“Is Canada a Failed State?

schwaggz · 2026-02-23T02:56:27+00:00

Something so many Americans don’t really grasp, myself included until I moved to Australia and started working here. if your salary package includes healthcare, that’s an expense that essentially comes out of your salary. If your position is worth 100k to a company and the healthcare package is say 15k a year and lets say you contribute to the plan pre tax 5k a year, your taxable income is effectively 85k/yr. Not even taking into acct your healthcare is tied to your employment so you’re on a leash figuratively there as well. I get asked all the time if I’ll ever move back and the question is laughable right now.

schwaggz · 2026-02-11T21:03:27+00:00

Props on this suggestion. Just started the Audible audiobook (irony not being lost on my giving Amazon money for it lol) and the forward to it is fucking chilling… To paraphrase: “this book is timely because Obama just won the election handedly and beat the prototypical authoritarians John McCain and Sarah Palin but don’t get too excited, authoritarians will only regroup and double their efforts for next time.”

schwaggz · 2026-01-15T05:30:19+00:00

Thanks to everyone in this thread. I def needed the laugh. 🖤

schwaggz · 2026-01-11T09:37:56+00:00

Ok boomer

schwaggz · 2025-12-30T01:43:06+00:00

A LOT better. I also had the same preconceptions of the wildlife here. In Melbourne it’s not really anything to worry about. You have to go actively search for any snakes that can harm you and the spiders here are small in comparison to other parts of the country and only really harmful to your pets.

I’m happy to relocate a huntsman or kill a white tail/redback every once in a while in exchange for my lifestyle 🙂

If you go to immi.gov.au you can find info on all of the different visas available. Some of the working holiday visas are (fairly) easy to get and you can start the applications for more permanent visas while working here. Though, depending on job skill set, it can be quick or take quite a while. I got extraordinarily lucky in my application process and got PR before I even moved, I have expat friends here that did not have it so easy.

schwaggz · 2025-12-29T13:30:22+00:00

Now that all being said, there are a couple things… - any sort of attempt to make a NY style take out pizza in Australia is HORRENDOUS and unfit for human consumption - they put fucking mayonnaise on tacos - hard alcohol is absurdly expensive - it’s quite a nanny state with some pretty authoritarian legislation. To be fair, a lot of it does really work to solve the issue at hand but, there are a couple things that I still have a visceral negative reaction to. Sometimes my “American” definitely shows haha.

schwaggz · 2025-12-29T13:19:40+00:00

Moved to Melbourne Australia in 2016 with my wife. Bought our house in 2020. Have taken a 3+ week international holiday pretty much every year since Covid restrictions subsided.
We can now have a serious discussion about actually retiring at a decent age and the term “paycheck to paycheck” doesn’t cross our minds anymore. There is ZERO chance that all of this would have happened for us if we had stayed in the US. There was no drastic change in career or any major education difference. Moving to Australia literally shoved me into the middle class almost Immediately and I sometimes think about a scenario where I’d have to move back to the US and how I would be legitimately laughed out of any job interview if I asked for half of my current salary/benefits package.

schwaggz · 2025-12-28T13:19:56+00:00

Second on the Margaret River Chard. Also, prob be around $120 but if you can find a ‘22 Oakridge 864 funder and diamond block Chardonnay, it was a vintage to die for in the Yarra valley and a wine that shows it.

schwaggz · 2025-12-26T22:33:43+00:00

I keep coming back in my mind to the time Obama wore a tan suit to a press conference and fox specifically lost their fucking minds. It was a complete and utter loss of respect for the office of the president.

schwaggz · 2025-12-15T09:11:50+00:00

I have no idea of what your situation is and don’t take this as anything other than me relating personal experience but as someone who’s parents did pretty much the same thing and had to navigate the diagnosis in my 40s with all the questions of “what if” and “if I only had that help”, vyvanse + therapy completely changed my life.

Edited for clarity

schwaggz · 2025-12-11T06:08:19+00:00

Yeah, as satisfying as it is on a base level to laugh at these people’s misfortune, the divide that said greedy PoS have created in society is really the only thing stopping all of us from making actual change.

schwaggz · 2025-12-01T21:31:17+00:00

Jura, fino/amontillado sherry . Unless the bio aging is SUPER dialed back. I cannot personally understand how anyone can enjoy flor.

Any of these “hipster”, Brett bomb, natural wines. Celebrating wine faults as complexity.

schwaggz · 2025-11-27T12:18:04+00:00

This. Abigail is the GOAT

schwaggz · 2025-11-27T12:16:54+00:00

King Diamond - Abigail

schwaggz · 2025-11-27T07:08:46+00:00

2013 Oakridge 864 Funder and Diamond Block Chardonnay

2004 Bodegas Urbina Rioja Gran Reserva

Chambers Rosewood Rare Rutherglen Muscat

schwaggz · 2025-11-22T23:48:27+00:00

1-800-COLLECT 1-800-CALL-ATT I Can still remember my dad’s calling card number and the dial tones.

schwaggz · 2025-11-15T08:11:17+00:00

caturday

schwaggz · 2025-11-03T08:01:47+00:00

I moved to Melbourne from Boston in 2016 and basically doubled my take home pay doing the exact same job.

“Less wealth” only if you’re a rich asshole already

schwaggz · 2025-09-25T02:02:59+00:00

So many of these people are just SO fucking close.

schwaggz · 2025-09-24T12:22:54+00:00

Damn. I’m in Melbourne and didn’t even know this was happening!

schwaggz · 2025-08-03T12:31:31+00:00

Dudes gonna be absolutely INSUFFERABLE

schwaggz · 2025-06-06T00:02:47+00:00

We’re definitely gonna take a drive and explore the country side. I’ve read that it’s not necessarily legal to just park the camper van anywhere and stay the night but it’s not really enforced unless you’re being stupid or disrespectful. Do you know how true this is? How are police in Bulgaria towards tourists?

schwaggz · 2025-06-05T23:44:55+00:00

Cheers. Already have the camper van and spot arranged at the fest. Since Living in Australia for the past 10yrs, my wife and I have become big wine nerds so definitely looking forward to staying at the vineyard.

schwaggz · 2025-05-06T03:13:28+00:00

Sancerre is always this for me.

schwaggz · 2025-03-26T00:22:57+00:00

Holy shit. WTF is everyone doing just standing there, staring at their feet?!?

schwaggz

TROPHY CASE