[pravda]

Canada is cold. Australia is expensive and its government is corrupt.

But getting to the point, you really shouldn't allow isolated acts like this to influence you.

You're much more likely to be killed by the next earthquake in the Bay area then you are to be killed by dopey police officer.

[mahmud]

Australia is corrupt? Compared to where?

I immigrated here from the U.S. and the only contact I have with the "government" is my annual tax filing.

Where previously I had nearly 6-monthly encounters with police just for (I guess) being a black/Muslim man. "Random" traffic stops escalating to inquiries into everything about my life.

Long live Australia.

[Edit: I DO routinely run into my neighborhood Australian police on Fridays, that's because we frequent the same local bar and catch up for drinks and games of pool.]

[pm]

There's still some dopey shit that happens here, but it's nothing compared to the US. Glad to have you Mahmud.

[mahmud]

Wouldn't trade Aus for the anywhere in the world, mate. I'm home.

[solipsism]

You're much more likely to be killed by the next earthquake in the Bay area then you are to be killed by dopey police officer.

What makes you assume he/she would base this decision on simple self-interest rather than principles?

[gsklee]

You got it. Immigration is a decision that will not only affect me but also my better half, my family, and my offspring. It's totally about the environment, the society.

[goda90]

Killed isn't the only thing that a dopey police officer can cause. I remember another harrowing story of someone trying to help at a biking accident ending up in solitary confinement with breathing issues for two days.

[geierdmtr]

google santa clara county jail, and see how many people they killed last year.. and only one of those murders was investigated and 3 guards are on trial. all others are written off.. mentally handicapped inmates with no family, easy target for sadist guards.. and no accountability.

[schwarrrtz]

> Canada is cold.

Not sure if you're being sarcastic here... In Vancouver, the summers are gorgeous without being sweltering. The winters are mild.

Affordability is definitely an issue, but if you work in tech then it shouldn't really be a problem.

[gozur88]

Even if you're in tech... my impression is with Vancouver you get the high cost of living without the high salaries you find in SF.

[jamie_ca]

Well... on the one hand, 50% of Canadians live south of Portland OR. On the other, the Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal corridor that contains most of those people is notable for sever swings in temperature. I lived a little ways northeast of Toronto for a few years, and survived temps of -20 and 38 C.

Very happy to be back out west (especially with the glorious weather we've been having this month).

[dannypgh]

By what definition is this an "isolated" act? And why do you think a death by earthquake is more likely? I don't think the data supports that.

[sndean]

I think the point was, simply, that it's very unlikely. Maybe they should've compared it to being killed in a car accident.

[dannypgh]

Well, you're much more likely to be killed in a car accident wherever you live, and I don't have reason to believe that risk is particularly different in Canada or Australia. It's the delta between countries that matters, and from what I've read (mostly about Canada) I think by most metrics you are more likely to be killed by a cop in the States. We have a heavily armed and militarized police force here, and they have an awful relationship with many communities here. I'm sure there are parallels in Canada and Australia but certainly the popular perception is that the magnitude of the problem is larger here.

[i_feel_great]

According to this: http://www.transparency.org/cpi2015 Australia does not fare too badly (13th overall).

[eggsome]

Corrupt? Not that bad according to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corruption_Perceptions_Index

[Veratyr]

> Australia is expensive

How so? Wolfram Alpha puts Sydney at ~1.2x the cost of living of LA: http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=move+from+Los+Angeles+t...

Given that our GDP per capita is 1.25x US I think that we're about even. Also as someone moving from Melbourne to the SF Bay, there are areas within each country that are very far apart. Melbourne is far cheaper than the SF bay.