• Boddhisatva@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    Following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation announcement on Monday, Trump claimed credit for the decision, saying that people in Canada “love” the idea of becoming a U.S. state. This prompted Ford to make his own comments about acquiring U.S. territories.

    …snip…

    Canadian MP Charlie Angus rejected the idea outright, pointing to differences in the nations’ laws. Angus stated on X that Canada has rules preventing “sexual abusers” from becoming leaders, a clear reference to allegations against Trump.

    I would love to have seen Trump’s face when he heard that rejection.

      • xmunk@sh.itjust.works
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        1 month ago

        I don’t mean to be depressing but envying Canada for its spectacular rail service would be inadvisable.

              • xmunk@sh.itjust.works
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                1 month ago

                I have! VIA is actually worse and it’s so fucking disappointing.

                I will grant that I’ve never actually lost my seat on VIA due to overbooking (fuck Amtrak) but VIA’s pricing is so fucking horrible that it’s pretty much made itself irrelevant outside really short journies like the St. Lawrence valley cities.

              • hobovision@lemm.ee
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                1 month ago

                I’ve ridden Amtrak but I’ve also seen videos about how Via Rail is basically unusable. Amtrak has improved significantly in the past decade as well, while Via seemingly regressed (again, Via info is based on other people’s experiences, not mine).

          • xmunk@sh.itjust.works
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            1 month ago

            I grew up in Boston with the T - Skytrain is rather pleasant to ride but has absolutely horrible coverage. It connects to only a single university and it’s VCC - there is no connection to neither SFU nor UBC and in terms of commuting it’s only really relevant to New West and a narrow slice of Burnaby… there’s also no skytrain link to North Vancouver (I’m not counting SeaBus - while it’s a treat to occasionally ride it it’s slow as ass).

            • AbsentBird@lemm.ee
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              1 month ago

              It has service every 3 minutes, fully autonomous, and the coverage has been expanding consistently. The T started in 1889, it’s got a hundred years head start on SkyTrain.

        • circuitfarmer@lemmy.sdf.org
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          1 month ago

          Compared to the US, Canada may as well be Japan in terms of rail.

          It’s ironic that the US was ultimately born and raised on expansion of rail, but because cars became so profitable and lucrative, US passenger rail is a constant afterthought, if it’s even an option at all.

            • circuitfarmer@lemmy.sdf.org
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              1 month ago

              If you’ve ever ridden Amtrak, you probably know what the big problem is: most rail lines in the US give extreme priority to freight, and the freight operators basically own all the track. As a result, Amtrak is constantly late – sometimes very late, since it needs to wait for freight to do its thing.

              Couple that with Amtrak rates being sky high, plus the fact that it’s extremely slow even without the freight waiting, and it’s a much deeper story than how much track exists.

              • Oascany@lemmy.world
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                1 month ago

                Riding on VIA is incredibly expensive, on occasion 3-4 times the price of a flight. Incredibly inconvenient, checked luggage and weighed carry-on and all that jazz, despite being a literal railway. Incredibly slow, it’s faster to drive to Toronto from Vancouver. VIA is absolutely awful and I will never ride it again until it’s fixed. On the other hand, AmTrak from Vancouver to Seattle is not awful. Both are miserable on a world stage but it’s like putting the bottom two against each other.

                • circuitfarmer@lemmy.sdf.org
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                  1 month ago

                  That does make sense.

                  Related to my original comment, I’ve been on a Japanese Shinkansen many times. It is a shockingly different experience. Comfortable, clean, no fuss, and relatively inexpensive. From Tokyo to Kyoto in about 2 hours (roughly 450km distance).

                  Once you leave the high speed train, you’re greeted by a subway system also second to none. Get virtually anywhere you need to in the city without the need for a car. A 45 minute ride tends to be $3-4.

                  Even in cities with relatively limited subway systems (limited for Japan – still extensive in many comparisons), like Kyoto, the bussing system is actually fantastic. Equally clean, and you can even use the same touch card you use for rail.

