[HardtailHack]

Throwing obsolete/"it was a bad idea" bike parts instead?

I've only had one bad carbon part that went to landfill.
Everything else I strip and put in to scrap metal buckets and they go to a customer of ours. Still can't bring myself to buy a carbon frame because Oz is so far behind we can't recycle plastic composites at end of life.

But if I had bulk money there's a 90% chance I'd be way more of a dick. I'd purchase rare VW's just have them crushed and upload videos to the internet.
I've always wanted to be 'Crush rare VW's rich'.

EDIT- I do buy too many tools but I do my best to buy them from smaller privately owned companies that manufacture in house.
Fuck the big tool companies and their race to the bottom.

 

[johnbryanpeters]

you know what would be better than payjng exorbidant costs for keeping people with zero quality of life alive for a few more days/weeks/months? state approved assisted end of life care. been thinking about it a lot recently. like, when i can't live an independent, enjoyable life, and am a burden for others...i want out. period.

if others quit trying to cling so long to lives that don't matter to anyone but themselves and maybe their relative's silly emotions, the world would be a much cheaper and better place in which to exist. except that far to many greedy assholes are making far too much money from helping others cling on to those last few moments that don't really add up to jack shit. so here we are.

am i wrong?

There is not an easy answer. Our medical system is fucked up and tends to overtreat and overdose at great cost. Observing residential care for a year and a half now, I'd say that a third of the residents should have been let down easy quite a while ago. The remaining two thirds do not have "zero quality of life", and have family that visits and cares about them.

Sapiens should not really mean one who knows, it should mean one who imagines. Our minds are incapable of comprehending the larger universe, and we each create small dynamic models of what the world is like. No two of us have the same model. Our brains are set up to function in the presence of a dozen or two other humans. Every larger societal construct that we have set up has been less than functional.

End game? We're doomed.

 

[Pesqueeb]

you know what would be better than payjng exorbidant costs for keeping people with zero quality of life alive for a few more days/weeks/months? state approved assisted end of life care. been thinking about it a lot recently. like, when i can't live an independent, enjoyable life, and am a burden for others...i want out. period.

if others quit trying to cling so long to lives that don't matter to anyone but themselves and maybe their relative's silly emotions, the world would be a much cheaper and better place in which to exist. except that far to many greedy assholes are making far too much money from helping others cling on to those last few moments that don't really add up to jack shit. so here we are.

am i wrong?

I'm old enough to remember when this was part of the proposed ACA (Obamacare) and fucking morons screeched about death panels. The idea that you might even talk about or educate someone on alternatives to clinging to even the barest hint of existence was too much for the proto-trump dipshits to handle.

 

[Jozz]

you know what would be better than payjng exorbidant costs for keeping people with zero quality of life alive for a few more days/weeks/months? state approved assisted end of life care. been thinking about it a lot recently. like, when i can't live an independent, enjoyable life, and am a burden for others...i want out. period.

if others quit trying to cling so long to lives that don't matter to anyone but themselves and maybe their relative's silly emotions, the world would be a much cheaper and better place in which to exist. except that far to many greedy assholes are making far too much money from helping others cling on to those last few moments that don't really add up to jack shit. so here we are.

am i wrong?

So glad we have that in Quebec. And on top of it, seems we're the world champions of "I've had enough of this shit"

Assisted dying continued to have the highest usage rate in Quebec, which accounted for nearly 37% of all euthanasia deaths, despite the province holding just 22% of Canada's population.

Quebec's government launched a study earlier this year to examine why its euthanasia rate was so high.

 

[johnbryanpeters]

Read Your Stone Age Brain in the Screen Age, coping with digital distraction and sensory overload, by Richard Cytowic.

 

[eric strt6]

Yeah. I think whether you like / admit or not you are a lot closer to the rest of us plebes than you are to old Elon or Jeff. Those fuckers ain’t driving ambulances…

True on those two. I drive the rig because I hate being in the office. I can handle the Operations crap from the field. I make a nice paycheck as such and I am married to a partner that makes 6x what I make. We are nicely set up in life and I will leave it at that.

 

[SkaredShtles]

I think we need a new custom title for @eric strt6 - "Resident Bourgeoisie"

 

[Pesqueeb]

 

[eric strt6]

I think we need a new custom title for @eric strt6 - "Resident Bourgeoisie"

except that the SWMBO has me and her on a financial leash to have enough to stay comfortably in our house until we die (with what she sells her horses for they come out as a financial small profit, last one sold for enough to get us out of debt and pay down a significant portion of the house loan). Which is why we drive old cars (2000 Mercedes, 2011 F350. 2015 VW) I have 24 year old road bike and a 12 year old Mt bike. All our income goes into investments for retirement after expenses. In 2 years we both quit work debt free except for the home loan insurance and taxes and my SS will cover that.

