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The ipod is actually pretty much at parity; we pay tariffs, where Americans don't so far as I know. As to the rest, well, there's more to the prices of these commodities than simple exchange rates. Part of it is simply economy of scale; goods in the larger marketplace of the United States are able to be shipped, shelved and processed in a more cost effective manner, because more of them are moving. Given that we do have roughly the same per capita income, this plays a major role in price parity or lack thereof. There's also the fact that to an American company (like an auto manufacturer, for example) anything produced up here in Canada is now costing dramatically more per unit, due to the higher relative cost of labour. If this ends up being a long term trend, this is likely to drive costs for Canadian made goods up across the board; for the moment, we're footing the bill. Add to that any obfuscated taxes and tariffs that are levied in addition to the transparent sales tax at point of purchase and it becomes clear why we end up paying more.
Yeah, we pay more taxes and that kind of sucks. In exchange for that, we have more public services available to us, as well as a thriving economy. Personally, I reckon the benefits outweigh the costs.
I'm not even touching the healthcare debate, except to say that I have no idea where Ustwo is getting his information from. It certainly doesn't line up with any of my research or personal experiences, and just lately the healthcare system is something that I'm seeing rather a lot of.
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I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept
I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept
I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head
I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said
- Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame
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