Will the lessons of the 2024 US elections be applied to our 2025 elections?

[onetrack]

We don't stand a chance defending Australia. A third of the Australian population is now Asian, Chinese own probably 25% of the country, and few people under 60 know what war is all about, nor could they stomach "warlike conditions".

They'd roll over in a week and willingly submit to the New Emperor, just as long as they could still have their internet and mobile phones.

[pmccarthy]

If you compare today with 1939 we are way behind, but even then it took a couple of years to really get on an effective defensive footing. And even then we wouldn’t have stood a chance without our big friends,

[Grumpy Old Nasho]

11 hours ago, Jerry_Atrick said:

Not to waste money? You do live on another planet. Defence procurement is the epitome of wasting money; it is the gravy train that bankrolls many people needlessly.. 

 

340bn for eight subs.. maybe?

 

 

I meant that the sacked public servants living on a military wage would find out soon enough how money has to be managed prudently for maximum bang for the buck.  

 

Re: subs. We first had to pay compensation to the French, how much was it? 83 or 830 million? ... No feelings, no remorse, no apologies from anyone, just cop it sweet. I hope the voters remember that when walking up to the voting booth.

[Jerry_Atrick]

I think they did when they ousted SFM.. the right wing nut job ex pm who accede to the deal. Another great own goal for the right, eh?

Edited February 26 by Jerry_Atrick

[old man emu]

7 hours ago, Grumpy Old Nasho said:

public servants living on a military wage

That sounds like a billionaire's slur on Commoners. The public servants who keep governments running are suffering the same financial problems that their equals in the private sector suffer, so why say such despicable things about them?

 

How do you measure the productivity (value for money) of an office worker? There is no physical product to display, but if the office worker does not complete tasks, then any organisation will grind to a halt.  Any organisation is like a living organism. If one of the organs of a living organism begins to fail, the whole organism can fail.

[spacesailor]

' Public Servants ' .

Phone " centrelink " ,  or whatever they call themselves now .

Just to check the efficiency of those worker's .

spacesailor

 

[old man emu]

1 hour ago, spacesailor said:

' Public Servants ' . Phone " centrelink " ,  or whatever they call themselves now .Just to check the efficiency of those worker's .spacesailor

 

Have you ever considered what the ratio of CentreLink staff to Centrelink clients might be? Is it any wonder that now you should make an appointment if you want quicker service? Admittedly, last time I needed to get some help, I was without an appointment, but was prepared to rock up and wait to be seen, which, fortunately wasn't overly long. Mind you, when I went it was not on a Monday or Friday and the office was in a rural city, factors which reduce the demand compared to an urban office.

[Grumpy Old Nasho]

"Opposition Leader Peter Dutton says he will slash $24 billion from public service spending to pay for his $9 billion injection into Medicare, doubling down on plans to cull tens of thousands of public servants so he can match Labor’s health spending while still promising smaller government.

The Coalition has refused to say the precise number of jobs it will cut if elected, but Dutton on Monday confirmed that he would find the money for free GP visits by targeting the 36,000 workers Labor has added to the public service since elected."

 

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/dutton-says-24-billion-from-public-service-jobs-will-pay-for-bulk-billing-boost-20250224-p5leo7.html

 

If it was me, I'd allocate that $9 billion as a down payment on a big beautiful Consumer Affairs Bureau, the biggest the world has ever seen, with enormous and far reaching powers. It would be so beautiful, everyone would get their refund in an instant, a click of a mouse, for anything they purchase that even hints at fraud, scamming, shoddy workpersonship, inferior materials, false and misleading advertising, playing on people's weaknesses, selling items that are out of stock, sold land that the purchaser will probably never get deeds to, insurance companies refusing to pay out. Local Councils resuming land and properties for a stated public purpose, then selling it off to private developers, or such, other than the stated public purpose.

 

Wouldn't I have fun, if I was running it. Powers would include jailing CEOs, jailing govt officials, freezing funds of online and real time small businesses hitting them with big fines that would brings tears to their eyes, and take years to pay off. I'd teach them a lesson they'd never forget.

[old man emu]

1 hour ago, Grumpy Old Nasho said:

Dutton on Monday confirmed that he would find the money for free GP visits by targeting the 36,000 workers

Onya, Voldemort! 36,000 added to the ranks of the unemployed! There's the scent of Musk in the air.