 

[SkaredShtles]

except that the SWMBO has me and her on a financial leash to have enough to stay comfortably in our house until we die (with what she sells her horses for they come out as a financial small profit, last one sold for enough to get us out of debt and pay down a significant portion of the house loan). Which is why we drive old cars (2000 Mercedes, 2011 F350. 2015 VW) I have 24 year old road bike and a 12 year old Mt bike. All our income goes into investments for retirement after expenses. In 2 years we both quit work debt free except for the home loan insurance and taxes and my SS will cover that.

So when we gonna get the new custom title for this rich old Boomer?? @Sandwich? @I Are Baboon?

 

[eric strt6]

So when we gonna get the new custom title for this rich old Boomer?? @Sandwich? @I Are Baboon?

we ain't rich but we planned and avoided the mass consumerism trap. no fancy clothes, no shiny baubles, buy shit used. costco jeans, no $200/month Cable/sat tv service. when we travel an RV site is maybe $50/night or free if we boondock vs Hundreds for a hotel room. it's all lifestyle choices. we have a 1 story 1700 sq ft house that is 55 years old, nothing fancy

 

[Pesqueeb]

I think we need a new custom title for @eric strt6 - "Resident Bourgeoisie"

"Petite bourgeoisie" technically.

 

[SkaredShtles]

we ain't rich but we planned and avoided the mass consumerism trap. no fancy clothes, no shiny baubles, buy shit used. costco jeans, no $200/month Cable/sat tv service. when we travel an RV site is maybe $50/night or free if we boondock vs Hundreds for a hotel room. it's all lifestyle choices. we have a 1 story 1700 sq ft house that is 55 years old, nothing fancy

Come on, man - just own it. Warren Buffet also lives far below his means from all accounts. That doesn't make him not-rich.

I do like the "Petite Bourgeoisie" suggestion.

 

[eric strt6]

Come on, man - just own it. Warren Buffet also lives far below his means from all accounts. That doesn't make him not-rich.

I do like the "Petite Bourgeoisie" suggestion.

yeah, here is my Mc Mansion

 

[SkaredShtles]

yeah, here is my Mc Mansion
View attachment 224039

Still doesn't make you not-rich.

 

[HardtailHack]

We get a snazzy new law in tomorrow that can put employers in prison for up to 10yrs if they deliberately underpay staff-

https://www.fairwork.gov.au/newsroom/news/new-criminal-underpayment-laws-start-1-january-2025

EDIT- Ooh and another snazzy one-

'A huge win': New tax transparency laws aim to deter multinational tax avoidance

Australia now has among the strongest laws globally to fight tax avoidance. Every multinational operating locally must now publicly report to the ATO more detailed information about taxes paid, in an attempt to stamp out profit shifting into once notorious tax haven jurisdictions.

www.abc.net.au

The new laws will basically out the multinational corporations that fail to meet their corporate tax obligations by shifting profits to once notorious tax haven jurisdictions.

 

[Pesqueeb]

We get a snazzy new law in tomorrow that can put employers in prison for up to 10yrs if they deliberately underpay staff-

https://www.fairwork.gov.au/newsroom/news/new-criminal-underpayment-laws-start-1-january-2025

EDIT- Ooh and another snazzy one-

'A huge win': New tax transparency laws aim to deter multinational tax avoidance

Australia now has among the strongest laws globally to fight tax avoidance. Every multinational operating locally must now publicly report to the ATO more detailed information about taxes paid, in an attempt to stamp out profit shifting into once notorious tax haven jurisdictions.

www.abc.net.au

The new laws will basically out the multinational corporations that fail to meet their corporate tax obligations by shifting profits to once notorious tax haven jurisdictions.

WTF is this first world communism?

 

[JustMtnB44]

you know what would be better than paying exorbitant costs for keeping people with zero quality of life alive for a few more days/weeks/months? state approved assisted end of life care. been thinking about it a lot recently. like, when i can't live an independent, enjoyable life, and am a burden for others...i want out. period.

if others quit trying to cling so long to lives that don't matter to anyone but themselves and maybe their relative's silly emotions, the world would be a much cheaper and better place in which to exist. except that far to many greedy assholes are making far too much money from helping others cling on to those last few moments that don't really add up to jack shit. so here we are.

am i wrong?

