The Thinking Man's Fridge

“Colour it green, and you can sell it” (Friedmann)

You know why this whole ‘green’ push the world is running with at the moment just won’t take off? Because there’s just too much money in it. Friedmann was a (mere) planning theorist, but his words can apply to a lot here.

Just the other day, I bought a new mop. Nothing super. Just a mop with the replaceable foam heads. The mop (with foam head) cost me $8.45. The replacement foam head for the mop costs $8.90. Go figure.

This means that from an economic rationalists point of view, every time I wear out the head of the mop, it’s cheaper to throw the whole thing out and start again. It kind of got me thinking that maybe the manufacturers don’t assemble the mop parts in the factory, they start with a complete mop, and take parts off until there’s nothing but the foam head left. That’s the only way I can figure it – all the extra labour involved in stripping it down to a foam head results in the extra 45 cents.

It’s the same with razors. I like Schick Mach 3 (and no, Schick, I don’t need a gentle reminder to upgrade to the 5 blade model, because shaving with 5 blades is just f*cking stupid). I like the Mach 3 because it bends, and I once went 5 months on the one blade, and that’s shaving my head and face, and that’s great and I’m awesome.

My problem is, 4 replacement heads for my Mach 3 handle costs $11.90, whereas a 4-pack of Mach 3 disposable razors only costs $6.90. Again, go figure. And don’t give me some rubbish about using higher quality blades on the replacement heads because that’s just crap and you know it. I’ve shaved my head for nearly 10 years now, so I know a crap quality razor when I see one. All of those plastic handles go to waste (and don’t forget, plastic is made of oil, too).

So at the end of the day, we’re supposed to minimise waste and save power and save water and save the f*cking planet from the parasitic leech that is the human race, but it’s going to cost us more, because everyone’s in it to make a killing.

I just got back from my first ever trip to Melbourne. Everyone in Melbourne wears black. A lot of black. You go out at night and you can't bloody see anyone. They're like lots of well-dressed ninjas.

Kudos to whoever made this clip. Simple, yet poignant...

A report released this morning proves the absurd ‘alco-pops’ tax has had the OPPOSITE effect to what was intended (like every forward-thinking person naturally assumed it would), as teens are now switching to full strength spirits mixed at home in unmetered doses.

So if increasing taxes, and therefore prices, on pre-mix drinks has made the binge drinking situation worse, then by deduction LOWERING the prices would make the problem better, and to me seems like a good proposition.

But do you think that the Australian public would have a hope in hell of getting the prices of alco-pops reduced? Absolutely not. Instead, the government will simply hike up taxes on straight spirits, and probably beer and wine to boot, so that everyone is worse off. Was this entire move just a scam to rake in more taxes from alcohol across the board?

Even if, by the slimmest of chances, the taxes were removed from 'tart fuel', the retailers would only reduce the prices by a small percentage, just like what happens on a weekly basis with petrol price fluctuations, so that the consumers, at the end of the day, are still the ones who are worse off than before the government implemented its narrow-minded and entirely flawed stunt.

As usual, it is the consumers who foot the bill for the politicians’ stupidity, and the retailers’ greed.

Follow up: Just today there was a government boofhead who issued a complaint that a bottleshop was selling ‘cleanskin’ bottles of wine for $2, saying it was far too cheap. Well, just for once, if it cost $2 to produce and sell something at a profit, then I want to pay two f*cking dollars for it - not what some government bullshit-o-crat thinks it should cost. Isn’t that the very basis of the capitalist social system we’ve created? Why does it only serve to benefit people in positions of power (particularly those voted to positions of power to serve the population)? Who the f*ck do these people think they are? Why do I have to hold the hand of binge drinkers and alcoholics, and suffer the consequences for their piss-poor self-control?

What is the deal with these taxes? Is it more important to merely point out a health issue, or encourage people to actually make the change? When the government comes out with this sort of crap every 3-4 months, people just start pulling their hair out with frustration. “Please, Government! Just leave me the f*ck alone! I work 40-50 hours a week to pay record high inflation, record grocery prices, record fuel prices, record taxes, but do you think I can get in to see a f*cking doctor or get a bed in a hospital? All I want is a few minutes to myself to have a bunch of drinks with my mates. At least let me have that!”