The Great Reverse Government

[lizzie]

I think what BV is getting at is the ability to "think outside the box" in regards to increasing your income.

There are options but you do have to move away from thinking about the standard way of doing things - or common employment. Commonly thought of forms of employment are a dying breed.

I know if hubby was retrenched and we were struggling for $$ I'd be looking at doing two different types of work ... and female staff are preferred.

Night shift at an inbound major call centre - often 12 hour shifts x 4 days a week ... a friend of a friend was earning $70k year and they were constantly looking for staff ... no cold calling, no selling ...

Night shift driving trucks at the coal mines ... again 12 hour shifts x 4 days a week ... but they are seeking women specifically for the role because they are "kinder" on the vehicles and are willing to train you ... easy over $100k/yr.

Both are hard graft with the hours - and not very sociable ... but if hubby wasn't working (and we needed the money) then I'd be first in line. Neither are skilled employment - but you do have to have a sensible brain, willingness to work hard and be personable.

As it is - we used renovating property to get ourselves where we are - long nights and many many many weekends ripping out, building, painting ... and we're still doing it even tho we don't financially have to.

Another is the farm - wine grapes are in a massive glut - no money in wine grapes (assuming you can sell them) - but all the old time farmers are insisting on year-after-year growing their grapes.

We've instead moved into organically grown garlic that demand is currently outstripping supply ... and this year we're planting our first crop of "petite pumpkins" (single serve sized pumpkins for the restaurant trade) ... I'm also still interested in Saffron and we've planted a vineyard row of passionfruit to "see how they go" ... but you don't need "land" to make money.

I also - very very part time (like 1 day a week + market day) - make a range of products that nets me around $1,500-$2,000/mth ... it does mean I have to do two Saturday market days a month but I also supply the local cellar doors. If I was the sole breadwinnner I'd probably do 8 markets a month - and pick ones that make the best money for me.

It's just a case of finding a niche (or job) that is out of the norm but in demand.

 

[BayView]

Or else get rid of the 'business', you be stay at home dad and wife can work ft to maintain house that means so much to her/ you both.

This was covered extensively in a thread I started ages ago; which I asked to be deleted.

In short; the business in its current state would be worth far less than we owe on it, and I would be out of a job with enormous debt from both the business and other investments to service - even if my wife worked full-time.

We would probably lose the lot.

 

[Angel]

Thanks Lizzie. I had forgotten about call centres! I'm feeling better already.

Off now to the salt mine to get yelled and sworn at for six hours by the mentally ill teenager. I thought this job would entail teaching people to read and write, not crisis managing someone with "issues".

 

[kathryn d]

I was watching a tv show about the amount of foreclosures in the USA.
One man saw how many people left properties with rubbish.

He approached the lenders and offered to have the properties left clean.
So he found his niche.



My new SIL grew up in poverty conditions that even I have a hard time to comprehend.
Stripping wires for the copper, collecting money back bottles etc

 

[VYBerlinaV8]

There has been some thinking about this and now the label for Abbott and other "conservative" leaders of his type are: Cheap-labor conservatives.

While this is written from an American perspective, the following seems to describe what is happening globally to the middle class. I don't agree with all of it, but it does make sense.

http://sideshow.me.uk/annex/defeattherightin3minutes.htm


When you cut right through it, right-wing ideology is just "dime-store economics" - intended to dress their ideology up and make it look respectable. You don't really need to know much about economics to understand it. They certainly don't. It all gets down to two simple words.

"Cheap labor". That's their whole philosophy in a nutshell - which gives you a short and pithy "catch phrase" that describes them perfectly. You've heard of "big-government liberals". Well they're "cheap-labor conservatives".

"Cheap-labor conservative" is a moniker they will never shake, and never live down. Because it's exactly what they are. You see, cheap-labor conservatives are defenders of corporate America - whose fortunes depend on labor. The larger the labor supply, the cheaper it is. The more desperately you need a job, the cheaper you'll work, and the more power those "corporate lords" have over you. If you are a wealthy elite - or a "wannabe" like most dittoheads - your wealth, power and privilege is enhanced by a labor pool, forced to work cheap.

Don't believe me. Well, let's apply this principle, and see how many right-wing positions become instantly understandable.

• Cheap-labor conservatives don't like social spending or our "safety net". Why. Because when you're unemployed and desperate, corporations can pay you whatever they feel like - which is inevitably next to nothing. You see, they want you "over a barrel" and in a position to "work cheap or starve".

• Cheap-labor conservatives don't like the minimum wage, or other improvements in wages and working conditions. Why. These reforms undo all of their efforts to keep you "over a barrel".

• Cheap-labor conservatives like "free trade", NAFTA, GATT, etc. Why. Because there is a huge supply of desperately poor people in the third world, who are "over a barrel", and will work cheap.

