Australian elections 2019

[Risto the Great]

I was joking

I know enough dodgy tradies to believe you though!

[Liberator of Makedonija]

I don't think thinking about political ideologies on a linear left/right spectrum is very helpful to be honest. Nor are those grid matrixes or any other shapes they come up with. Ideologies tend to intersect with each other at various points and pull apart at others. Off the top of my head I can't think of a single ideology that does not intersect with another is some way.

Communism and Fascism, which are supposedly the polar opposites of each other (Left vs Right) are virtually the same thing. Its the lay perception of them that puts them at the opposite end and I suspect that its a false dichotomy left over from the second world war where Hitler and Stalin shaped up each other as ideological enemies.

I agree with all this.

SoM is more moderate than me. And I am the Macedonian Gandhi! But I would say the left here are the more hateful. If there is a hateful right, they have zero influence. The extreme "left" ties itself in with issues that sound like they are good and just, instead they are toxic groups trying to engineer social change that will destroy the future for our children.

There most definitely is a hateful right in Australia and it's more public than it's ever been. It's influence is limited though but still probably more than one may think.

[Gocka]

I know enough dodgy tradies to believe you though!

By tradies you mean tradesmen? If so how are the labor rates there for skilled tradesmen. Here in the US we have too many immigrants who do the work for dirt cheap.

[Risto the Great]

AUD$50 or US$35 an hour is pretty much the minimum any tradesman will get. How does that measure up? I could be quite precise about various trades if you want.

[Gocka]

AUD$50 or US$35 an hour is pretty much the minimum any tradesman will get. How does that measure up? I could be quite precise about various trades if you want.

Not bad. I pay my general labor guys 20-25$ an hour. Some of the more skilled guys make $40-50.

How much does it cost to have a bathroom or Kitchen remodeled? Here I typically charge $15,000 for a bathroom and about $20,000 for an average kitchen, this is labor only.

[Risto the Great]

Those figures wouldn't be outrageous here. But nobody would quote labour separately here. It would be a total price.

[Gocka]

Those figures wouldn't be outrageous here. But nobody would quote labour separately here. It would be a total price.

The materials vary wildly. A shower faucet could be 150 or 3000 for a fancy sauna type. Custom kitchen cabinets can easily cost 15000 on their own or 4000 from IKEA. So we quote labor let the client pick materials and finishes and add it on. Also average people don't remodel, it's always people with deep pockets. Last last kitchen we did cost 34000, of which 22000 was labor. We did a 500 sq ft or 50 sq m deck that's was about 28000.

So I shouldn't set up shop in Australia then.

[Risto the Great]

So I shouldn't set up shop in Australia then.

I would say not. Maybe you could find customers in Sydney or Melbourne but it would take time to develop the customer base.

I saw this article the other day and thought it was interesting how they are reaching for higher spec stuff nowadays:

https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/how-chinese-manufacturers-plan-to-get-around-us-tariffs-as-americans-pay-the-price-20190516-p51o7a.html

[Phoenix]

AUD$50 or US$35 an hour is pretty much the minimum any tradesman will get. How does that measure up? I could be quite precise about various trades if you want.

I think the $20-$25 p/h (unskilled) labour cost is pretty much spot on here in Australia and your figure of minimum $50 p/h for skilled work is also around the mark.

These figures also depend on the trade you're engaging, typically the licensed trades like electrical and plumbing tend to charge like wounded bulls as do the labour intensive building trades such as concreting and bricklaying, although the last two occupations have spiked in $p/h because of a lack experienced operators, this has certainly been the case here in Victoria.

Typically a bricklayer will quote (as a rule of thumb) $ something per brick layed, (usually in excess of $1+ per brick and that was many years ago)...makes for an interesting and fucking expensive hourly rate charged by an experienced brikie.

In Victoria the building boom has been two decades long, it all started around 2000 at the time of the introduction of the GST...those in the building game have seen money like never before...before 2000 most of these guys were living modest lifestyles beaten up vans, often struggling during lean times, today they're rarely seen in a work vehicle less than $50K and their wives are in Merc's and BMW's...and sometimes Aston Martins and Bentleighs...no shit...I've seen it all.

[Risto the Great]

All true Phoenix.

A brickie client of mine said he has tried over 25 new apprentices and none have lasted longer than 24 hours. Trades will make a fortune in the next generation.

[Gocka]

I saw this article the other day and thought it was interesting how they are reaching for higher spec stuff nowadays:

https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/ho...16-p51o7a.html

Interesting read. Only wealthier people can afford this crap anyway and the margins are higher on the expensive stuff so it's a win win for the manufacturers and builders. No one builds new regular housing anymore for the same reason. All new constriction is either apartments or mansions.

All true Phoenix.

A brickie client of mine said he has tried over 25 new apprentices and none have lasted longer than 24 hours. Trades will make a fortune in the next generation.

I have the same issue with almost any trade. Most of the guys I higher are almost twice my age, which can be weird but the youth aren't willing to do that kind of work.

That is the main reason I gave up a relatively easy and safe office gig to start from scratch. I forsee a future severely lacking in trades.

Right now trucking is sucking up a lot of the uneducated labor. They get paid 80k to 100k a year to just drive. I'm actually considering buying some semi trucks and seeing if I can start a trucking company. Thanks Amazon.

[Risto the Great]

Right now trucking is sucking up a lot of the uneducated labor. They get paid 80k to 100k a year to just drive. I'm actually considering buying some semi trucks and seeing if I can start a trucking company. Thanks Amazon.

I would say stick to construction. Trucks will be autonomous soon enough!

[VMRO]

All true Phoenix.

A brickie client of mine said he has tried over 25 new apprentices and none have lasted longer than 24 hours. Trades will make a fortune in the next generation.

100%, my brother in law is a concreter and found it hard to find an apprentice. They all find it too hard.

The new generation are made out of motch.

[Risto the Great]

They all find it too hard.

You would think they were quite tough from all the Call of Duty they play in addition to their lengthy gay pride marches. Bless their little organic cotton socks.

[Gocka]

I would say stick to construction. Trucks will be autonomous soon enough!

Speaking of autonomous: I lost out on a 50k because of stupid "consumer protection" laws.

I wanted to purchase Tesla Put options that cost $5 at a strike price of $245 3 weeks ago when the stock was at $250 Those options would have expired this Friday at which point I could either sell the options for a $55 dollar profit or exercise them and close out the trade with Tesla stock at $193 as of today. Those options would have cost me 5k and I would have grossed 55k in proceeds, 50k net profit. BUT freaking E-trade thought it was too risky of a trade because I was already shorting Tesla stock and said I wasn't experienced enough to make such a trade. Thanks for watching out for me you cunts!

You would think they were quite tough from all the Call of Duty they play in addition to their lengthy gay pride marches. Bless their little organic cotton socks.

Its the funniest thing. From time to time I'll hire some young buff dudes, you know the type, spends a couple hours at the gym everyday for no good reason. It always ends the same way. They think they are soooo strong, a couple hours moving concrete bags around or holding up drywall over their heads and they are sucking air while the old farts are chugging along. Most of them don't make it through a week.