health-care groups (typically of family doctors) for services provided. This will count as "government spending" and yet those groups will also spend the money, and then their employees will spend them, too. The total "spending" in Canada will be far higher than the GDP.

So, you can't just use "dollars spent" divided by GDP as a metric.

And, just FYI, the US estimate for the same ratio is 36%. And that's without universal healthcare--notably 16% of US GDP goes to healthcare.

One of the more eye-opening realizations of the early Trump presidency so far has been the idea that Canada isn't actually as indebted and high-spending as I generally understood - especially when compared to the US government. Every day it seems that we have to live in some semblance of financial reality, while the US government most certainly does not. We'll see if that spending stays sustainable if the US isn't #1 at trade anymore and the USD isn't what it used to be.

[Kodra24]

Ha! Now I'm really curious to know what part of my statement is so unbelievable

Not sure if you're aware but most entrepreneurs and business professionals vote conservative

First, are you going to accept?  The food bank can always use money.

Second, I’m not born yesterday and your claims are just incredibly unlikely to be true.

- Most “entrepreneurs and business professionals” don’t advertise their partisan beliefs because it’s bad business.
- Most people with a successful business with at least mid-7 figures in revenue don’t pick up and move said business to a different country.
- Most people with a successful business would recognize the incredibly difficult situation you face moving to the US right now.  Immigration doesn’t allow people to just enter and set up a business.  It definitely doesn’t let you bring your non-US citizen employees. 

Now, given all that, maybe I’m wrong about you.  But then we get to the point that the details you’ve revealed are so specific that anybody that actually knew you in real life would recognize you from those details.  So given that, why not get the food bank some extra cash?

No, I will not accept - the capitalist in me would love to up it to $10K paid out to me vs $10K paid out to whoever you wish (if I'm wrong) and we can both sign NDA's to keep our identities private but I still wouldn't as I don't know you or your intentions from a hole in the wall

Just to be clear - I don't advertise my political beliefs as I don't have social media (other than LinkedIn but I only post work related content there) - I realize it's bad for business but this is an anonymous political forum so I figured why not

US immigration wants you to do exactly that - enter and set-up a business, it's quite easy - without getting into the details you need a business plan, min 1-year employment with current company, open up a registered business within the state of your choice, open up a US bank account and apply for a Visa upon port of entry and voila - you're a US Visa holder with ability to obtain your green card within as little as 2 years - you can also bring "key" employees that you need to get your business off the ground and of course they, along with you, can bring their spouse and dependents

There are other ways to obtain employment, an immigration lawyer can assist with all of the above, you're looking at $7-$10K

Seems like you're itching to give the food bank some money, you don't need me to do it, do the right thing and donate

"Incredibly unlikely to be true" I'm flattered

[SammyOES]

Just to be clear - I don't advertise my political beliefs as I don't have social media (other than LinkedIn but I only post work related content there) - I realize it's bad for business but this is an anonymous political forum so I figured why not

My friend, how many people in the region do you believe are in the set of: "immigrant millenial", "owning a 30+ employee business", and "actively moving the business to the US"?

It's almost certainly 0. But if you're actually telling the truth... it's 1. And with a decent chance the story gets local news coverage.

US immigration wants you to do exactly that - enter and set-up a business, it's quite easy - without getting into the details you need a business plan, min 1-year employment with current company, open up a registered business within the state of your choice, open up a US bank account and apply for a Visa upon port of entry and voila - you're a US Visa holder with ability to obtain your green card within as little as 2 years - you can also bring "key" employees that you need to get your business off the ground and of course they, along with you, can bring their spouse and dependents

Lol, this is what someone that has googled (or I guess now Chat GPT'd) US immigration policies says. As someone that has actually done this stuff both personally and for people I managed, you clearly don't understand how this works. The words of American immigration policy don't change that often - but how they are interpreted, implemented and enforced can change drastically even during the same administration. The last 6 months have not been status quo in immigration land.

Also, the words you're writing down have very specific meanings and interpretations by the US. "Key" employee doesn't just mean someone you think is important to your business. It definitely doesn't mean all 30 employees or anything close to the majority of your employees.

Anyway, good times, I think we've covered everything fun here. Just next time you're trolling on the internet, you've gotta use fewer concrete details and ease your way into your back story. Particularly with hints and innuendos that don't lock you into a ridiculous position.

[creative]

Just for my entertainment value following this thread, I think that I will make a donation to the food bank.

[Momo26]

I'd like to hear a bit more about the transition to going to the USA and setting up shop. I think the answer is someplace in the middle of what is discussed above.