You're not wrong and I generally agree. Maybe my perspective will change over time but I don't want to be kept alive confined to a home or bed, unable to get outside and go into the woods. I can't say that it's purely because of a profit driven system though, emotions are still the dominant factor in most cases I would think.

My personal experience with this is that my mother has had Parkinson's Disease for half of her life now, and the last 5 or so years have been shitty. She's stuck in the awful in-between state of barely being able to walk most of the time, but also unwilling to be confined to a wheelchair, at least at home because she is stubborn and tough. Talking and eating is getting harder, and she is tired all of the time and sleeps a lot. My dad is basically her full time caregiver now. But the worst part of Parkinson's is that the disease doesn't kill you directly, so the timeframe of suffering is unknown. It's more likely that she will suffer a serious injury from falling, or choking, or any other normally recoverable thing. My immediate family has accepted that in a case like that, it will likely be the end, as we have seen her suffer enough. I don't think she feels the same way though, and often downplays the severity of her condition. No easy answers unfortunately.

 

[JustMtnB44]

We get a snazzy new law in tomorrow that can put employers in prison for up to 10yrs if they deliberately underpay staff-

https://www.fairwork.gov.au/newsroom/news/new-criminal-underpayment-laws-start-1-january-2025

EDIT- Ooh and another snazzy one-

'A huge win': New tax transparency laws aim to deter multinational tax avoidance

Australia now has among the strongest laws globally to fight tax avoidance. Every multinational operating locally must now publicly report to the ATO more detailed information about taxes paid, in an attempt to stamp out profit shifting into once notorious tax haven jurisdictions.

www.abc.net.au

The new laws will basically out the multinational corporations that fail to meet their corporate tax obligations by shifting profits to once notorious tax haven jurisdictions.

That's awesome. Chances of laws like this passing in good ol' USA? Unlikely in my lifetime.

 

[stevew]

there has to be a hollow point with a certain someone's name scribbled on it

 

[4xBoy]

there has to be a hollow point with a certain someone's name scribbled on it

View attachment 224203

May she see Feinstein soon.

 

[mykel]

The turn from Keynesian economics to neoliberal economics and what it has wrought...

 

[mandown]

Nothing earth shattering here, but nice summary.

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

Nothing earth shattering here, but nice summary.

Taxes on wealth, rather than income or consumption are the best solution I think.

 

[mandown]

 

[rideit]

ain’t got time for dat (AGTFD?)
Can you summarize the salient points (besides morons have taken over?)

 

[SkaredShtles]

ain’t got time for dat (AGTFD?)
Can you summarize the salient points (besides morons have taken over?)

Cliff Notes: we gonna have to raise taxes on the middle class, upper middle class, upper class, and the criminally wealthy.

Or we can do more tax cuts for the rich and let the world burn.

I'll let you decide which tack we're likely to take.

 

[Inclag]

Ughhhh....

While many of his points and observations are valid, I find it frustrating to hear politicians or anyone for that matter talking about economies as "things that must grow". Perhaps instead of believing the answer to everything is to embrace technology, and thereby our new broligarch dystopian overlords, maybe we should take a cue from many of the native tribal cultures that we've wiped off the face of this planet and try to embrace resource management and sustainability, more localized and regionalized circular economies, and a shifting economic focus on maintaining a stable standard of living and promoting well being over material wealth.

 

[rideit]

I would be up for a ‘sellable asset’ tax assessment, we have enough. But the problem is that non-liquid values rise and fall due to factors outside of our control (for most of us), so the assessed values would literally come out of thin air. (And be easily manipulated) Lol, which they are now!

 

[SkaredShtles]

Ughhhh....

While many of his points and observations are valid, I find it frustrating to hear politicians or anyone for that matter talking about economies as "things that must grow". Perhaps instead of believing the answer to everything is to embrace technology, and thereby our new broligarch dystopian overlords, maybe we should take a cue from many of the native tribal cultures that we've wiped off the face of this planet and try to embrace resource management and sustainability, more localized and regionalized circular economies, and a shifting economic focus on maintaining a stable standard of living and promoting well being over material wealth.

Why do you hate Amerikkka?

 

[Inclag]

Cliff Notes: we gonna have to raise taxes on the middle class, upper middle class, upper class, and the criminally wealthy.

