Termyn8or
Posts: 18681
Joined: 11/12/2005
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I think it costs about eighty cents or less to produce a perfect pack of cigaretts using primo tobacco. The rest is all taxes, with a bit of markup, but the markup is mainly on the taxes.
Havuing read what I just wrote I want to listen to Betles - Taxman. "If you take a walk I'll tax your feet". But if you think about it, every miner who gets the iron ore, and the other elements involved in making steel is taxed, and therefore has to make more money. The company who makes the steel out of those elements is taxed and has to make more money. The petroluem and other extractors are taxed and have to make more money. The companies that make it into plastic are taxed and have to make more money. The people who mold said plastic are taxed and have to make more money. The people who make glass are taxed and need to make more money. The people who make the circuit boards and the components mounted thereon are taxed and have to make more money.
It's no wonder cars are so expensive, but it goes to illustrate something right there in Taxman.
"One for you ninteen for me". If that is not absolutely true now, we are definitely headed in that dirsection. That is practically unarguable. There is almost no doubt that everyone who had any hand in obtaining the raw materials, processing those materials and building you the finished product are taxed. Through all those levels, when taxed at each stage, I ask why should we have to pay ? As the final buyer of a new product it has already been taxed to death. Either that or some entity is importing it and making a killing. HELLO, that amounts to the same thing.
My boss'es boat is a tax on me, but it is his place. He is not someone else with guns and cages and soldiers who extort this money unlawfully, even though it is legal.
Hunky is nucking futs, but that's why I like him. He also has the right idea. Try to live a more spartan life, less complex, less chacks to write, less everything. Rampant consumerism does fuel the enemies of our country and kin(d). On one hand you learn to live on less and expend less time on stooopid shit, and on the other hand you are contributing to the attrition of one of our foes. As nuts as he may sound at times, this is the most logical course of action.
I am learning. Aldi's mayo is as good as any, but their salad dressing is a bit heavy on lemon or something. Miracle Whip might be better, but is it worth it. Almost forty bucks to fill the tank. Will the premium get me enough better mileage or something to make worth my while ? I think not. I think there would be a difference but not enough to offset the cost. So I get the cheap gas. The car has it's problems here and there, but it definitely has some get up and go. How could the fuel be bad ? Well it could but I doubt it.
Then we got butter. I will not use margarine in any form, nor anything else with anything hydrogenated in it. So it could be ten bucks a pound for butter and ten bucks a tone for the very best margarine in the world, I will still take the butter. Certain things are like irreproachable, others are not. The cheap shampoo works well, but when it comes to the body, I only use Ivory. Cigs, back when there were cheapo brands that really saved money I would buy them. I would save my precious Winston Selects for after dinner and a few other times. I also went the tobacco and tubes route, and actually paid someone to make me cigs. Ten bucks a carton. It was about ten bucks for the materials and that was a fifty percent savong over store boughtens. It was worth it. Things have changed, the price disparity is no longet that great. So I stopped doing that.
So don't go thinking I was always a drunken sailor, this is not the first time I have thought about it this way. Thing is I have to adapt to another venue. Times really are tough, and I'll take any advantage I can get, within reason of course. Like today, needed buns, nothing else, but they had two for the price of one on these huge roasts and nice steaks. Well that was the reason to pay the money for the deep freeze. In fact I was considering getting another one. The money to buy it is not the problem, I just can't figure out where the hell to put it. Winter comes with deals on meat because less people cook out. I like to take advantage of that. I would like to have two or three full beef tenderloins by spring. I mean you hit them at the right time you get it for maybe at best these day,,,, seven bucks a pound if you buy the whole thing. Now go back in the spring and look at the filet mignons for over twice that in the spring or early summer.
Thing is it's like I am relearning this. Of course I am not going to buy two stupid sign for five bucks when they are two bucks each. But I had no idea just how things have gotten. The best deals are buried somewhere and the worst ripoffs are right in your face all the time.
Like thirty five bucks for a pack of razor blaes. Damn, what did the razor cost ? But really that won't fly with me unless those blades last like a year or something. It better be worth it. But equally arguable is why I spent $500 on a color laser printer, and refilling it is over $150 ! But think, I could print nothing for a month and the thing will still work. Also I get a hell of alot more out of a refill thatn those regular inkjets. All in all, it was a better investment.
And it pulls the juice too, six amps I think while printing. This is important because you need to put it in perspective, it is not constantly printing. So what it uses up in juice is very small compared to many things.
Like it costs about ten bucks a month to run a fridge. Would you rather have to go to the store every day ? If you have to drive there figure that into the equation.
But then touching on that, there are constant costs. Gas depends on how much you drive, but many other things do not. Start with insurance and plates. Go from there, anything can fuck up at any time. I am always on pins and needles here, because both vehicles have VERY expensive transmissions. One is a 4WD, the other is a stick with what is known as a Getrag tranny. It's not just the money either, it is finding one, a GOOD one and the labor to have it put in. This is no joke. Back in the day a tranny was sixty bucks and labor was paid in beer etc. Now you practically have to mortgage your house.
Do we need all this shit ? I recently scrapped a van. It was not so bad, not pretty but half decent raw material. Why did I junk it? It was a conversion van, and somewhere there was a short that drew the battery down. You had to start and run this thing every day or the battery would be dead. Nobody could find the short. I actually made money on it, but not much.
So do we need all this shit ? We kept a pickup truck, having three houses I guess that's not a bad idea. But with a van we could haul 4X8 sheets even if it is raining. The pickup truck will do it, but it's either tarps or get a cap top. I have already thrown away two, now that I want one they are the cat's ass and worth so much. The van would've solved that.
Waste and spend, waste and spend, when does it ever end ? We are really good at it, of this I am sure.
T
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Prices from a dinosaur - 
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