• Cheap-labor conservatives oppose a woman's right to choose. Why. Unwanted children are an economic burden that put poor women "over a barrel", forcing them to work cheap.

• Cheap-labor conservatives don't like unions. Why. Because when labor "sticks together", wages go up. That's why workers unionize. Seems workers don't like being "over a barrel".

• Cheap-labor conservatives constantly bray about "morality", "virtue", "respect for authority", "hard work" and other "values". Why. So they can blame your being "over a barrel" on your own "immorality", lack of "values" and "poor choices".

• Cheap-labor conservatives encourage racism, misogyny, homophobia and other forms of bigotry. Why? Bigotry among wage earners distracts them, and keeps them from recognizing their common interests as wage earners.

• Many cheap-labor conservatives are hostile to public education. They think it should be privatized. But why are we surprised. Cheap-labor conservatives opposed universal public education in its early days. School vouchers are just a backdoor method to "resegregate" the public schools.

• Cheap-labor conservatives hate the progressive income tax like the devil hates holy water.

• Cheap-labor conservative - you know, the ones who believe in "freedom" - say our crime problem is because - get this - we're too "permissive". How exactly do you set up a "free" society that isn't "permissive"?

• Cheap-labor conservatives support "domestic surveillance" against "subversives" - where "subversive" means "everybody but them".

That's easily one of the most one-sided pieces of propaganda BS I've ever read on this forum. Equating labour cost with abortion, racism, bigotry and "domestic surveillance"? Really?

 

[Ed Barton]

collecting money back bottles etc

I did that as a kid. We lived on a new housing estate with lots of houses being built, so there were lots of discarded containers from the trades. Would probably be considered child abuse these days...

Then I moved onto returning trolleys for the supermarket where mum shopped, while she shopped. You'd get a 2c (from memory) stamp for each trolley returned. The stamps could be redeemed for goods in the supermarket. I'd swap the stamps for cash from mum. Would probably be considered child abuse these days...

 

[kathryn d]

I did that as a kid. We lived on a new housing estate with lots of houses being built, so there were lots of discarded containers from the trades. Would probably be considered child abuse these days...

Then I moved onto returning trolleys for the supermarket where mum shopped, while she shopped. You'd get a 2c (from memory) stamp for each trolley returned. The stamps could be redeemed for goods in the supermarket. I'd swap the stamps for cash from mum. Would probably be considered child abuse these days...

My youngest son, when he was 5-7 yrs old, used to get down on all 4s in the stores to see if he could find change..he did.


But, there are some families that are very resourceful.

A couple of years ago, we hired a husband and wife team to clean up some rentals.
I asked them if they wanted the stuff the tenants left.
They took everything. They sold everything at yard sales for extra income.

 

[BayView]

When you cut right through it, right-wing ideology is just "dime-store economics" - intended to dress their ideology up and make it look respectable. You don't really need to know much about economics to understand it. They certainly don't. It all gets down to two simple words. "Cheap labor".

I think LibGS's post is referring to yer Multi-National type set-ups with their Corporate/Capitalist badges?....

The image of the super-large, impersonal and greedy Company with the obscenely over-paid CEO's and Boards, with shares packages and golden parachutes and the like....

It is no secret that Employers would like to pay their employees only what they are required to, and that Employees want more pay; and to only do what they are required to.

That will never change.

Fortunately, there are many bosses who do more for their Employees, and there are many Employees who do more for their bosses.

These folks normally get paid above the going rate.

But, there has to be a balance, otherwise there will be no jobs for anyone.

The balancing act has become even harder now due to online O/S sales, and Global markets for products sold here in Aus.

While we all press for more pay, less hours and more perks, many of the larger suppliers are looking elsewhere and shutting down their operations here.

Most bosses are not consciously thinking about "keeping their Employees over a barrel" and other points as mentioned.

There are also Unions to help keep the balance.

Putting my Employer hat on for a minute though; my view is that Unions have lost sight of the goal posts, and in many ways are costing Aussies jobs.

In this day and age; can we really keep on deluding ourselves that we can continue to keep paying workers for not being there, to the tune of 4, 5 ,6 weeks (more?) per year - as well as Super, long service leave, maternity leave and so forth?

They are prizes from a bygone age, and we are now starting to see the knocked-on effects in this Global Economy.

Don't forget Payroll tax and Worksafe insurances too.

These are factored into the business running costs, and have to be passed on - higher prices in Aus.

Sorry for the bad news.

 

[Angel]

Turns out the contract was renewed last week for another one year, so he's safe for now. He didn't think to tell me, though, until I started talking last night about booking a floor sander for the next school holidays.

 

[BayView]

Turns out the contract was renewed last week for another one year, so he's safe for now. He didn't think to tell me, though, until I started talking last night about booking a floor sander for the next school holidays.

Good news!

