Close X
Saturday, November 16, 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

    Yatim could have been closer to cop before being shot, witness testifies

    Yatim could have been closer to cop before being shot, witness testifies
    TORONTO — A defence lawyer for Const. James Forcillo, who is facing murder charges in the death of an 18-year-old, is trying to show jurors that the police officer could have been closer to the teen than previously estimated.

    Yatim could have been closer to cop before being shot, witness testifies

    Hamilton bra-making school a global attraction for amateurs and professionals

    Hamilton bra-making school a global attraction for amateurs and professionals
    HAMILTON — Sophie Ndala watched her mother wrestle with ill-fitting lingerie her whole life and painstakingly alter oversize bras that nonetheless dug into her shoulders and provided little support.

    Hamilton bra-making school a global attraction for amateurs and professionals

    Calgary MP Deepak Obhrai king of the Conservative caucus, for the moment

    Calgary MP Deepak Obhrai king of the Conservative caucus, for the moment
    OTTAWA — For a brief moment in history, Deepak Obhrai will be the man at the helm of the Conservative party caucus.

    Calgary MP Deepak Obhrai king of the Conservative caucus, for the moment

    Students prepare to push Liberals on promises

    Students prepare to push Liberals on promises
    OTTAWA — Student groups say young voters — a group that typically registers some of the lowest turnout levels in the country — cast more ballots in last week's federal election than they did four years ago.

    Students prepare to push Liberals on promises

    Federal assisted death panel should be disbanded: advocacy groups

    Federal assisted death panel should be disbanded: advocacy groups
    OTTAWA — A three-member federal panel on assisted death created under the Conservative government should be disbanded, two advocacy groups argue.

    Federal assisted death panel should be disbanded: advocacy groups

    Alberta man accused of killing father and daughter needs further mental review

    Alberta man accused of killing father and daughter needs further mental review
    LETHBRIDGE, Alta. — A man accused of killing a two-year-old Alberta girl and her father will require further psychiatric assessment before it is determined if he is fit to stand trial.

    Alberta man accused of killing father and daughter needs further mental review