Rabu, 02 Oktober 2013

Why don't Canadians embrace agricultural communism?

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Eric S


In Manitoba, there's a group of people called "The hutterites" and they buy large parcels of farmland and live together on a colony. They believe in hard communal work and believe the only non-sinful way to engage in business is in the form of agricultural production and craftsmanship.

Everyone works a fair share, including the children and elderly.

They share everything they own and they diversify their crops, surprisingly using very little wheat and grain. Because they take care of each other as a colony, they don't even need insurance.

Why can't more Canadians embrace the Hutterian way of life?
They also have greater mental health stability than the entire rest of the outside world.
I read up that the Hutterites are very friendly to outsiders, even those who have nothing in common with them in the least. They also welcome potential converts who are given a trial period on the colony, but usually they can never make it to the commitment phase because they come to realize the sacrifice they are about to make.
David H, so your argument is agriculture was the solution, privacy was the objective. Also you can say the Jews in Europe were once of a separatist merchant class.

Similar objectives, different solutions? Could be a good book.



Answer
Good point! But if you drove up to a Hutterite Colony and said you wanted to join them, are you certain they would embrace you?

I personally think it is crazy that every one on my block has their own lawn mower, tools and stuff when in fact we could all save a lot of money if we shared those items. Like the Hutterites and the Mennonites. But for them, I think, it is more about religion and being apart from the mainstream. Mennonites in Northern Alberta didn't want their children attending public schools. They choose to be self sufficient and not having to deal with outside influences. They might not like everyone to adopt their values.

Brock
Vancouver, Canada.

Why are bicycles so expensive?




aaa


It just seems strange to me that a decent new non-racing bike would cost as much as a top of the line motorized lawn mower.

I just want to get from here to there comfortably and quickly--I don't need an advanced science behind the design.

Am I paying for rare materials, an overly complex design, labor, status, or what?
Lawnmower analogy: mass produced, similar mass, similar material (to an extent), complex science behind design (motor...), mobile

D'uuuuuuuuuh.



Answer
Actually a whole bike for $300-$400 is a good deal.

Consider some individual part prices: road pedals can cost $300+. A pair of good road bike shoes: $250+. A component groupo (Dure-Ace): $3200 !! A set of road wheels (no tires or tubes, no freewheel): $1000+ (See links)

So you see, prices are all relative.

OK, so $300-$400 is relatively cheap ... but why are prices what they are?

Look at what determines prices. First there is design and testing. Then there is the cost of materials (some advanced alloys are very expensive) and manufacturing. Then packaging, shipping, distribution, markup at various stages (manu>distributor>retailer). And don't forget advertizing and liability insurance (e.g. for payouts to settle lawsuits when a part fails).

I'm sure I've forgotten something, but you get the point I hope. A $5 part (cost of materials) can easily be a $100 part by the time it gets to your local store.

Also, take into account that many of the costs are lump sum costs that have to be amortized over whatever number of units are sold (e.g. design and testing, advertizing, liability) so they add proportionally more to unit cost for low sales items.

Also look at labour costs. Many less expensive bikes and components are made in low labour cost areas (e.g.China, Malaysia, Korea) while more expensive ones are made in Canada, US, Gernamy, Italy, Japan, etc.

The reason the $300-400 bike can be sold at that price is because it uses stock components manufactured in huge numbers in a low labour cost country.

Market forces ensure that, overall, you get what you pay for. More expensive bikes/components invariably are stronger, lighter, and better performing. That said, you can choose where you want to be on the very wide price/performance scale.

Most advice to cyclists says the same thing, don't buy cheap, but don't pay for top end stuff unless you can benefit ... and are willing to pay the premium. As with most consumer products, beyond a certain point small improvements in performance come at a very high incremental cost.

Hope that helps.




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