[Marty_d]

2 hours ago, Grumpy Old Nasho said:

"Opposition Leader Peter Dutton says he will slash $24 billion from public service spending to pay for his $9 billion injection into Medicare, doubling down on plans to cull tens of thousands of public servants so he can match Labor’s health spending while still promising smaller government.

The Coalition has refused to say the precise number of jobs it will cut if elected, but Dutton on Monday confirmed that he would find the money for free GP visits by targeting the 36,000 workers Labor has added to the public service since elected."

 

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/dutton-says-24-billion-from-public-service-jobs-will-pay-for-bulk-billing-boost-20250224-p5leo7.html

 

If it was me, I'd allocate that $9 billion as a down payment on a big beautiful Consumer Affairs Bureau, the biggest the world has ever seen, with enormous and far reaching powers. It would be so beautiful, everyone would get their refund in an instant, a click of a mouse, for anything they purchase that even hints at fraud, scamming, shoddy workpersonship, inferior materials, false and misleading advertising, playing on people's weaknesses, selling items that are out of stock, sold land that the purchaser will probably never get deeds to, insurance companies refusing to pay out. Local Councils resuming land and properties for a stated public purpose, then selling it off to private developers, or such, other than the stated public purpose.

 

Wouldn't I have fun, if I was running it. Powers would include jailing CEOs, jailing govt officials, freezing funds of online and real time small businesses hitting them with big fines that would brings tears to their eyes, and take years to pay off. I'd teach them a lesson they'd never forget.

You even sound like Trump, and you talk absolute shite.  Is that you Donald?

[rgmwa]

2 hours ago, Grumpy Old Nasho said:

It would be so beautiful, everyone would get their refund in an instant, a click of a mouse, for anything they purchase that even hints at fraud, scamming, shoddy workpersonship, inferior materials, false and misleading advertising, playing on people's weaknesses, selling items that are out of stock, sold land that the purchaser will probably never get deeds to, insurance companies refusing to pay out. Local Councils resuming land and properties for a stated public purpose, then selling it off to private developers, or such, other than the stated public purpose.

 

Wouldn't I have fun, if I was running it. Powers would include jailing CEOs, jailing govt officials, freezing funds of online and real time small businesses hitting them with big fines that would brings tears to their eyes, and take years to pay off. I'd teach them a lesson they'd never forget.

What's happened to you that makes you feel so strongly about this?

 

[Grumpy Old Nasho]

1 hour ago, rgmwa said:

What's happened to you that makes you feel so strongly about this?

The number of times I've been ripped off, and being too trusting, also trying to make sense of why dealers of certain major brands won't repair a piece of electronic equipment that I bought from them brand new. It's time we stopped being a throw away society, stop the waste, and have honesty and integrity in business for consumers.

[old man emu]

9 minutes ago, Grumpy Old Nasho said:

I've been ripped off, and being too trusting

Caveat emptor

[Grumpy Old Nasho]

7 minutes ago, old man emu said:

Caveat emptor

It went well beyond that. The tables need to be turned on the criminal sharks.

[rgmwa]

32 minutes ago, Grumpy Old Nasho said:

The number of times I've been ripped off, and being too trusting, also trying to make sense of why dealers of certain major brands won't repair a piece of electronic equipment that I bought from them brand new. It's time we stopped being a throw away society, stop the waste, and have honesty and integrity in business for consumers.

I agree we are a wasteful society but you’re not exactly helpless. We have consumer protection laws in this country if you have legitimate grievances. What do you mean by ‘ripped off’ anyway. If it happens a lot as you suggest, what are you buying and who from?

[Grumpy Old Nasho]

6 minutes ago, rgmwa said:

What do you mean by ‘ripped off’ anyway

I've used that as a general term, layman's language.

[rgmwa]

35 minutes ago, Grumpy Old Nasho said:

I've used that as a general term, layman's language.

Yes, I know what it means. Can you give some examples?

[onetrack]

And just how many tens of thousands of public servants are you going to appoint to this giant, all-encompassing Consumer Affairs Bureau of yours? We already have a plethora of laws and regulations to control businesses and business people who are only out to shaft clients. Consumer items come with a warranty, if the item fails when out of warranty, then you just have to wear the cost of replacing it. I have found 99% of businesses are prepared to do the right thing.

As an example, we bought a Methven Shower head about 18 mths ago, that came with a lifetime warranty. The warranty, like all warranties, only covers poor factory workmanship or materials. If it breaks due to fair wear and tear, then the warranty doesn't cover that angle.

