Hasbeen

I must clear up a couple of your misconceptions in relation to me.

You say. "if it's all so easy, why the hell don't you (Paul) do it.

Don't tell me, let me guess, it's because you couldn't."
"As you know all about it, why don't you come & make your fortune here, running your own business? Give it a go"

Is this a reference to operating a small business If you deem operating an Engineering/Design Business for over 5 years in the 1980's as operating a small business, I have indeed operated a small business. I must say at no time did i find it necessary to become a member of 'the small business mafia' and operate outside the law. My business had many clients both large and small, I contracted work out to other professionals and had many financial dealings with clients and contractors etc, always working within the law operation an ethical and financially successful business. You may ask why did I stop, the short answer I was made on offer, as they say 'to good to refuse.' a job in 1992 that paid $54,000/ year, not bad 20 years ago, it was equal to what I grossed in 1991. After illness and retrenchment 10 years later I gave away engineering altogether not worth the stress,and changed my focus in life, working in retail hardware actually I am 59 and well off, by most standards, no mortage, no debt, money in the bank as the say work part time, about 20 hrs aweek, keeps me busy. Those in small business that rip off. are either greedy or marginal and of course there are the honest ones. Hasbeen Which group are you in?
cont'

cont'
"Stop winging about the few who do make it work for them" If you call pointing to the rip off artiest and thief as 'winging' then I'm a winger.
you say:
"I used to supply stuff to hardware stores. When you consider their stock holdings, & overheads to turnover, and piddling 40% margin no wonder so many are closing down."
Would not have anything to do with Bunnings and now Woolworth with this Hardware supa stores. Remember "Lower prices are only the beginning."
The make up on things blister pak screws etc in hardware is not 40% often 200-300% someone needs to buy at the right price, no margin in timber, the nett margin for Bunnings is 14%, with a very good cash flow the best in the Westfarmers group. Woolies are trying to get into hardware for that very reason.)

Also I must add, I have never ever worked for the public service.

Yes, Woolworths has opened a number of huge Masters Hardware Stores across the nation.

The last time I checked, Woolworths was No. 3 in the top 2000 companies operating in Australia, and has a very wide base to its business e.g. supermarkets, department stores, clothing, books, electronics, hardware, $2.00 shops etc.

After a union delegate succeeded in fully unionising one of their stores, the union went into bat for the workers for better pay and working conditions, but the Labor government only listened to Woolworths.

Never believe that Coles/Wesfarmers and Woolworths are in a price war with one another. They are working as a duopoly to cut everyone else out, which is why I generally do my grocery shopping at the Supa IGA.

I don't think we need to be Albert Einstein to know who is benefitting most from the demise of small to medium sized businesses and the crucifixion of workers.

A dangerous nexus is developing between workers' wages, taxation, money paid to superannuants, and Centrelink payments. The government needs to collect more tax from workers to support its welfare recipients, but the multi-national corporations (such as Woolworths) have shareholders to pay and empires to build.

According to the ACTU, 40% of Australian workers are either employed in casual jobs or underemployed. This means that very little tax is being collected, and much less money is being added to superannuation funds by employers.

A rise in superannuation contributions to 12% will further cripple smaller employers. Employer groups are also now calling for super to be deducted from workers' wages.

At the same time, migrants are being used to drive wages down and land even more Australian workers on the scrap heap to live off the increasingly low levels of income taxes collected. The latest increase in Newstart was only around $4.00 a week, enough to buy the cornflakes, but not the milk to go on them.

The government also says it will increase the Tax Free Threshold from 6-18%, at the same time as it is still amassing a huge foreign debt and welfare bill.

No wonder both sides of the parliament are foreshadowing further reductions in welfare to an Asian style system. As we know, sole parents have now been landed on the dole.

The government also still has disability pensioners in its sights after cutting many people off, despite claiming an interest in developing a National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Hmmm .. some intersting comments *LoriKeet* Incidentally, what kind of *LoriKeet* are you?

..

When woolworths came into the area of my abode back in 1998 they crushed my little local bakery, who made the best preservative free yummy true blue pies, amongst other things.

And now what do we get offered? I'll tell you - transfat laden poop in a stale container.

I have an IQ in the genius range, and have studied what goes on in the world for around 12 years.

I am also a member of the Democratic Labor Party here in Queensland.