Close X
Sunday, December 15, 2024
ADVT 
National

Calgary Man Writes New York Times' Most Popular Comment Of All Time

The Canadian Press, 30 Dec, 2015 01:54 PM
    The most popular comment ever made on the New York Times website was penned by a Calgary man.
     
    Bob from Calgary, as he is identified on the site, received some 7,040 recommendations for his comment on a 2010 column about wealth and privilege written by Paul Krugman.
     
    The newspaper, which fields some 9,000 comments each day, says Bob's is the top post "of all time."
     
    The runner-up, posted on a story about the mass shooting in Charleston, S.C., drew roughly 5,489 recommendations.
     
    In his comment, Bob praises Canada's public schools, universal health care and banking system and says his tax bill is only two per cent higher than it would be south of the border.
     
    He also says he doesn't feel Canadians are in any way less free than their American counterparts.
     
    "My household makes just over $250,000 here in Canada. One of the best bargains I get for my money is living in a place where I and everyone I know sends their kids to public schools because they are really good," his comment reads. 
     
    "We end up with few criminals, because students learn how to be productive good citizens in schools."
     
    Other "bargains" of living in Canada include health care "whenever you need it without worry about not being approved," modernized infrastructure and public universities "where my children and the children from all types of households can go to and graduate with a big debt, but not a devastating one," he writes.
     
    Paid maternity and paternity leave also "ensure that parents and kids bond and families have some time to look after one another," he says.
     
    "Lastly (there are more, but I have to get back to my work), we get governance. This includes a banking system that is there to support the economy, not end run it to make a few $$," he says. 
     
    "With all of that said, I have to say that along with this, I enjoy one of the freest countries on earth. Our business freedoms are as extensive as the USA. We are free to hunt and own guns (aside from assault weapons and who needs those anyways). In fact, I have lived in the U.S.A. and I have to say, I can't see any freedoms there that we don't have here."

    MORE National ARTICLES

    15-Year-Old Male Snowboarder Found Dead On B.C.'s Mount Washington

    15-Year-Old Male Snowboarder Found Dead On B.C.'s Mount Washington
    Search crews were called to the Vancouver Island mountain Tuesday when the teen failed to meet his party as planned.

    15-Year-Old Male Snowboarder Found Dead On B.C.'s Mount Washington

    Ontario Energy Board Approves Drop In Natural Gas Rates Of About $48 In New Year

    Ontario Energy Board Approves Drop In Natural Gas Rates Of About $48 In New Year
    TORONTO — Ontarians who use natural gas to heat their homes and fuel appliances will get a break on the price starting in the new year.

    Ontario Energy Board Approves Drop In Natural Gas Rates Of About $48 In New Year

    Share Holiday Spirit With Syrian Refugees, Justin Trudeau Says In Christmas Message

    Share Holiday Spirit With Syrian Refugees, Justin Trudeau Says In Christmas Message
    Trudeau says this is a time of year celebrated by showing generosity to family and friends.

    Share Holiday Spirit With Syrian Refugees, Justin Trudeau Says In Christmas Message

    Women Steal Thousands Of Dollars' Worth Of Baby Formula from Utah Stores By Hiding It In Clothes

    Women Steal Thousands Of Dollars' Worth Of Baby Formula from Utah Stores By Hiding It In Clothes
    Logan Police Capt. Curtis Hooley says the pair also visited three other stores, hiding $3,700 of formula in their clothing.

    Women Steal Thousands Of Dollars' Worth Of Baby Formula from Utah Stores By Hiding It In Clothes

    RCMP Say Impaired Winnipeg Driver Hit Traffic Light Standard, Continued With It On Hood

    RCMP Say Impaired Winnipeg Driver Hit Traffic Light Standard, Continued With It On Hood
    WINNIPEG — A man has been charged with impaired driving after a vehicle was found with a traffic light standard on its hood and windshield west of Winnipeg.

    RCMP Say Impaired Winnipeg Driver Hit Traffic Light Standard, Continued With It On Hood

    Review: Simran Sethi's 'Bread, Wine, Chocolate' Links Foods, Flavours And Biodiversity

    Review: Simran Sethi's 'Bread, Wine, Chocolate' Links Foods, Flavours And Biodiversity
    Sethi acknowledges extinctions, climate change and heartbreak, but leaves readers with the hope that individual choices will make a difference over time, and that the love of food can be joyous and part of a meaningful commitment to the environment.

    Review: Simran Sethi's 'Bread, Wine, Chocolate' Links Foods, Flavours And Biodiversity