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I dont understand the hate on Canadian salaries. Its a safer, more liberal country that looks after its poorest. If you want cut throat lifestyle that pays the

by rb808 9y ago

I dont understand the hate on Canadian salaries. Its a safer, more liberal country that looks after its poorest. If you want cut throat lifestyle that pays the most - with the guy who cooked you dinner keeping one eye out for an ICE van, your ex-slaves in prison and some homeless guy going through your dumpster - you'll love the US. If you want to live a fairer society (Canada, France, Germany, Australia etc) don't complain about earning less.

jankotek 9y ago
Immigrants generally send money home to their families.
goodcanadian 9y ago
I don't think people would complain if it were only a little less for the benefits you describe, but the factor of three that is mentioned by other comments is not an exaggeration. It is one thing to take a pay cut of 20% to live in a "safer, more liberal country." It is quite another to take a pay cut of 70%. Right now, I am trying to move back to Canada. My goal is to get about 50% of the salary that I got at my last job in the U.S., and even that is looking very unlikely.
- rb808 9y ago
  Sure but the second problem isn't the general level of salaries its that most countries dont have a city like the Bay Area or NYC. If you compare similar types of cities: Portland/Vancouver and Chicago/Toronto I dont think the salaries are 3x. (Though I get the point that this isn't consistent with my first comment)
  - canadian123456 9y ago
    Entry level for a really good engineer in Toronto is... 90k if we're optimistic & it's changed since I last looked last year? Entry level for a really good engineer in America is 185k+. Total compensation, obviously. That's before taking into account the volume of job opportunities, exchange rate, and access to goods and services.
    - rb808 9y ago
      > Entry level for a really good engineer in America is 185k+. Maybe in the Bay area. Most of the USA you'd get half that with 10y experience.
alacombe 9y ago
> I dont understand the hate on Canadian salaries. Its a safer, more liberal country that looks after its poorest. No, it doesn't. "It" prefers to import "refugees" en-masse and giving them free shit, rather than fix poverty for Canadians.
- xordon 9y ago
  I don't see how blaming refugees is helpful.
  - alacombe 9y ago
    I'm not. I'm blaming the priorities of the federal government. This, and running a $30 billions deficit.
MichaelGG 9y ago
>ICE van No, because in Canada the acronym is CBSA. Anyways I don't see how these follow each other at all. What's shitty tech salaries in Canada to do with any of this?
- linkregister 9y ago
  I think there's some zero-sum-game thinking involved, with some U.S. trending news black eyes thrown in there for rhetorical effect.
linkregister 9y ago
It's interesting that some cultures equate low GINI with fairness, while others equate fewer barriers to success with fairness. In this case, yes, per capita the countries you mentioned take better care of their poor. On the other hand, what is the link between a high salary and an immigrant being deported? Between higher rates of homelessness? Between higher rates of incarceration? The reason why I ask is because the tax burden of a software engineer in California is equivalent to one in Vancouver. Deportations and incarceration are contrary to tax savings. Fewer community and welfare services, leading to homelessness, are linked to tax expenditures, but the U.S. historically has large population groups that have practically always suffered poverty. Anyway, I agree that the U.S. can do better, but see almost no causal link between high salaries for one profession and the problems you mentioned (except maybe a higher corporate tax to eat the delta of the higher added value per employee). Hmm. Canada has a 15% corporate tax rate, lower than the U.S.
refurb 9y ago
some homeless guy going through your dumpster Are you saying Canada doesn't have homeless people going through dumpsters? I would invite you to take a walk down East Hastings in Vancouver. It looks a lot like the worst parts of SF.
int_19h 9y ago
That kind of stuff is (or at least supposed to be) factored into taxation. And it is - income taxes in Canada are definitely higher than in US. The other differences that people are complaining about here are above and beyond that.
serhei 9y ago
Canada is currently in an awkward middle ground between capitalist free-for-all and European-style welfare state. Thus, people who care more about money, and people who care more about good social support (which includes things like healthcare, public transit, clean streets, and so forth that benefit people regardless of level of income) can both find something to complain about.

by rb808 9y ago

jankotek 9y ago

Immigrants generally send money home to their families.

goodcanadian 9y ago

I don't think people would complain if it were only a little less for the benefits you describe, but the factor of three that is mentioned by other comments is not an exaggeration. It is one thing to take a pay cut of 20% to live in a "safer, more liberal country." It is quite another to take a pay cut of 70%. Right now, I am trying to move back to Canada. My goal is to get about 50% of the salary that I got at my last job in the U.S., and even that is looking very unlikely.

rb808 9y ago
Sure but the second problem isn't the general level of salaries its that most countries dont have a city like the Bay Area or NYC. If you compare similar types of cities: Portland/Vancouver and Chicago/Toronto I dont think the salaries are 3x. (Though I get the point that this isn't consistent with my first comment)
- canadian123456 9y ago
  Entry level for a really good engineer in Toronto is... 90k if we're optimistic & it's changed since I last looked last year? Entry level for a really good engineer in America is 185k+. Total compensation, obviously. That's before taking into account the volume of job opportunities, exchange rate, and access to goods and services.
  - rb808 9y ago
    > Entry level for a really good engineer in America is 185k+. Maybe in the Bay area. Most of the USA you'd get half that with 10y experience.

alacombe 9y ago

> I dont understand the hate on Canadian salaries. Its a safer, more liberal country that looks after its poorest. No, it doesn't. "It" prefers to import "refugees" en-masse and giving them free shit, rather than fix poverty for Canadians.

xordon 9y ago
I don't see how blaming refugees is helpful.
- alacombe 9y ago
  I'm not. I'm blaming the priorities of the federal government. This, and running a $30 billions deficit.

MichaelGG 9y ago

>ICE van No, because in Canada the acronym is CBSA. Anyways I don't see how these follow each other at all. What's shitty tech salaries in Canada to do with any of this?

linkregister 9y ago
I think there's some zero-sum-game thinking involved, with some U.S. trending news black eyes thrown in there for rhetorical effect.

linkregister 9y ago

It's interesting that some cultures equate low GINI with fairness, while others equate fewer barriers to success with fairness. In this case, yes, per capita the countries you mentioned take better care of their poor. On the other hand, what is the link between a high salary and an immigrant being deported? Between higher rates of homelessness? Between higher rates of incarceration? The reason why I ask is because the tax burden of a software engineer in California is equivalent to one in Vancouver. Deportations and incarceration are contrary to tax savings. Fewer community and welfare services, leading to homelessness, are linked to tax expenditures, but the U.S. historically has large population groups that have practically always suffered poverty. Anyway, I agree that the U.S. can do better, but see almost no causal link between high salaries for one profession and the problems you mentioned (except maybe a higher corporate tax to eat the delta of the higher added value per employee). Hmm. Canada has a 15% corporate tax rate, lower than the U.S.

refurb 9y ago

some homeless guy going through your dumpster Are you saying Canada doesn't have homeless people going through dumpsters? I would invite you to take a walk down East Hastings in Vancouver. It looks a lot like the worst parts of SF.

int_19h 9y ago

That kind of stuff is (or at least supposed to be) factored into taxation. And it is - income taxes in Canada are definitely higher than in US. The other differences that people are complaining about here are above and beyond that.

serhei 9y ago

Canada is currently in an awkward middle ground between capitalist free-for-all and European-style welfare state. Thus, people who care more about money, and people who care more about good social support (which includes things like healthcare, public transit, clean streets, and so forth that benefit people regardless of level of income) can both find something to complain about.