WHY? Steam and Yahoo

[Dashyburn]

Don't remind me, :tongue: I've been where I am for almost 20 years, the summers of 40+ Celsius and Springs of 30+ have kept my yard in check, that weather has stopped now, it's been frigging freezing here for the last couple of years and this year has rained more than it has over those entire 20 years, the foliage has gone nuts, got an olive tree that wasn't much good now it's massive and starting to hit the shed spouting, I need to get out there with the chainsaw and cut it right back, not something I enjoy doing anymore. Also with all the rain the mosquitos are rife, I've never seen them like this, in swarm numbers, I spray on some Aeroguard, put on a beanie, face and neck coverings, gloves and they STILL manage to violate me, the cursed things, I'd prefer swarms of flies to those things, least the don't lunch on you. They lunch on the dog, had to get him heartworm protection in the form of chew things, $89 for said chew things, daylight robbery but better than him dying in torture from something preventable. I now list Vets right up there with Lawyers in the list of thieves, they charge like a wounded bull, cost 900 bucks to get a couple of tiny teeth pulled and the rest cleaned, they also make you sign a form so you can't sue them if they die while there, also if you don't have the cash on hand and take a sick dog in, they won't do a thing for them, the Vet here has 'WE CARE" plastered on a sign, yeah, about money, not animals.

 

Yep, with you on that brother, I also don't see a great deal of future left for this species, look at the worlds main form of defence it's called MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) There's already too much unchained power in the hands of power hungry maniacs and the planet seems to be producing more and more of them, it is going to end up as 'a pale brown dot'. Intelligence seems to be declining rapidly as well even with the database of human knowledge at peoples fingertips, but the database itself is also in decline, you can see this for yourself when you do an internet search and page 45 of the search has the exact same information from the exact same source as page 1 of the search. We are in a loop, repeating the same mistakes again and again, collectively something could be done but the species is far to divided, box of rocks, hat full of assholes, etc. Money now determines a persons total worth, you can be the biggest turd in existence yet people seem to overlook this if you are loaded, look at them, Trump, Musk, Gates, Bezos, Murdoch and the list goes on and on, of course many people aren't fooled, but too many are, you cannot present a turd that's been spray painted gold at me, It's still just a turd. There's an estimated 54,000 Nukes in Russia, 70,000 in the U.S., 18,600 of these are instantly deployable, there are 360 in China, 165 in Pakistan and many more that I can't be bothered listing as that's more than enough. If we don't destroy ourselves, the Earth will end up doing it for us, eventually, then we'll just rinse and repeat. Whilst the climate is in rapid decline, it's not THE most urgent problem right now, mad people in power are, they can destroy us all as soon as tomorrow, how did it get this way? I can be imprisoned for taking a single life in defence of my life, yet Putin can mass murder, not in defence of his life and nothing happens to him, Musk dreams about putting humans on Mars to 'preserve the species' how about he use his perverted amount of wealth and influence in that effort for Earth, the Earth is beautiful and magnificent, fk Mars, it's dead, who'd want to live on that s***hole, certainly not me. No it's all up the shite my friend, I am the biggest pessimist I know and people don't like me much and I don't care, well sometimes I do but I come to my senses pretty quickly, most people reading this will think "man, what an a**hole" no I'm not, far from it, I'm just expressing my concerns here. Now I'm being pretty open and loud when normally I'm not, I am very quiet and even a bit introverted and this is the first time I have voiced my opinion anywhere, I'm not on any other platform apart from Nexus, I can't handle full social media, but we got our own thread here, no one else apart from you is posting here which is allowing me to talk freely, others may be reading it but most likely not, people don't like whingeing, it's all I can do though, can't change anything, I suppose I could not whinge, but you don't seem to mind and I'm enjoying the conversation. :smile: :D

[Dashyburn]