Or we can do more tax cuts for the rich and let the world burn.

I'll let you decide which tack we're likely to take.

Did you watch the video? I didn't get tax everyone vibes. I thought the 3 biggest talking points were, we need to cut from everywhere in federal government but that won't make a ding, we need to deregulate and embrace technology, and we need to retain top talent from throughout the world and keep them Americans vs the other teams.

 

[SkaredShtles]

Did you watch the video? I didn't get tax everyone vibes. I thought the 3 biggest talking points were, we need to cut from everywhere in federal government but that won't make a ding, we need to deregulate and embrace technology, and we need to retain top talent from throughout the world and keep them Americans vs the other teams.

Fuck, man - who has time to watch 40m of that guy's meandering dialog? Virtually no politician will propose the obvious solution, which is to raise taxes and bring the debt back under control, 'cause that's political suicide.

That other stuff is nice and all, but will do dick for reducing the debt.

 

[6thElement]

Ughhhh....

While many of his points and observations are valid, I find it frustrating to hear politicians or anyone for that matter talking about economies as "things that must grow". Perhaps instead of believing the answer to everything is to embrace technology, and thereby our new broligarch dystopian overlords, maybe we should take a cue from many of the native tribal cultures that we've wiped off the face of this planet and try to embrace resource management and sustainability, more localized and regionalized circular economies, and a shifting economic focus on maintaining a stable standard of living and promoting well being over material wealth.

So no more continued ponzi scheme finances combined with ever increasing population then?

 

[mandown]

Fuck, man - who has time to watch 40m of that guy's meandering dialog? Virtually no politician will propose the obvious solution, which is to raise taxes and bring the debt back under control, 'cause that's political suicide.

The first 5 minutes is what got my attention as he laid out the numbers and the debt growth over the next 10 years. He hits hard, saying to the few there in person - this will impact us in our lifetime.

 

[SkaredShtles]

The first 5 minutes is what got my attention as he laid out the numbers and the debt growth over the next 10 years. He hits hard, saying to the few there in person - this will impact us in our lifetime.

Yeah - this is not new information, that's for sure. The debt needs to be addressed, but gutting the fed gov and providing tax cuts sure as hell ain't gonna do it.

Nobody wants to talk about taxation *specifically* to get the debt under control. Then again, nobody wants to talk about taxes other than cutting them, IME.

 

[Jozz]

I've heard Scott Stapp was homeless at one point, around 2014.

 

[mandown]

I've heard Scott Stapp was homeless at one point, around 2014.

that’s an old story but true.
He made a video asking fans for money, with palms wide open.

 

[chuffer]

I would be up for a ‘sellable asset’ tax assessment, we have enough. But the problem is that non-liquid values rise and fall due to factors outside of our control (for most of us), so the assessed values would literally come out of thin air. (And be easily manipulated) Lol, which they are now!

Lots of cool discussion in this thread, but FUCK this bullshit. I pay an asset based tax called property tax on my equipment for our business. It kills small technical businesses. The tax isn’t very high, but nohing ever depreciates to zero value.

I literally pay tax on shit that I “upcycle” from scrap. Weld up a table from scrap steel? We’ll go ahead and tax that at an asset value of $500 for the rest of time.

Meanwhile my accountant who does probably 20 times my sales revenue every year, pays no property tax. Why? He keeps his value of physical assets under $19k, which is the limit under which no tax is due.

Typically, I have no issue paying my share of taxes, but property tax as it is applied here in OR is a horrible idea.

 

[rideit]

MAGA-s forget that taxes were like 20 x higher when America was ‘great’, in their fantasy.

 

[chuffer]

Ughhhh....

While many of his points and observations are valid, I find it frustrating to hear politicians or anyone for that matter talking about economies as "things that must grow". Perhaps instead of believing the answer to everything is to embrace technology, and thereby our new broligarch dystopian overlords, maybe we should take a cue from many of the native tribal cultures that we've wiped off the face of this planet and try to embrace resource management and sustainability, more localized and regionalized circular economies, and a shifting economic focus on maintaining a stable standard of living and promoting well being over material wealth.

Heard! Heard loud and clear. Agreed!

We are not going to grow or consume our way out of this! People need to look the fuck around. $650k for a starter house? $70k per year for college? The expectation of double digit growth annually on investments? Continued year on year double digit sales growth?

Yeah, buying better wireless headphones and a new car will fix all of that. Maybe get an ebike while your at it.