none of this apparent success is helping cost of living in Canada.

Except lower inflation is doing exactly that.
Most of the world has been through a period of increased inflation, but Europe is getting it under control now, and apparently so is Canada. So yes this should definitely be helping.

What’s really insane is that we can’t rule it out completely. USA is being run by a bunch of sociopaths, and Trump has dementia which undermines the little self control he used to have.

USA is absolutely an extremely violent and racist country, and both those aspects are obviously primitive. How else would you judge that?
USA also isn’t governed by “modern” laws, if you want to see modern laws in practice look at the Scandinavian countries.

Notice that I also write that other countries with Sharia law are primitive, the same goes for laws based on other religions like Christianity, and obviously the same also goes for practices based on racism.

USA is widely considered primitive in many ways in Europe.

You can disagree with laws, but claiming they are “primitive” and “barbaric laws” is a stupid, racist, and ignorant statement.

You are so so wrong, for instance the death penalty is for sure a primitive law that modern political and humanist sciences have clearly abolished because it’s immoral, and is against human rights, and for those reasons also illegal in EU.

USA is also in many ways a primitive society, not entirely unlike Iran. Extreme regulation against abortion that can cause the death of pregnant women, a dysfunctional democracy, extreme violence, harassment of minorities and homeless, and a shorter life expectancy than other western democracies, even democracies that are less than half as wealthy as USA. USA also has the bigger portion of its population in prison by far compared to any other country in the world.

All signs of a society that is morally and mentally is caught in the past, and has refrained from introducing improvements that are common in other countries that USA used to be ahead of.

I never claimed Iran was a primitive society before 1979 under the Shah. My claim is that they are primitive NOW, in part because they use Sharia law. They did NOT use Sharia law under the Shah!
But yes I am also very well aware that the Shah was instated by what was practically a coup against a democratically elected government.

Germany was absolutely also primitive during WW2, because it devolved to violence and extermination of minorities.
Russia is a bit more complicated, but very definitely a society that has not evolved as well as it could have.

I don’t really care that “they” used other terms, first it’s a false equivalence, and why should I be bound by false standards?

“stupid” and “primitive” are not synonyms.

No they are not, why would you think I used it as such? Iranian society is both stupid and primitive, both mostly a result of social religious insanity.

After islamic extremists came to power in the 1979 revolution

I agree, Iran was a better society in some ways before the revolution, and if USA hadn’t messed up their democracy, Iran would likely have been a way better society today.

they broke down Iranian society in many directions. Executions were widespread, terror was used to subdue opposition, women’s rights were trampled on,

You are basically making my point here. Mind you this was by the wishes of the population. Much to the frustration of Iranians that had to flee, that had hoped for a socialist revolution. I have actually known Iranian people here in Denmark, and they are very good people, BUT!!! They are not Muslims!!! Iran today is an Islamic country, and the population is overwhelmingly Muslim, and they overwhelmingly condoned what the new regime under the Ayatollah was doing. Including all of your above points.

Iran is a former empire

What they used to be half a century ago is irrelevant to what they have become today, also being an empire does not exclude being primitive. Russia today is an empire, and they are primitive compared to what they could have been, without a super corrupt dictator that has undermined Russian society for 30 years.

Doesn’t change the fact that the society has laws build on ancient superstition without reason.
A society build on primitives rules that follow such rules is primitive per definition.
Because the practice of such primitive laws guide all activity in a society.

What about death penalty to the victim is not primitive and barbaric?
How is a society that execute primitive barbaric laws not primitive?
Is it because they can make nice cookies?

How does this complexity you mention change that it is a primitive society?
Is it because it is not PC to call a culture primitive? Because then I’ve got news for you, some cultures are very obviously more primitive than others.

The world should follow Canada’s lead and nobody should visit from anywhere.

I think a lot of the world absolutely is, a few months ago I saw similar numbers from Europe, with Denmark and Germany among the biggest declines.

https://viewfromthewing.com/new-data-shows-europe-to-u-s-fall-travel-plunges-up-to-12-5-expect-fares-to-be-slashed-to-fill-seats/

Denmark is not in the chart, but it is very noticeable here, and although we are a small country we have higher tan average level of traveling and economic interaction with other countries.