I will say one thing - aside from some states with 0% or under 10% state tax - doing business in the USA does appear to be significantly easier/better in the USA by quite a margin. The taxation loopholes as well are more favorable and opportunities to keep more of your money seem to be incomparable - that and red tape as well.

I'm saying this from many videos I have seen, things I have read online and not from doing business there personally.
I also realize that even as a Canadian, one cannot just go and show up - you are an illegal after 6 months without a visa of some kind. But I also know that folks can get sponsored by employers on those work visas (including immediate household etc). How don't know how long it takes to get a PR but it sounds faster if you open up shop and create employment...

[Momo26]

I'll add i'm not debating which country is better to live, work and raise a family as a whole etc. My conclusion is however, for the educated class and focused entrepreneur, your upside is that much more in the USA (we have all seen the same job - apples for apples - paying 20-100% more in the US when adjusting for currency exchange).

[bravado]

I think the economic argument has been pretty solid for supporting the brain drain for 100+ years now.

It’s the rest of the argument that’s harder to compare. Some people believe there’s more to life than GDP, even though that’s the only hard statistic that we have on hand to measure by.

[danbrotherston]

The economic argument isn't actually so simple. Yeah, if you're a developer working at a FAANG company earning top dollar maybe you come out ahead. But I had a co-op term in Seattle...one of my friends broke her arm skiing and came back from her 60k USD per year co-op job 50k in medical debt, and that's with insurance.

You can get fucked over very easily in that country. And that's even before you decide to put a dollar value on the whole "breakdown of society" thing that's going on there right now.

[Momo26]

I thought if you have an employer sponsored benefits insurance plan, something like a broken bone would be $0 out of pocket...

I do know of someone who has good insurance and his wife gave birth. Due to spending i believe 2 additional nights in the hospital post birth, he had like a $7k bill


I will add even with one additional night in hospital post birth, despite my coverage, we were handed a small bill.

The irony is if I stated I had no coverage, we would have not been handed anything. (Or mailed) its this kind of stuff which is infuriating (side note). Not that id ever wish to be worse off ofc

[danbrotherston]

I thought if you have an employer sponsored benefits insurance plan, something like a broken bone would be $0 out of pocket...

I do know of someone who has good insurance and his wife gave birth. Due to spending i believe 2 additional nights in the hospital post birth, he had like a $7k bill


I will add even with one additional night in hospital post birth, despite my coverage, we were handed a small bill.

The irony is if I stated I had no coverage, we would have not been handed anything. (Or mailed) its this kind of stuff which is infuriating (side note). Not that id ever wish to be worse off ofc

Yes, lots of people think that, they are then very surprised when they receive a 50k bill after suffering a traumatic injury and being taken by ambulance (while unconscious) to an out of network hospital in the ski town they were in.

Of course, different insurance may have better or worse coverage, and this was 15 years ago now. But this was a person who had employer provided coverage while working as a software developer at Microsoft. The exact kind of situation you'd expect to not experience this kind of problem in.

[tomh009]

How don't know how long it takes to get a PR but it sounds faster if you open up shop and create employment...

Green card would typically require your employer to do a labour market certification (similar to Canadian LMIA) for you and then file an I-140 form, and then you do I-485. The process probably takes a year or two, and you can expect that someone (you or your employer) will need to be engaging immigration lawyers to assist with the process. Generally the whole process is tied to your employer so you will not be able to change jobs until you actually have a green card. And the employer may expect you to sign a contract to stay longer since they are sponsoring you.

There is no points-based PR system like there is in Canada.

https://www.deel.com/blog/tn-visa-to-a-g...n-7-steps/

[Momo26]

Ford says get back in offices

https://www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/politics/...ys-a-week/

Thoughts?

[bravado]

I have genuine reservations against remote work and I think it has larger societal and personal costs that remote work enthusiasts don't really have answers for. I think a hybrid approach makes the most people happy between the two extremes of fully remote vs 100% on-site.

BUT: The employers who have gone the hardest into return-to-work policies have been the ones who have been trying their hardest to make workplaces miserable. It sounds like in many offices you don't even have a desk anymore - you have to reserve them and hop around the office like some kind of cubicle rental. Why do they want people to come back to work and experience the "team building environment" when workplaces are becoming more anti-human over time?

There's also something really quite perverse about the Suburban NIMBY-in-Chief (Ford) forcing people back into commuting while ranting about traffic and congestion and bike lanes at the same time. And making it impossible to plan communities where you can live near your workplace. I think it's true that The Public™ needs to believe that public servants are working and can be seen to be working, but I have no faith that Ford is the guy to manage any of that.