Hah! No, better than those who pay for it (or have it paid for them). Federal tax rates in Canada are much higher than in the US (for mid- and lower- income levels) and on average, 42% of it goes to the healthcare system. So uh, it's not free.
> As for high taxes: about 40% of my paycheck is poof gone
> by the time I cash the check.
I guess you don't own a house? My net tax burden [(Fed+State+FICA+Medicare+SDI) / Net Income] was 18.5% last year. I seem to recall that you do pretty well for yourself, and it's true: if you make more than the median and you don't own a house, you get to pay a lot of taxes.
> Some goes for SS which, I am told, I should not expect
> to see much of when I retire ...
SS is not a savings plan, you shouldn't expect to see any of it. You should, however, hope that the kids below you kick you some :-)
> and most goes for military spending about which I have no say.
> Forget health care, education, etc.
I think you're exagerating. Health care (sure, not for you: but for seniors) is a much bigger piece of the pie than the military.
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Marvin says this:
> Doug has already noted that numerous studies show the US
> spends more on health care with poorer outcomes than in Canada ...
I don't think this is relevant to this thread. The total health care spending in the US is warped by the extreme costs of high-end care that's simply not available in Canada. I think, for the purposes of this thread, it's important to keep your eye on my claim: that for the same dollars, (average) individual Canadians could (probably) do better in the US.
Joanna, go to this page:
http://www.taxtips.ca/tax_rates.htm
Figure out your tax bill (ignore currency differences) if you lived in Ontario or Quebec (where 80+% of Canada lives), take 42% of it, and call Blue Shield and ask them what you get for it. I bet you'll be surprised.
/jordan