You sound like someone who has never worked. Our system favors those who work, as many people get jobs with health insurance benefits. If you do not have a job with health insurance benefits it is likely you are working part time somewhere while going to college. If you are still working that job when you are 50, then you made bad life choices. Please do not ask me to pay for anyone's bad life choices. Thanks.

Kool aid taste good.

I'm from Northern Ireland so this debate has a lot of similarities with what people and politicians in NI have been arguing over for decades. I think that what it comes down to, on a very simple level, is whether or not the citizens of the country or countries in question would like to change their nation in this way. Imperialism has, for the large part, died out and although borders have been broken down in a metaphorical sense by globalisation and free trade agreements, people still have a huge amount of national pride and are unlikely to consider a merger with another country a good idea if the only benefits are economic. In this case people are more likely to advocate a further liberalisation of economic borders.

I think that in order for people to agree to any sort of massive constitutional shift some sort of historical linkage or a feeling of injustice about the current state of affairs is needed. In both Northern Ireland and Scotland there is this sense of injustice, a feeling that centuries ago the indigenous people were suppressed etc. and this has led to a vocal minority of people who call for a change in borders. I don't think the same situation applies to the USA or Canada, except for a minority in the Southern states of the USA and the French speakers in Quebec.

What a perfect response. You have completely represented the entire conservative argument in just four words. Well done.

We have similar culture, that is about it. No point in joining borders.

Besides, I rather do like my free health care and my future wife having paid maternity leave. I do envy their rock bottom house prices and cheap prices for clothing/fast food.

No, but I'm sure the United States is quite capable of telling Canadians what to do. You might see it as a partnership, but with 10 American votes to every Canadian vote, it won't be.

Think about it, what problems does the US have that would be solved by adding more states? What problems does Canada have that would be solved by surrendering all national policy to a foreign population?

Access to markets? There are barely any trade barriers between US and Canada anymore. We actually have better access to international markets by not subjecting ourselves to boneheaded US policies like the emargoes on Cuba.

Strong currency? The CAD is stronger now than it has been for decades, and the greenback is weaker than ever.

National security? Our alliances and geography take care of that, and conventional military might gets more irrelevant every year.

Quality of life? The studies I've seen put Canada ahead of the US, largely thanks to more pragmatic social and regulatory policies that would fly out the window if we were annexed.

The United States is an empire on the brink of collapse that can barely manage its own affairs. Why would I ask the overworked guy in a mid-life crisis if he wants to handle my workload, too?

They probably are spying on you already, doesnt matter if you are an american citizen or not

I guess that is the label you would put on me. I represent my own intersts, thank you.

Actually, why doesn't the US take care of it's colonies first and stops treating them as second class citizens?

... because the US doesn't really have any colonies.

Unless you mean like... Guam and Puerto Rico.

Who actually, becoming states first requires them to vote for it.

Which, they won't because quite honestly, the state they're in right now is way better.

Tons of federal money and almost all the benefits of being a US citizen while paying zero federal taxes.

The only major downside is they can't vote in a lot of federal elections... and considering the assholes running....

I'd give up my vote for a tax free year in a heart beat.