Air traffic to USA down 8.9% is very significant, and way beyond any statistical variance or uncertainty. Numbers at that scale tend to change slowly, so by that perspective 8.9% is a lot.

And ironically the Canadian economy is up 2.6% in Q3, and industrial production is up 3.3%. And inflation is down to 2.2%!!
So Canada is doing very well on major economic markers despite the sanctions from USA.
USA on the other hand is not, and Trump is so embarrassed he won’t even allow his fudged numbers to be released.
I call them fudged because he fires people who release “bad” numbers, because Trump claims bad numbers are fake.

Iran is a primitive society based on superstition and where 1500 year old barbaric laws are upheld.
The same goes for all other countries that use Sharia law or other laws based on superstition or tradition.

I think you’ll have to be American to not be aware that this is how Americans are often viewed.
Obviously it is not all Americans, but it is enough to create that image.

That’s a very sensible recommendation, especially since the evidence of the benefits regarding helping prevent diseases like diabetes, heart attack and stroke that follow from obesity is overwhelming.

You are stating the obvious, but you can still talk about Americans in general.
And the fact is that there are clear traits and tendencies that are more common among Americans than most other nationalities.
Just go to youtube, and see a few videos of how Americans react to living in another country.
You will with a very high degree of certainty see the traits I mention observed when Americans see themselves from an outside perspective from almost any country.

As a foreigner this is easy to observe, as an American it may not be so obvious.
But USA is clearly extreme on American exceptionalism.

The past few years (decade) it has gone down a bit, because the non Republicans are beginning to see it.
New Yorker can hate Trump as much as they want, many of them they still share some of those fundamental traits.

Trump is as stereotypical American as you can get.
Ignorant, dishonest, self centered, and only interested in money.
Kind of the perfect representative for USA.
Many Americans think American law equals international law, so in this Trump is probably pretty average.

As I see it, Corbyn is a fool, he too wanted out of EU, he just wanted it without taking responsibility for it.
I am so happy we have 12 parties in parliament to choose from, and I think only 3 of the party leaders are about as stupid as Corbyn and Theresa May, which were the only 2 significant party leaders in UK when they chose to leave EU, and none of them are as stupid and dishonest as Boris Johnson when he was tasked with “managing” UK getting out of EU.

British politicians are sub par IMO.

This is so stupid, Vietnam was trying to avoid dependency on China, and was actually seeking closer ties with USA.
Only the stupidity of Trump has allowed China to increase influence globally, when the world actually trust China less than ever, Trump has managed to make the world still trust China more than USA.

Trump couldn’t have done a better job for Putin and/or China if he was 100% controlled by either of them.

No Putin invaded Ukraine way before that, I think it was 2008 in Donbas, and of course Crimea in 2014.

Oh wow, here I thought it was hopeless, and then we end up mostly agreeing anyway.
But I don’t think USA was the cause for Russia invading Ukraine. That I think is 100% on Putin and his idea of recreating the Empire of the former Soviet Union.

But I do agree that Biden kind of prevented Ukraine from winning as much as he prevented Ukraine from losing.
And Trump has definitely not done much to help Ukraine win either, both prolonging a war that could have been finished much quicker if we had helped Ukraine more.

And of course prolonging the war earns money for the MIC.

No matter how you look at it, even 20% in 4-5 years is very far from through the roof, especially considering the USD also lost 10-15% value in that time.

Rheinmetall was about €80 5 years ago and is now €1500 that’s an increase of 1775%, Now THAT’S THROUGH THE ROOF.
And that is in a currency that has kept it’s value.

So you original statement remains decidedly false.

You really are a special kind of dense, look how it immediately drops again so it now is at the exact same level it was 4 years ago.
Why are you spreading false info?

Our MIC stocks are through the roof

No actually they are not, for instance Lockheed Martin AFAIK the biggest weapons manufacturer in USA, is worth about the same as it was 5 years ago.
European military companies on the other hand have increased a lot in recent years, while American have declined.
USA alone and not to be trusted is not a good strategy for exporting weapons to former allies.
ALL NATO countries are seeking alternatives to American weapons now.

Contrary to McDonnell Douglas Rheinmetall has increased 700% in 3 years!!

Rheinmetall:
https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/RHM.DE/

Lockheed Martin https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/LMT/

Edit:
Changed US example to Lockheed Martin.