Had to vote in the state election today, It's compulsory, left it until half an hour until polls closed to avoid the line up and when I got there they had run out of ballot forms, first time for that, so they ticked my name off but I didn't actually get to cast a vote, I was cheated out of having a say basically. Now I think it was around 2016 there was an election for the local council, also compulsory but I just didn't know, or forgot, I can't recall, but they hit me with an over $200 fine for failing to vote. Me being who I am said 'you know what you can do with that', to me that's not an offense and they weren't getting a dime for it. So they sent more notices with an increase of the fine each time, I ignored all of them, they kept at me for about a year, after that the next notice told me there would be a warrant issued for my arrest. Again, me being who I am thought oh well, come arrest me then and I'll sit in your local lock up to pay it off (that's what happens here with 'offences' of this type) because like I said they aint getting a cent, It's the exact same result as walking up to the bin and throwing several hundred bucks into it, I need that more than this state does, anyway, no warrant. so since I was cheated out of having my say today I wonder If I can fine the state? Answer, not a chance, hypocrisy at it's finest, I fail, I get fined, they fail, nothing. Different if it's a road offence issued by the cops themselves, you pay that and you pay it promptly or they WILL come get you, lol.

[HeyYou]

Compulsory voting? I don't think that would fly here...... As it is, I think if we get 40% participation, we feel we are doing good..... And then, we have the various folks with their redistricting, and various other nonsense with voting laws, hoping to prevent some segments of the population from voting... and then we have the 'other side', that doesn't even want to require some form of ID to vote...... Theoretically, you have to actually be a citizen to vote, how are the pollsters going to determine that, if they can't ask for ID???? Trust them at the word??? Yeah, right, that'll work out just fine.....

 

And a FINE for NOT voting??? Hhhmmmm..... I have seen some 'stupid government tricks' in my time, but, that one REALLY takes the cake. :D I guess that just shows that public servants the world over are uniformly retarded. :)

 

Mosquitoes really weren't all that bad here this year. But then, it wasn't all that wet either. I used to spray the yard for fleas/ticks/skeeters, but, the wife complained that also got the lightning bugs, and put a stop to that.... Though there have been occasions when we had a wet summer, that she was seriously tempted to have me break out the sprayer. :)

 

Flies aren't too much of a problem... I am surrounded by farmers fields, and they spray on a regular basis, which dramatically reduces the insect population..... Of course, all the bugs fleeing the fields come into my yard... so, for a couple days, going outside can be hazardous to your health. :D Of course, we also have horse flys. These guys are BIG. and they DO bite. Fortunately there aren't many of them..... :)

[Dashyburn]

'I got you babe' do do do do.... (pounds alarm clock to pieces) :smile: It's groundhog decade! :smile: the same political party that has ran this state for the last 12 years got re-elected overwhelmingly, they were authoritarian like during covid, the leader openly avoids scrutiny with constant 'no comment', was investigated away from the public eye for allegedly being 'shifty', hasn't done a single thing in all those years to improve the existence of anyone I associate with including myself, is wealthy so doesn't understand hardship, 2 years straight of daily press conferences during covid spouting things like 'these are the rules' and 'you are only authorized to do the 5 following activities', mandated $5000 on the spot fines for breaking his 'authorised' activities, mandated vaccination (I'm not anti vax, but I don't accept being commanded to do ANYTHING by ANYONE with the exception of police because they will just physically make you do as they say). Seems Victorians have the memory of a goldfish. Although, it is a strong case of selecting the pile of poo that stinks just a tiny tiny bit less than the other piles, sigh.

[HeyYou]

Elections here are the same way. Vote for the lesser of the two evils.

 

I want a "None of the Above" option on the ballot. And if that one wins, we scrap all the current candidates, and run it again with new ones. :)

[Dashyburn]

That is actually a really great idea, like the U.S. Aus has 2 major parties, Labour and Liberal (Labour are akin to Democrats, Liberal to Republicans), along with a swathe of minor parties and Independents, who all just end up aligning with one of the major parties anyway, voting for anything other than the 2 majors results in a wasted vote, basically, so people just vote for the majors and they BOTH stink, resulting in the poo just sitting there with no way to dispose of it, what you say would add a flush button in effect. Also, regardless of being elected the major losing party becomes the opposition and still get paid, albeit less, still sit in Parliament with no other purpose other than to oppose the ruling party and vote against everything they try to implement. If there's equally opposing to ruling that results in what we call a 'hung' parliament and absolutely nothing gets done at all. It's the ridiculous 'Westminster' system adopted from the U.K. because Aus is still part of the British Empire and not a Republic. Even though it's rubbish I prefer it than a Republic, the leader is a Prime Minister that has nowhere near the power of a President like in the U.S., there's plenty of Trump wannabes here chomping at the bit to take that position, so screw that, better as it is. :)

[HeyYou]

I see a lotta parrellels there..... :)

 

Here, the 'opposing' partie's sole purpose in life, is to make sure the party in power can't get anything done. Neither side wants the other to be able to claim "We Did That!" and take credit for something.... So, only stupid stuff makes it through. Of course, that does prevent them from doing something truly stupid... for the most part.

