Dollar Reaches Parity...

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Our problem is that most people do NOT view their economic input as being much of a significant factor to the greater economic problem the aussie economy is.

and I am NOT referring to where we spend our hard earned. Most people in australia work in the tertiary sector, i.e. service industry aka retail, customer service.. bla bla.. The level of autonomy and independence of our economy is desperately low and that tends to bring a general lack of respect for us whenever foreign business comes here because the local competition is SHIT. Places we import our products from (ignoring China and even India for a moment) are more competitive than us because our own secondary production industry is economically insignificant to the primary (agriculture & mining) industries that employ a tiny part of our population. The way that money flows to the population is through benefits and public spending, aka "pay the lazy" money. The service and retail industries have to employ the majority of our people because there just isn't that much tangible industry out there to do so otherwise. And retail needs cheaper goods so we shit on our small secondary industries even more..... vicious cycle.

The government really DOES need import tariffs and needs to spend the mining and agriculture tax dollars into propping up the manufacturing and processing industries so they can compete, or else we will keep sinking deeper in this hole.

</eco rant over>

Mind you... if I can get 5 pounds of hops overseas for half the price I can here, I can take the wife out for dinner. Otherwise, I can buy hops locally and stay home. Hard to say which is economically better.

Consider though that for every dollar I spend overseas I make life a little easier for Australian exporters - by exchanging Australian dollars for foreign goods I lower the demand for Australian dollars, reducing their value, giving our magnificent manufacturers a competitive advantage.

Many nations aimed for economic independence over the 20th century, and, unfortunately, history seems to suggest that we gain more through cooperation.
 
cooperation is all good but you can't sacrifice nearly your entire secondary industries sector in the bargain. It has dire consequences that takes businesses and economies forever to climb out of.

If you go back into colonial history, the Brits basically did this:

1. They set up trading with countries they wanted to benefit from.
2. Then, to drive the local businesses out of business they flooded the markets with cheaply made manufactured goods (Clothes were a classic tool as that drove weavers out of business and had the added benefit of delivering the cotton growers into the waiting arms of the british manufacturers who then could dictate cotton prices with no local weavers to make for competition).
3. Then when the local political leaders made noise about the destruction of the economy they invaded them (somewhat irrelevant today but we know who flexed their economic-political muscle recently).
4. Once the host economy has been made slave, every effort was made to subvert local educational institutions and attempts to set up competing businesses there.
5. End result: Large populations of educated people that knew nothing better than to serve the purpose of the brits and guaranteed a drain of wealth for a long long time.

If you look closely, there are many many parallels to the current ways of doing things. Retailers demand cheaper and cheaper products and manufacturers continue to take their core business activity outside, in turn leaving the population dumber and with far fewer resources to throw off the economic dependance.

In aircraft, we were taught how to identify if a particular sized strut (column) was a european design or an american design. Basically, if it was forged, it was american and if machined - european. Why?? Because the US overtook Europe in the heavy forging industry a long time ago and the europeans never quite recovered that business. This is a very very very tame example of how letting go sticks with you forever. India allowed chinese toy imports at some stage. The result was a near total destruction of the local toy making industry at that time. And the imports were cheap shit. People had been used to good local quality and regulation had never been set up (like a lot of things back then). People bought the cheaper imports mindless (and not knowing) the dangers of the cheap imports, we all know today how dangerous cheap poorly made toys can be to kids. Its things like this that governments have to take a position and protect industry.

There are economies where american business was opposed tooth and nail for a long long time and they continue to have decent local business, they even export!
Many economies aimed for economic independence over the 20th century, and, unfortunately, history seems to suggest that we gain more through cooperation.
^ is just naive, those that succeeded have very resilient economies. European countries still have way more economic power per capita than anywhere else and they steadfastly refuse to give up on local industry. I don't get what the fan following of the USA is all about, they are mismanaged, have some of the poorest people in one of the richest most powerful countries, a huge rich-poor divide, EXPENSIVE health systems, VERY expensive education etc etc............... and still every attempt is made to emulate the american way!

Well, that was all pretty much OFF TOPIC.

btw, I never suggested you buy your 5 pounds of hops here, that would be stupid, what I am suggesting is that this government does need to put that power of real choice back in your hands, what you described is a no brainer choice.

edit: spelling
 
I feel for the genuine battler out there doing there best for their families & I'm not one for regulation so I wont tell you where to spend you hard earned, but you can't, as the author suggests bag the retailers or suggest that the answer simply lies in lowering taxes. It polarises people into positions without the necessary information.

:icon_cheers:

Paul

I don't believe in blanket bagging of anybody although to me that wasn't the point of the article.

I also don't believe in polarising people into positions without necessary information which is why statements like

...Allowing more people into the country can stimulate spending but if those who come in are low/no skilled goat herders from Sri lanka or afghans then the only money they will be spending will be money derived from social security benefits that are funded by you guessed it taxes.
don't really hold much water.

Apart from the irrelevance of immigration from 3rd world countries to the point at hand, most allegedly unskilled sri Lankan goat herders and afghans (and Eastern Europeans, mediteranneans, Asians and other immigrants) who aren't locked up in detention centres are driving taxis, studying medicine, law economics etc, cleaning bathrooms, running shops, working in banks and generally looking after either themselves or their families.