Get that sell-by date set, and GO!, GO!, GO!

 

[BayView]

I did that as a kid. We lived on a new housing estate with lots of houses being built, so there were lots of discarded containers from the trades. Would probably be considered child abuse these days...

Then I moved onto returning trolleys for the supermarket where mum shopped, while she shopped. You'd get a 2c (from memory) stamp for each trolley returned. The stamps could be redeemed for goods in the supermarket. I'd swap the stamps for cash from mum. Would probably be considered child abuse these days...

What about the good old paper round?

I did one for a few years as a teenager...out on the bike in the early morn.

But now; the Nanny State factor has killed it.

 

[Angel]

When I was a stay at home Mum we used to deliver the catalogues just in the school holidays when the regular contractors had a break. It taught the kids about various aspects of business. For ten or eleven weeks of the year I banked from 100 to 150 dollars a week and handed each kid a big $20 note. They thought it was a lot of money - they were in primary school - and the savings paid for a two week holiday

 

[kathryn d]

For 2 years, Rob took the 2 youngest boys delivering 367 store flyers every Saturday...even through massive snowstorms.

The pay was $120 fortnight.
We kept $20 for car/ transport and the boys each got $50.

Originally, the job was going to be for me and Rob, as I had just gotten laid off from my job. I was called back to work and the boys wanted some spending money.

 

[kathryn d]

Tony Abbott is a "frugal"

Today he said about the new budget:
"It'll be frugal, it'll be prudent, it'll be responsible, but it's not going to involve anything like the kind of restructuring that we saw last year."

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/nat...d-of-budget-cuts/story-fn59nsif-1227267130882


He is also cancelling the Labor's money grab of taking dormant bank accounts,after 3 years.

Seems the Labor had also introduced 21,000 new regulations on Small Business, in the past 6 years.
Liberals have already repealed 10, 000 and continue.
They understand the red tape is strangling the Small Business owner.

Hopefully BV will like that

 

[BayView]

Tony Abbott is a "frugal"

Today he said about the new budget:
"It'll be frugal, it'll be prudent, it'll be responsible, but it's not going to involve anything like the kind of restructuring that we saw last year."

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/nat...d-of-budget-cuts/story-fn59nsif-1227267130882


He is also cancelling the Labor's money grab of taking dormant bank accounts,after 3 years.

Seems the Labor had also introduced 21,000 new regulations on Small Business, in the past 6 years.
Liberals have already repealed 10, 000 and continue.
They understand the red tape is strangling the Small Business owner.

Hopefully BV will like that

LOL!

To be honest, I hadn't noticed any changes since being here for 5 and half years...other than the existing ones.

The biggest impost on the small business owner is the ongoing strangling of Employer's redresses in areas such as unfair dismissal, OH&S etc.

It has gotten to the stage where it is very, very difficult to get rid of problem staff.

I believe this is another nail in the coffin for Australian big business/manufacturing, and no doubt another reason why a lot of them are leaving the Country.

One of my tyre reps was telling me that their business (which is not a multi-National or anything; just a State-wide wholesaler/importer and retailer family business) had to re-structure a lot of their business to comply with OH&S last year and it cost them $100k.

They weren't doing anything wrong per se; just that the regs have changed in many areas relating to lifting and so on, they had to have forklifts, etc

There is more ahead for our industry in that regard; more jobs gone and/or more expensive tyres at least.

 

[Strannik]

Seems the Labor had also introduced 21,000 new regulations on Small Business, in the past 6 years.
Liberals have already repealed 10, 000 and continue.
They understand the red tape is strangling the Small Business owner.

did anyone actually notice any of those 21000 (or the 10000 that got repealed)

 

[kathryn d]

did anyone actually notice any of those 21000 (or the 10000 that got repealed)

Don't know...only passing on what was said in Parliament Question Time.

TA did say they will be removing the remaining 11,000 (sometime)

 

[property_girl]

The frugality will be reserved for the middle and lower classes. Abbott has also stated that the very wealthy such as Gina shouldn't have 'tax restraints'. She is only the world's richest woman.

 

[kathryn d]

There are less rich people.
The middle and lower classes of course will need to be more frugal.


I don't have a problem with rich people spending a smaller percentage of their money on anything.

I don't think it is fair to charge anyone more money for a service, just because they have more money.

If I went to the doctor I wouldn't expect to pay $100, and Gina R to pay $2000.

 

[sash]

OK ...lets start by unwinding the $21B in middle class welfare Howard introduced.

Budget balanced in one stroke of the pen!

There are less rich people.
The middle and lower classes of course will need to be more frugal.


I don't have a problem with rich people spending a smaller percentage of their money on anything.

I don't think it is fair to charge anyone more money for a service, just because they have more money.

If I went to the doctor I wouldn't expect to pay $100, and Gina R to pay $2000.