 

Personally, I think we should draw lots for those jobs. Short straw gets the job. Whether you want it or not.... :)

[Dashyburn]

Yes having opposition able to block is a double edged sword, as you say it can stop stupidity and also result in stupidity. Up until around 1996 / 97 just about everything in Aus was run by the state or federal government, we had things like the S.E.C. (State Electricity Commission) as well as Social Security with the adjoining C.E.S. (Commonwealth Employment Service) Electricity and Gas bills were cheap, if out of work finding employment was not a problem, there was just the C.E.S. which posted every job available in Aus, all in the one place, you would go in, select a job to go for among all the job postings, then an employee of the CES would call you in and even ring the employer on your behalf, announce you, you would be given an interview time and the rest was up to you. Then along comes little Johnny Howard, the Liberals, who gained total control of the senate and upper house with not enough opposition to oppose anything and instantly privatised the whole lot, that paved the way for greed, everything solely became about maximising profit and shareholders, it all started creeping up and up still continuing to this day. We now have 'job network agencies', a stack of them, all out to make profit for finding people a job, it instantly became more difficult as all vacancies were scattered among all the different agencies and their assistance went to a bare minimum. Same with power and gas, even with the introduction of 5 watt LED bulbs as opposed to 60-100 watt bulbs, my bill used to be less than 80 bucks per 3 months, now it's close to 800 bucks per 3 months and there's going to be a sharp increase of around a whopping 50% next year for no reason I can fathom other than pure unadulterated GREED, I'm going to be looking at power bills around 1300 bucks, gas is the same, actually even worse. Adding factors like the a**wipe in Russia, everything is at breaking point, no wonder people are permanently angry.

 

To try and stay positive I appreciate and be thankful for the good things, such as having a roof over my head with climate control, a comfortable bed and a decent vehicle, so many people in this world don't have the things I consider as basic and a right. Aus is civilised, I can go out without fearing for my life and there are supermarkets so I don't have to hunt for food lol, running water from the tap both hot or cold, so many people don't have these privileges so I count myself lucky, there are homeless starving people, even families living in tents in this country and no one bats an eyelid to it, in fact, people's attitude here is to kick a homeless person on the way past and tell them to get a job. This society needs to hit the reset button in my opinion, but no reset button is present and no reset button will be created by us, unless the Earth itself does it for us with a major pole shift, solar flare, an asteroid with a diameter measuring in miles or the yellowstone super volcano. There are even insane humans on this planet with the power to hit the reset button in an equally bad scenario, worse actually, whoever doesn't die in the initial blasts will suffer from starvation and radiation poisoning. Any of those things can be just around the corner.

[HeyYou]

Wow. Utilities prices are friggin' stupid there. My electric bill runs around 100 per month. It can run a LOT more if I run my A/C on those hot summer days..... I use propane for heat, and that runs me 1500-2000 per YEAR. It used to be half that..... Then the electric company decided that a 50% rate increase during 'peak' hours was a good idea.... Ouch. That one HURT. So, take pains to reduce usage..... it kinda works.

 

We have homeless as an issue here as well. A lot of 'em have various mental or health issues that prevent them from working..... but, the government isn't in the business of taking care of them..... Some locations spend millions of dollars trying to reduce the problem, but, in typical government fashion, it seems the more they spend, the worse the problem becomes. After all, who wouldn't move from an area where you get nothing, to an area where they give you everything??