You slam the author as having no grasp of economics or the way things really are and then pull out that little beauty? Genius grasp of the socipolitical landscape that.
 
For anyone interested in Hops direct and their shipping costs, I got a couple of emails from them this morning for an order Im looking to put in.

Medium Flat Rate Box $43.45 can fit up to 5 - 1lb pellet pkgs.
Or 1-5kb pkg. pellet and 1 1lb pkg. pellet

Large Flat Rate Box $55.95 can fit up to 7 1lb pellet pkgs.
Or 1 -11lb pellet pkg.

Works out like this with 5lbs of hops (5 x 1lb bags) = 2268g

1lb Amarillo = $16.00
1lb Cascade = $9.65
1lb Chinook = $11.25
1lb US Goldings (EKG) = $11.80
1lb Styrian = $10.80

Hops Only = $59.50
S&H = $46.16 (they quoted $43.45 earlier but this is what I got in the invoice)

Total = US$105.66
AU exchange total = AU$108.23 (based on 0.9762AU = 1US)

Compared with my LHBS supplier I worked it out per 90g Pack

AU$ per 90g pack = AU$4.30

So that equals less than half price of what I can get here = good value. Just dont know if Id need that much hops. Maybe some IIPAs on the way, just to create a false economy. :rolleyes:
 
U should have asked about bigger packages.

Also remember the $1000 import tax issue fellas. Ie keep it under $1k or u pay tax on it.
 
U should have asked about bigger packages.

Also remember the $1000 import tax issue fellas. Ie keep it under $1k or u pay tax on it.


This is what i asked them;

Comments/Questions : Hi can you please tell me what your shipping sizes
and rates are to Australia. The amount I will order will be dependent on
size and cost of packaging.

Thanks
Michael

and this is what they said;


Hello ,

Thank you for your email, we like to ship via USPS with our out of the states orders.
The most economical way of shipping internationally is to use the International Flat Rate Boxes.
Here are a few shipping options:

Medium Flat Rate Box $43.45 can fit up to 5 - 1# pellet pkgs.
Or
1-5# pkg. pellet and 1 1# pkg. pellet


Large Flat Rate Box $55.95 can fit up to 7 - 1# pellet pkgs.
Or
1 -11# pellet pkg.

Carla

Purposefully left it as an open question. but if you look at the USPS website i'm sure you'd be able to talk to them in regards to getting a bigger box and larger amount of hops. 5 pounds is about my limit though.
 
Socialism. Just putting it out there.


I believe they tried that once in Russia. Didn't go so well I hear.

Although Uncle Kev and Red Julia are dong their damnest to convert us over. Not to mention the walking fallacy of Bob Brown. More red than green in that man.
 
Hops Only = $59.50
S&H = $46.16 (they quoted $43.45 earlier but this is what I got in the invoice)

I think you'll find that the difference in S&H is the usual addition of state tax being added.

I got the larger box $60.50 final S&H, $55.95 quoted. (7lbs coming my way)

This is standard in the USA. You have to remember that tax still needs to be added with every purchase (then a tip when dealing with the service industry).
 
I think you'll find that the difference in S&H is the usual addition of state tax being added.

Yep think you're right... used to annoy the crap out of me when i was there... all their prices were different once it was time to hand over money. PITA.
 
I decided the best way to use the parity is to book and pay for my entry to the American National Homebrewers Conference in San Diego in June 2012. $US230 conference full price and 5 nights accomodation at $US129 per night all paid for. My first (likely only ever) overseas trip. Sure, who knows what might happen with engines fallling off planes, but it will give me something to look forward to. An early Xmas present.
 
Hi Guys,

I just signed up for this deal HopShopGo for the first 1kg of shipping from the US for free ($28 value).

I've placed an order through Hops Direct using HopShopGo's (must be the pun of the year) "Buy for Me" option.

Hopefully it all goes to plan and saves me even more dollars.

Currently 330 shipping waivers left at their site.

I have never used this service before so hoping all goes to plan.

Will let you all know whether it ends in tears or not.

cheers,
cliffo
 
Nice one mate... Just signed up myself. Wil look into hopsdirect now and see what the prices work out at.

Cheers
 
A little bit of parity dollar shopping for christmas...

hop_blocker_apart_web.jpg

HopRocket_cutaway_web.jpg

prod_mm320_img1_lg.jpg

are we there yet? :icon_drool2:
 
Seeing as most Australians work in service sectors you would think that they would therefore be good at it. Just at the coalface, as a few examples, I've just been down to Bruns. hds for a few days and the service sector has produced:

No tartare sauce with the f & c - had to walk back for it "Oh you wanted tartare...." yes fn paid for it
Four scratchies given at the newsagent, paid for 5, had to walk back for it
"Was that fruit salad or muesli?" For the third time because you were crapping on to your bimbo workmate and not listening to me, that was fruit salad


By contrast I bought my new Ebike locally not Ebay, and had a drama today because when I locked it up to a bike stand in front of the supermarket the supplied bike lock cord couldn't be unlocked by the supplied key so Bertie was trapped there. Local guy got me out of trouble and replaced cord with a better quality big chain with lock, no extra charge... try getting that on Ebay. Caveat emptor.
 

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