Hi Pelican Dave here in Toronto. Bottom line - purchasing stuff in the U.S.A. is often EASIER than in Canada. You often get better service in the U.S.A. We purchased our top of the line Subaru Outback from Van Bortel in N.Y. last summer and paid only $USD 30,500 (just had to email for a quote - that's it) all options and freight in, vs $CAD 48,000 best quote in Canada. Only additional cost - $190 + GST for the federal import fee - that's it. No Canadian dealer style B.S. of attempting to further pad the sale with glass etching fees - or worse "administration fees" for their sub-par service. Of course we paid Canadian (PST/GST/$100 AC) taxes to register it (but never paid any US taxes). Now that we are literally building a new home within our old home's 105 double brick exterior walls (totally gutted the interior - even gutted the studs, joists, etc), we're in the market for all new appliances, bathroom fixtures etc. Canadian dealers and distributors can go F*** themselves as far as I am concerned - and put that arrogant disservice attittude right in their ...... but I digress :-) You will pay no duty on any appliance manufactured in USA/Canada/Mexico, otherwise, as I understand it, duty is limited to 6.1%, since Canada is part of the World Trade Organisation. GST is collected at the border, and is calculated on top of the duty. Legally you are supposed to voluntarily declare your purchase to the provincial government and pay P.S.T. as well - as if you would - LOL. P.S.T. is not applicable to any energy star rated appliance in Ontario anyways. I plan to do the same for our bathroom fixtures. If you thought appliance fixtures were a rip off in Canada, check the Canada / US price differences on sinks, toilets, tubs, etc - often up to double the price in the U.S.A. Too many stupid, compliant, lazy Canadians, make for continued windfall profits for greedy, sleazy Canadian distributors, and their compliant, wimpy dealers. If only more dealers were like Walmart Canada, who temporarily pulled all Lego products off the shelves, until Lego cried Uncle, and agreed to sell their products here at the same price as in the U.S.A.

Funny but in the 1980's I was buying my Volvos in Canada and bringing them to the states. I got about a 35% exchange on my money, a bigger discount from the dealer in Canada and got refunded the manufacturing tax that was supposedly included in the sticker price of the Canadian car. I paid no sales tax or value added tax, but had to pay the US State sales tax. I paid a tariff of 2% or about $280 per car. If I had bought a US brand car manufactured in Canada, there would be no tariff. The funny thing is I was getting such a deal on the cars that a few times I sold the car in the US at one year old for more than I paid for it new. So, for a few years I had a new car for no more out of pocket funds. The New England volvo dealers put pressure on Canadian Volvo and thereafter they would no longer put the proper EPA and DOT stickers on the cars so they couldn't be imported by individuals. The warranties were good in either country. In fact if you read most vehicle warranties it says that they are good in the US or Canada. My US Volvo dealer told me to bring the car in anytime for warranty work and they would treat me the same as if I had purchased the car from them. They always did....no waiting and no fuss.

