Free trade agreement, we're getting screwed!!!!

This weekend, I decided to go visit my buddies Americans for a bit of gambling and shopping. I couldn't help but to compare a tiny bit. Example: You go to Montreal Casino compare to Akwesasne Mohawk Casino. The beer is 5$ in Mtl when in Akw it's 2$. If you eat in Mtl, you might get away with a 80$ bill for 2 people. Akw, 16$/pers for buffet and it's delicious. Guess where I've been going for the last 2 years... I am not a big gambler and I like to play for the pleasure of playing. For me the casino is pure entertainment, which is why I don't like to spend more money than I have to. Of course, if you go south of the border, a bit of shopping is also convenient. Example: 5l of Mobil1 5w40 oil sales for 45$ in Qc. In NYS a gallon (3.78l) of the same oil is being sold 26$. Let's convert that to a change rate of 85cents for Can $ and you get your oil at 10.60 usd/liter in Mtl when the same oil is 6.88 usd/liter in NYS. Kind of make you wonder where all that money goes. About 4$ a liter more. Another good example is camping goods. A coleman lantern (model Northstar with the carrying case) is beeing sold 55. 99$ in NYS (see coleman.com). The same lantern package is listed on coleman.canada.ca at 99.99$ can. At Canadian Tire, this lamp is beeing sold for 89.99$. Don't forget that you have to had up 15% tax over that price (7% gst and 8% qst) for a total of 103.99$ Let transfer that in USD at the same rate cited above and the cost of the same lantern is 88.39USD which is just 32$ more expensive. I can understand that the retailers have to take a cut but I guess that walmart USA and walmart Canada take about the same cut. Where does the rest of this money goes? I buy stuff off the US all the time and import fees are not that expensive. I can understand maybe 20% more expensive but not 60% more expensive. It gets ridiculous. Of course Canadian people like to go shopping in the USA. We save money. If people wouldn't try to strangle their fellow Canadians, maybe we would be more willing to stay at home and spend more at home but where I come from, I go where my money is going the furthest. I can also understand that Quebec is a bit the mecca of the socialist provinces and I am willingly paying taxes directly off my salary and every time I buy any goods but I don't think that over-inflating the price of goods is necessary to feed the social programs of this province.

Learning responsabilities....

The other day, I received an e-mail about people who lived in the 70's who didn't wear helmet when biking, who drink coke without a straw, who didn't wear seatbelt while riding in a car, who didn't have airbags and who lived to tell about it. Presently, people need to be guided to such a point when it comes to safety that it's becoming ridiculous. Do you really have to write in a manual that the driver of a winnebago mus not leave is seat while driving? Do you really need tire pressure monitoring in your car? Do you really need all kind of things to protect stupid people? Behind that "oversafety" lies a principle which is being lost: for every action there is a consequence!!!! If you are reckless while biking, you will get hurt and learn. If you wear a helmet, kneepads and elbow pads, you will be reckless and not have any consequences, not learning any lesson. All those "safety" items are creating better idiots. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about safety but up to a point! Of course, we must educate people but shouldn't they think a bit by themselves? I have a friend from the 80's generation who's totally irresponsible at 25 years old. I was asking myself why when I received the email message cited above. The poor guy never had to face any consequences of his acts. At 25, he has to raise kids, manage a mortgage, take care of his wife and he's still irresponsible. He never had to face the consequences of his acts!!! Getting hurt is a good way to learn. Of growing and if you don't, you just grow irresponsible . Therefore, safety is good, but common sense is better. If you get hurt a few times, you won't need safety gear, you'll be careful. If you don't learn on your bicycle, you might learn ,older, by getting bigger consequences on your mortgage by example...

Downfall of the American nation and their values.

Sadly, we are presently assisting to the downfall of the American values, people are also less educated ( and by that I don't only think about school but about being inquiring). Our good folks don't think about having families, they're thinking about pornstars , possessions and status. People don't think about respect but about empowerment. The values are going down. Were not going to church for the right reason: we don't understand what we believe in anymore. The worst example is when a military man is talking about God: how can you kill people (surely bad people, the president and tv are saying so) and be a good Christian. If those people would have asked themselves the right question, they would understand that the army is the tool of the government to gain power over other countries and not the tool to enforce peace and justice through force. The nation is not thinking but acting based on programming acquired via different medias. The people who control the medias are using those as a remote control for masses. People are easily predictable. The aveage American is thinking: "If TV says it, it must be true" when the real question is" why, in who's benefit, what is the real goal, what do I gain?" People have lost their critic mind. They don't inquire anymore. The basis of education is to have an inquiring mind. You don't necessary need to go to university to learn, you just need to be curious and try to continuously learn through experiences. So you combine people without principle, without an inquiring mind and feed them with a lot of entertainment. Aren't we becoming like those "cocooned" humans that machines are getting energy from in "The matrix" except that the establishment is replacing the machines? The real questions are much easier: what favor life? What do we need to be healthy as human beings, as a nation. Presently, we're very sick because we stopped thinking by ourselves. Which bring me to think that the lack of values and education will be the down fall of America.