[Eric]

I do not agree that all wealth is earned by individuals, and certainly, some individuals "earn" their wealth illegally ... Conrad Black, a Canadian who seems to have aquired his business ethics by studying Enron, is a case in point. If a welfare state attempts anything, it tries to make sure that individuals have an opportunity to share in the national wealth ... to establish that level playing field that many in the states talk about. Not all citizens in the race of life (sorry about the cliche) begin from the starting line. Some start way back, and others, born with advantages, start somewhere near the finish line. Govt. funded health care is not collectivism, it is a way of insuring that all citizens have equal access to the best the health care system can offer. This, along with publically funded education, affirmative action programs, subsidies for day care, and federal transfer of funds (equalization payments) from tax revenues from wealthy provinces to the poorer provinces evens out the inequalities in the system.

And Canada is certainly not a collective ... our provinces have extensive political powers that the federal govt. cannot touch, mineral rights for example, and control over education. If anything, Canadians are natural Liberals. We like govts. who are fiscally responsible, yet socially generous. At the moment we have a minority govt. ... and this seems to be working out well. But none of our political parties, and they hold radically different views on most things, will tamper with the health care system. Even the Bloc Quebecois supports medicare and promotes federal transfer payments.

If what we have isn't working well, how does one explain the surging looney? Hitting par with the greenback is not too far in the future.