Sherrmann: I don't know how to do italics either, so I'm just going to use the age old quotes, should I quote you. =0) The different systems were all listed on a website at one time, but it was several months ago, I believe it's "hillaries" plan that has the communist bent I mentioned (though I could be wrong on that....). Obama had one that makes a immediate "check-up" mandatory, though I don't remember what happens if you tell them to pound sand. "WHY ARE YOU NOT BOTHERED BY THAT?" Who says I'm not?!? Ok, I'm not as bothered by companies restricting the folks who choose to use their company, because each and every one of those folks have the choice not to give that company their money. (I also understand that those companies have made agreements with the doctors on their list, that they can only charge their people certain amounts, thus saving the insurance company and the consumer both money. Thus the reasons for the lists.... of course you can go outside your system, but the company will only pay the amount they have worked out with the doctor on their list... you will have to pay the rest.) Consumers seem to have forgotten that what they buy, they get. If there is not an option out there that they find ok, then they have the choice not to buy at all. We had a post either here or in the money saving forum that proves that point to the letter. Someone wanted to be able to pay their bill by phone without charge. At least 5 folks came on saying that they should just accept what the company offered, even if it wasn't what they wanted. Excuse me WHAT?!?!?!? Why the heck should we do that? There are too many companies offering similar services to settle for what one company offers. My dad just had a woman for a satellite company tell him that he had to either pay $70 for a service call, or pay a monthly fee to have them come out and fix their equipment, that there was no other choice. She was actually shocked to find out that HIS choice would involve a rival company and NOT paying this company's bogus fees. (they came out and fixed their stuff without charge) Yes, I know, just like that lady on the phone, many believe that they do not have a choice in the insurance company they choose. It's simply not true. You always have a choice. It may be between something bad and something worse, but it is still a choice. "I DON'T THINK IT IS OK FOR "SOME OF US TO FALL THROUGH THE CRACKS." NO ONE IS MORE ENTITLED TO GOOD HEALTH CARE THAN ANYONE ELSE." No, it's not "OK", but it IS going to happen. No matter how good the system it's still run by people, and people aren't perfect. There are folks in every system in the world falling through those cracks. Are wealthy people "entitled" to more/better care simply because they can pay for it themselves? As much as it seems to go against the grain, and that I hate the word "entitled"....... Yes. In the same way as they are "entitled" to better houses, better cars, and even better tvs. They can pay to fly to where ever the expert in their particular problem is, they can afford to stay as long as they need to in that area, they can afford the fees that the best can charge. They can also chase all over the world for the latest "cure" not available here, to the scientists and the wackos who they think can help. They can pay to have a private nurse come to their home and stay with them for 24 hours a day for months and/or years. And as much as many may hate it, those wealthy folks chasing the fountain of youth, allow the experts to volunteer their time helping those that may not have as much. Allows them to charge less if anything to those who can not afford to pay. And in the case of a home health nurse... pays a living salary for someone else. This does not mean that everyone should not be able to get some basic care. It does not mean that everyone should be able to get good care. And if you need me to pay for your basic health care, then you should be willing to go through the systems currently in place. They may be broken, but they are in place. Somehow it seems to speak to the "throw away" society we have become that no one is interested in fixing what we have, they just want to go out and buy "healthcare 2.0". Kidney cancer (hopefully you are doing better now) is not a minor ailment. I believe that the comment was directed at those who could not be bothered to take a few hours off work to take a kid with a cold to the regular doctor. Anyone who has ever been in an ER has seen the number of folks with routine care concerns that are filling up the seats and bogging down the staff. Each and every one of those folks are going to be charged ER rates, which is probably 2-3 times more than a regular office visit, even including the time off work. Which may have something to do with Americans "paying twice as much" for care than other parts of the world, if in fact we do. If we do it is probably the ONLY thing we pay more for. I believe that I am intelligent enough to make my own decisions, and am old enough to take responsibility for my own actions or inactions. Whatever they may be. I wonder how many folks will be thrown into financial trouble by these plans (even those without a communist bent). With many living paycheck to paycheck and that's without insurance... how much worse off will those that we are supposedly trying to "help" be? How many will tank out and go under with the additional tax burden? Yes, it sounds good as long as you do not scratch the surface. So did ARM's and IO loans not too long ago......

Well, I'm in Western Australia and enjoying daylight saving. The weather is still the same no matter what the hour, daylight saving doesn't make the days any hotter, some opinions to the contrary :-). My husband, who installs TV antennas, is enjoying the fact that with daylight saving there is a little more time during the morning when it is cool enough to work in and on a roof without being turned into a crisp. There is also more light time in the evenings for finishing off jobs. I am enjoying the fact that I can get all our evening watering done while it is still light enough to see what I'm doing. My adult daughter enjoys that she can go to the gym in the evening and not come out to a dark car park. Yes, we get up in the dark but we do that in winter anyway and its no big deal. Certainly it is easier dealing with businesses on the other side of the country (where a lot of the head ofices are based) with a two hour rather than a three hour time difference.