The shower arm developed a hole in it, and starting squirting water everywhere. Annoyed, I pulled it off, to find the shower arm pipe was made of some exceptionally thin material, which had corroded through. When I say thin, I reckon the pipe was about 0.5mm thickness.

 

We went searching to find the purchase receipt, and despite finding all the paperwork that came with the shower head, no receipt could be found. We tried to get a copy from Bunnings, but the time limit to acquire a copy of the receipt had elapsed.

So, we lodged a warranty claim with the local Methven agent, and explained the situation. They wanted photos of everything, so I provided them - photos of the corroded shower arm pipe, and photos of the documentation that came with the shower head.

 

The claims process was started and we got a claim number and waited. We waited about 2 mths, then we got an email saying that normally no claim would be recognised without a purchase receipt - but in this case they would make an exception, and a new shower arm would be sent out shortly. It took about another 3 weeks before a parcel arrived with a new shower arm assembly in it.

 

I was quite amazed, the replacement was about 1.5kgs in weight, and made of thick, solid, cast brass! A far cry from the thin, original piece of pipe! I fitted it up (it also came with the swivels already fitted) and it looks great, and works a treat!

So I can happily recommend Methven or their agents for honest and professional dealing when it comes to bathroom fittings.

 

There are plenty of businesses who are still honest and produce good products, or who improve their faulty products. If you buy cheap crap, you get exactly what you paid for.

[pmccarthy]

I had a shock absorber fail prematurely, after about two years on my van. I sent a photo of it to the manufacturer and they sent me four brand new ones of an upgraded design. That was about the best consumer experience I have had. 

[Grumpy Old Nasho]

I bought a new Ford Cortina many years ago. During one of my own inspections some time later, out of warranty, I noticed the bolts holding the front shocks on, had stretched and become loose. The bolts were only mild steel instead of the required high tensile steel. I had to replace them at my own expense with h/t bolts. I really couldn't believe it. Then the accelerator cable started to fray, so I replaced that, lucky I spotted it. A little while after, those Cortinas were recalled for replacement cables, however, when I tried to get remuneration for mine, they flatly refused.

 

There was so much wrong with that model MkIII Cortina, again, it should never have been passed by the ADStandards. The front suspension used to change geometry dramatically from reverse, to going forward, the camber of the wheels changed about 4 degrees, and the front tyres scrubbed out the edges from normal driving. No realignment of the wheels would fix that. They were real design lemons.

[old man emu]

3 hours ago, Grumpy Old Nasho said:

There was so much wrong with that model Mk III Cortina, again, it should never have been passed by the AD Standards.

The Mark III Cortina was produced during the era of the Second Edition ADRs. The First Edition ADRs were only distributed for discussion and were not adopted as a legally binding set of Standards under either National or State/Territory law. The Second Edition ADRs came into effect on 1 January 1969 and were selectively applied under State/Territory law. They only applied to vehicles manufactured from 1 January 1969 onwards. The Third Edition ADRs became effective from 1 July 1988. In a transition period between 1 July 1988 and July 1989, the Second Edition ADRs were increasingly superseded by the Third Edition ADRs. They were made National Standards by 1 September 1989. The application of ADRs for vehicles manufactured up until July 1989 is the responsibility of the State and Territory governments.

 

You would have to go back to the content of the Second Edition to see what was required and what was not. A motor vehicle built to the earlier editions of the ADRs would not meet today's ADRs. You have to remember, too, that the content of the ADRs is an evolving thing as automotive technology advances. 

[facthunter]

The MK111 Cortina was Britain's BEST selling car from 70-76 My daughter had a 6 cyl Falcon engined XLE (bought second hand ) That gave no trouble whatever and today would fetch very big $'s.  Nev

[Grumpy Old Nasho]

6 hours ago, old man emu said:

You have to remember, too, that the content of the ADRs is an evolving thing as automotive technology advances. 

Well the car models evolve too. I can't believe each new model wasn't checked thoroughly as they came out and before being sold. Those MkIII Cortinas were rubbish. And now I'm driving around in a Kia Cerato with stupid dangerous steering 48 years later ... and you're telling me ADRs are evolving, sounds like BS to me.

Edited February 28 by Grumpy Old Nasho

[Grumpy Old Nasho]

5 hours ago, facthunter said:

My daughter had a 6 cyl Falcon engined XLE (bought second hand ) That gave no trouble whatever and today would fetch very big $'s

Falcon weren't too bad, I should have bought one instead of the Cortina.

[Litespeed]

6 cylinder Cortina..

 

Aka the lead tipped arrow.

Chronic understeer was built in.