Man, this economy
- Thread starter The Cooterpoot
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I did the same thing about 5 years ago. Had my guy that did my business HVAC install a 4.5 ton Amer Standard at the house. Paid about $2500 to HVACDirect and $1500 to the installer. Worked like a charm. The key is having someone you trust do the install. I did not change the fan or coil, they weren't dead.
Last week, AirSouth came out to check on one of my units and he quoted $9000 - $18,000 for a 3 ton system with the difference being the length of the warranty.
You don’t have to liberal to know that putting tariffs on things you buy make the prices go up.
Businesses really think price gouging is en vogue lately. The days of making margin on parts are over. You offer no value in the value chain on placing an order for me. And I'll pay your employees more per hour to do the couple hours of work.
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I hate to rain on your attempt to politicize everything but refrigerant changes mandated by government aren’t new (like many decades not new) and aren’t constrained by party. And if you’ve gotten up off the floor by now, I hate to break it to you but literally none of the presidents came up with any of the ideas about changing them…I hope someone is nearby with smelling salts for you…
lolwut? The EPA under Biden released the requirements late in the administration. They were subsequently repealed post Trump EPA earlier this year.
The justification to switch to 454B was that it supposedly offered moderate ""climate"" benefits, while both driving up cost significantly and introducing what the industry describes as a "flammable" refrigerant into home HVAC.
It is what it is.
Hell, I'm still pissed about the switch from R22 to 410A, but I wasn't about to pay more for 454B when the refrigerant costs as much or more than 410A and would likely be repealed.
Got plenty of screw worm going around in all our groceries. Every time I see the debit charge for the weekly grocery trip I feel screwed
You don’t have to be republican to know that shutting down the economy and giving out free money will make prices go up.
but between those 2 and tariffs one actually benefits the country to a degree.
Same with tariffs. Trump isn’t the first. And plenty of others wanted to tariff China and others.
So which of the 2 benefits the country?
How does it benefit the country and to what degree?
Does the degree to which it benefits the country surpass the cost to the people that are getting ****** to the 9th degree?
First, trump isn’t the only person to do the tariffs. Acknowledge that or I won’t reply again.
ONE
tariffing China benefits all Americans bc at some point China will try to 17 us and everyone else if they can. It’s part of their history to want to expand their kingdom and rule.
let them take over tawain and see what happens to prices.
TWO
Bringing back some manufacturing will help create higher paying jobs here. Most of what gets brought back has the possibility of automation. With AI and automation we can make a lot of stuff here for cheaper than what it would have cost us in the past when we shipped it overseas.
Regarding giving government money to people
A. It drives up demand bc more money to spend. Which drives up cost.
B. Dollar is weakened.
C. It only benefits a small portion of people in short term and hurts all in long term see A and B.
D. I’d argue it hurts poor people too. Want someone to stay poor? Make them dependent on others.
I'm just waiting on that bourbon crash I've been hearing about for a year or so, Come on baby!!
Healthcare cost are one of the biggest drains on the economy if you work because you have to pay for all the other people who don‘t pay, as well as the big pharma who line both parties pockets, the malpractice ambulance chasers and obese little Debbie consumers.
If the US Fed Gvt decided to tariff specific products or segments because of cyber safety, or health, or physical safety concerns...cool.
But the shitshow of arbitrary chaos that has consumed these last 9 months isn't strategic or targeted.
tldr- current tariffs don't fit the claimed reasons for their existence.
OK, so tariff just China.
Why are products that can't be made or grown here being tariffed? That doesn't align with your justification. There should be 0 tariffs for products that can't be made or grown here...based on your justification for tariffs.
Why are countries and land masses, which either barely export to the US or don't export anything to the US, being tariffed?
The justifications for these tariffs have been ******** for months now. They made 0 sense when they were first claimed and they continue to make 0 sense.
They make 0 sense because a ton of obvious examples disprove the claims.
We can't tariff our way into getting clothing manufacturing to move back from Cambodia to the US. We can't tariff our way into getting basic electronics manufacturing to move back from Vietnam to the US.
For those things to happen the cost of those goods would need to be exponentially higher.
Fan motors are rather easy to change out. watch a YouTube video how to have out the sucker. Did my civic in about 11/2 hours.
2 Fuel filters for a 95hp JD tractor was $125 last week, that used to be about $50. Shurden had a good post about the farm economy last week. I can't imagine being a real farmer and trying to keep up with the cost of inputs and capital with $4.1 corn and $10 beans. Gonna get real for those guys this winter when it comes time to get their production loans.
A/C Unit on the fritz. Had the house 15 years now and it’s time for a new one. 20 year old 3 ton unit that $2K back then a/c guy tells me last week will be $6500.00 to replace. Only a small 2 bedroom house and hardly ever there so Lowe’s here I come for the Fall Sale small window a/c units. Natural Gas in town on Atmos I never use in the winter because house is so efficient. When I bought the home gas bill was $17 a month billed out from September till May I believe, that’s if I never turned the heat on. Last year it was $38 a month if I never turned on. Got an e-mail from Atmos last month, updating lines, services, etc. Expecting monthly bills to increase $15 a month, that’s now gonna be $53 a month if you don’t use heat. Just called and turned that off. At least I ain’t farming’ and gotta buy $700 C-Switches! Trip to walmart yesterday to grab a few ingredients to make Cincinnati Style Chili, yup, you guessed it, $40 for two plastic WM Bags not even close to full. Fishin’ everyday & come on dove, squirrel, & deer season! Can’t get here fast enough for my freezer. Hope the freezer, hot water heater, and oven don’t go out anytime soon, needless to say washer, dryer, & dishwasher!