 

But, health care in general leaves a fair bit to be desired here. Too many folks simply can't afford basic care. Sure, there are government programs, and many take advantage of those, but, get a raise at your job? Or get a better job? You suddenly don't qualify any more, even though your income barely went up. And mental health care?? Don't make me laugh. In this country, it's only for the wealthy. And lets not forget, that 'government controlled healthcare' (single payer....) is COMMUNISM!!!! And we certainly can't have that.... :)

 

Of course, our government doesn't handle money, or budgets very well in any event.... just check the 'debt clock' for the US government..... There is a clock that is ever increasing its pace, NEVER stops, and will never, ever, run backwards. How much debt can we accumulate before folks start questioning our ability to EVER pay it back? Or even keep up with the interest payments???? Contrary to what Ronnie Reagan stated, debt DOES matter..... I already believe that is a debt that will never be settled...... Of course, not sure how the world would feel about one of the major economies going bankrupt.... That would certainly throw a monkey wrench into the gears of commerce, now wouldn't it?

 

That said. I do fairly well. I am on disability, due to health issue, and work part time, so I have at least some income. I bought my house when real estate prices had crashed, so, my house payments are cheap, (and include the taxes and insurance) I am a vet, so, my health care is pretty much covered... except dental.... (which I need to address here.... I have been neglecting my teeth too long. :) ) My truck is old, but, it still gets me to where I need to be. It's going into the shop on wednesday for some problems that have annoyed me enough that they need fixed. :) Life is good. :) I ain't rich, in fact, it's likely that my income puts me below poverty level, but, like you, I have a roof over my head that doesn't leak, a warm place to sleep at night, and I don't go hungry. So, it's all good. :D

[Dashyburn]

I'm also FAR from rich, but won't complain as I can survive, the most crippling thing are utilities as I said, absolutely preposterous, even food prices are getting out of control, 18 bucks for 1kg bacon as an example. It's all GREED, this nation exports all of it's gas then buys it from elsewhere for domestic use, what the? Utilities prices are also crippling businesses, look at my bills alone for just a household, imagine a high consumption business like a smelter. Health care is a far different story here though, although 10 years of a liberal federal government whittled it down significantly during that time (I am so happy they were finally ousted last year, easily the worst lot of low down people to govern in my entire lifetime, so far) it's still a thing of beauty. We also have private health insurance that will get you premium care in a private hospital in your own room and we have what's called Medicare for the public system. Before the Liberals began the whittling process you would pay the doctors bill and you would be refunded ALL of the fee minus around 10 bucks 3 days later. I'm not exactly sure how much you are refunded now but it's more like 70/30, pension card holders get what's called 'bulk billed', I don't pay a cent to see the doctor and if a medication is on the public list (most of them are) that'll be 7 bucks, thank you :D

 

If I need to be hospitalised in a public hospital the treatment is completely free, no matter what it is, we only have 25 million people here and we have all accepted paying a bit of tax towards this each week to benefit everyone, the U.S. doesn't want a bar of each person giving a bit for the benefit of everyone's health, I don't understand that attitude at all. Now is it true, that if a U.S. citizen runs out health insurance whilst still in hospital they are just shipped out the door regardless? I have seen vision of people still in hospital gowns standing in the street waiting for a taxi (cab) to take them to a hostel, if that is true, that is shameful, cruel and downright inhumane.

 

Dental care, on the other hand is completely separate and excluded from Medicare, there is also a public system with minor fees but the waiting list can equal years, I have been waiting over 4 years myself to get in as I just can't afford a standard Dentist, the fees are phenomenal, thousands of dollars for minor procedures. As an example, my sister needed every tooth in her mouth extracted, now she could have gone with standard dentures that would have lowered the price significantly but she chose to have them permanently anchored and that cost her...wait for it...52 GRAND! People hate lawyers, even lawyers are cheaper than Dentists and Veterinarians, it doesn't make sense really as a doctor is far above someone that solely deals with teeth.

 

In comparison, both our countries suck with some things but are better in others, your utilities are cheap, but your minimum wage and healthcare is a shocker, the lowest paid job here is about $22 an hour, a heavy machinery operator which is what I used to do can earn around 40-50 an hour, but even though some things suck, our countries shine hard in comparison to many others. :D

 

(Got some more Putin jokes for you in the Funniest Movie Moments thread :D)