Kevin
Puritan Board Doctor
I lived in the US for 17 years (TN/GA, FL, & DC). I can honestly say that the US has more police patrols, roadblocks, & general climate of a "police state" by an order od magnitude greater then Canada.
The police force any place I lived in the US would be 4 to 5 x's larger then the size of force in a Canadian city of the same size. Crime rates are of course many times higher in the US, but all of that manpower has to be kept busy. I recall DUI checkpoints as an almost weekly event.
So yes the laws on the books may be more restrictive, and I can no longer carry a handgun. But I can honestly say that at no point in the last 8 years have I ever felt afraid.
When my wife is asked by locals what is diferent about life here compared to her hometown of Atlanta, she always says that here she has never been afraid for her safety. She can ride the bus, walk alone at night, go downtown, and she has never encountered a situation here that made feel afraid.
So yes it is a trade-off. But I'll take it.
The police force any place I lived in the US would be 4 to 5 x's larger then the size of force in a Canadian city of the same size. Crime rates are of course many times higher in the US, but all of that manpower has to be kept busy. I recall DUI checkpoints as an almost weekly event.
So yes the laws on the books may be more restrictive, and I can no longer carry a handgun. But I can honestly say that at no point in the last 8 years have I ever felt afraid.
When my wife is asked by locals what is diferent about life here compared to her hometown of Atlanta, she always says that here she has never been afraid for her safety. She can ride the bus, walk alone at night, go downtown, and she has never encountered a situation here that made feel afraid.
So yes it is a trade-off. But I'll take it.