I bet you could get a mini split installed for $4500 or less
I know a guy if interested
He lives in greenville ms. Has a full time job as an electrician and HVAC guy in manufacturing.
Does small jobs on the side.
I can ask him if he'd travel.
Hey appreciate that, surly I can find someone around here but certainly ain’t beyond doin’ the window units, I’ll keep this in my back pocket just in case tho, if he travels, may need him, never know. Trying to find someone to actually come do the work after they quote you the price is challenging this day & age to say the least. It’s like people don’t want money, or maybe they just shirk the small jobs.
You mean its insurance companies keeping about half the money they get for themselves that are driving up cost right?
Americans spend more on healthcare per capita than anywhere in the world and have worse healthcare than most industrialized countries that provide healthcare for everyone without a for profit insurance provider acting as a middle man.
It's not the deadbeats needing healthcare that drive up the cost. It's the middle man between our money and the healthcare providers. That and big pharma.
The shipping costs of goods has gone way up since 2020, as well.
We ship the same size/weight products over and over and over. Our most common item could get to just about anywhere in the lower 48 at $60 in 2020. Now? $90 and about 5% of the time, FedEx mis-reads our dimensions with their scanners and slaps a $300 over-size fee on it. And then they make re-couping that fee practically impossible by sending you through the ringer.
In my world, as a small business owner, this is the biggest challenge we face. Getting our goods to people at reasonable costs. Gas prices has stayed in the same range for two decades. Why are we paying 50% more to ship stuff over the past 2-3 years?
Insurance companies don't keep half of their revenue. Not even close.
Take United Healthcare for instance. 2021, 22, 23 EBITDA was under 10% yearly.
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH) Income Statement - Yahoo Finance
I put them in my house in New Albany and I am very satisfied.
I do recommend having ceiling fans to help move the air as you can have hot spots in larger rooms.
EBITDA is small portion of your premium.
They take in billions in premiums and only half goes to healthcare providers (52% or so). Medicare does it much more efficiently. Last I checked their overhead was about 10% of revenue. Some say it could be done by good business people for as little as 4% but even at it's current rate of 10 % is several times better than private insurance.
Insurance spends big time with your dollars on lots of things other countries don't. UHC gave 60 million to it's CEO who made it by denying people coverage. They give crazy amount to Congress through Lobbyist as well. Those are expenses coming out of your premium. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.
UHC pays almost 98% of their claims.
85% or more are paid on the initial claim. Another 13% ish require additional information but the claim is still paid.
$60 million is 0.0161% of their yearly sales
I’m not gonna listen to the Medicare argument considering the gross incompetence of our governmental departments.
But for fun name a country that has nationalized healthcare that you’d like to copy.
These are Dr Steve Martin’s latest numbers with MSU Extension. Inflation on parts, chemicals and fertilizer killed us for two years and now terrible prices and tariffs are beating us up now.
So, my idea that I might want to stock up on that 5lb bag of Louisiana grown rice I like at Walmart sounds like it might be prudent.
5 lbs of rice for $3 seems unsustainable these days.
That’s milled rice at .70 a pound. We get 10 cents a pound out of the field.
You can put blinders on but insurance companies keep 48% of what we give them in premiums and medicare only keeps 10%.
Like it or not insurance companies are why your health care cost so much. Everyone in this country could be given free healthcare and it would cost us less if we eliminated the middle man insurance company. You can't handle the truth can you.
Universal Healthcare should be our number one priority going into the next election. It won't be, why? We are not pro life at all and we are not a Christian nation. If we were, everyone would get healthcare. We are a society that loves to worship Mammon.
I can't understand why people are OK with insurance companies keeping all our money for themselves. I don't care if you are an atheist or a christian, both sides should want universal healthcare. It would be way cheaper on us all and you don't lose your damn house if you get sick.
You don't want hear how much more efficient Medicare is than your insurance policy because you are not willing to listen. I just told you all insurance averages keeping 48cents on a dollar we give them and medicare only cost 10cents even in its corrupt state. And you just dismiss it.
How many countries do not have universal healthcare?
According to Hudson's Global Residence Index, all but 43 countries in the world offer free or universal healthcare to at least 90% of citizens. Notable examples include Afghanistan, Iran, Nigeria, Yemen, and the United States.
That is some good company we are keeping. Get this our system sucks. Big Pharma and Insurance Companies are why. Not dead beat people, I know one thing, you are not pro life.
How many countries do not have universal healthcare?
According to Hudson's Global Residence Index, all but 43 countries in the world offer free or universal healthcare to at least 90% of citizens. Notable examples include Afghanistan, Iran, Nigeria, Yemen, and the United States.
That is some good company we are keeping. Get this our system sucks. Big Pharma and Insurance Companies are why. Not dead beat people, I know one thing, you are not pro life.
No they don't. That is unequivocally false.
How does this make any logical sense? Healthcare companies could easily charge less if they wanted to. The price of insurance has no bearing on the cost of care you get EXCEPT THAT IN MANY CASES INSURANCE CAPS WHAT HEALTH COMPANIES CAN CHARGE.
You wanna blame insurance? Ok but thats b/c someond mandated everyone have insurance which drove up demand. Same thing with cost of education.
FFS and i'm replying to your dumb @$$
1. Insurance companies make about 10% profit. FACT.
2. Name the country who had universal healthcare that you want most to be like? Canada? Finland? Sweden? Name one.
Because you are wrong. OF course i'll dismiss it.
Name the one you want to try and duplicate. I'll wait patiently.
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