                  European trains are pretty great too. Maybe not as nice as Japan, but e.g. the German ICE is pretty clean and also affordable. Sure, DB is famous for being late too, but not Amtrak levels of late.

                  I guess that was just a ramble. All to say: what wonderful things our “modern” countries could do if we didn’t idolize fighting amongst ourselves.

    • 👍Maximum Derek👍@discuss.tchncs.de
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      1 month ago

      I’m an Oregonian whose been craving a trip to Victoria, BC so I support the plan where I don’t need a passport to do so. And I assume this would come with a box set of Kim’s Convenience and/or Schitt’s Creek?

      But I think the GDP of those states is higher than the whole of Canada (and most of Europe). So how about we go it our own way but set up one of those fun free-trade, free movement unions with our francophonic friends.

    • Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      …aight, just give the rest of us some fair warning first. I live deep in Y’all Qaeda territory, and I don’t want to miss that boat!

      • Cheems@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        First off as ambassador to the Upper peninsula of Michigan. We do not want to be part of Wisconsin. The whole of Michigan would be good with being part of Canada. And we request Minnesota as a plus one.

      • bitchkat@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        Why the fuck would you want to do that to Canada. Wisconsin can suffer the consequences of that which they helped bring forward. They got all the Foxconn money rolling in.

  • AbouBenAdhem@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    How about if we buy Alaska and throw in Minnesota and Minneapolis at the same time?

    Joke’s on them—Minneapolis is in Minnesota, so they’d only be getting two regions instead of three. Sell them quick before they catch on!

  • Glytch@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    Please sell Minnesota/Minneapolis to Canada. Please. I would much rather be Canadian.

        • medgremlin
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          1 month ago

          We really should just tax the ever-loving fuck out of them or evict them to Texas or something.

        • bitchkat@lemmy.world
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          1 month ago

          Its weird. I had UHC for several years and had no problem with them covering anything. I kind of wonder if they treat locals differently because their employees would be affected?

          • Test_Tickles@lemmy.world
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            1 month ago

            It is possible that some VP paid a fortune to have someone determine the maximum distance that an angry mob was willing to travel and now they make sure to only screw over people inside that boundary just enough to keep it sub angry mob levels.

          • samus12345@lemm.ee
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            1 month ago

            Which several years? The CEO who was offed recently drastically increased the rate of denials within the last few years.

    • medgremlin
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      1 month ago

      I came here to say this. I’m not entirely sure I would object all that much.

  • JasonDJ@lemmy.zip
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    1 month ago

    I live in Massachusetts and would totally support seceding and going to Canada.

    Can RI come along too? You won’t have to worry about their terrible driving, they’d never drive out of the region.

  • Professorozone@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    Not to nitpick but Ford offered to buy Minnesota and Minneapolis but Minneapolis is a city IN Minnesota. I think it would come with. Kind of like whip cream.

    • WhiskyTangoFoxtrot@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      While stories like this might make Doug Ford seem like a pretty cool guy, rest assured that he’s an idiot. And a terrible Premier.

      Frankly I’m surprised he’s not bending the knee for Trump. The two have a lot more in common than they do differences.

      • Professorozone@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        Good to know. Thanks. Not up on Canadian politics. US politics keeps me pretty busy these days. You know, mostly cringing in fear.

    • BeMoreCareful@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      Idk it’s basically like the cities and a whole lot of nothing. He might have just been like throw in the rest of Minnesota, but no deal without Minneapolis.

      • medgremlin
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        1 month ago

        Trump has had a lot of nasty things to say about Minneapolis after BLM.

  • sp3ctr4l@lemmy.zip
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    1 month ago

    So we’re just actually gonna do the Michael Moore United States of Canada vs Jesusland thing?

  • bitwaba@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    Watch out about offering to buy something. Sometimes they force you to go through with it.

    Ask Elon.

  • Fridgeratr@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    1 month ago

    Please take Wisconsin. Too many idiot rednecks that vote against their own interests and a broken ass government here