impulse

How is that any different than a mobility scooter? Which are probably illegal on Thai roads, too. But which are also widely accepted by Thai society because they provide a means for disabled people to get around. Otherwise, they'd be stuck at home. In fact, Quad ATVs are a lot less disruptive of traffic since they can keep up with the flow. But that is a double edge sword. The sad fact is that a lot of us are going to require some kind of mobility assistance if we live long enough. I'm pleased that Thailand is tolerant of them.

And they claim that the syndrome doesn't exist.

And don't stop being you. But I suggest reading Scott Adams' "Loserthink". It perfectly explains so many of these attack posts with no redeeming underlying value.

It is clearly stated in the OP: Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday: "Paid 'troublemakers' are attending Republican Town Hall Meetings. It is all part of the game for the Democrats, but just like our big LANDSLIDE ELECTION, it's not going to work for them!"

Bike is short for bicycle. Which is the Latin for 2 wheels (that's tongue in cheek). It was a quad, but it certainly wasn't a bike. We refer to them as quad ATV's.

The people who are disrupting the Repub town halls aren't Trump voters. They're shills, appearing only to disrupt. Edit: And according to the OP, Trump thinks they're being paid. I suspect that he's correct, but I make no such claim.

Yeah, but that's not how we count it in the USA. The results were 312 to 226. That's an impressive thumping. Play by the rules as they are. Not as you wish they were.

What they really mean is blowback from unhinged lefties who just hate Bad Orange Man, no matter what he does.

That's an easy fix. They'll spin off and incorporate a few divisions in some lax countries and those divisions will be corporations unto themselves that operate under other laws. Corporate HQ will end up being a holding company with their Dutch operations limited to countries that require Euro standards. Which is what? Maybe 10-20% of the international hotel market? If the EU thinks they're going to dictate sustainability rules in Thailand and Japan and Korea and the USA, they have another think coming.

Gotta say, that looks like a huge market gap for some new hotel booking sites to break the monopoly. Which I would certainly welcome. But I can't see them killing their Golden Goose. In fact, they're even advertising illegal condo rentals. So they can't be too picky about the details. And you can't convince me that condo owners are pulling one over on them. They could stop that in a heartbeat.

I would contend that they're not losing much. Unless they're catering to the foreigners in their own language and with activities that the guests want, nobody's going to make any money. The reason foreign operated tourism businesses can make money is because they offer the activities and services that the guests want. Fluently. Time to up your game, Thailand.

They should call them "coins". My fear is that once they start accepting QR codes, they won't take cash any more.

Didn't one of them just try and buy up 200 radio stations? I suppose that was to increase free and balanced speech.

I've met quite a few. I don't hold them to be bad people or dumb (as a rule). They've just been misinformed by the MSM and the Elites for so long... Starting nowadays in grade school.

They keep ignoring the fact that, of the past 3 administrations, Trump's is the only one where Vlad didn't take any of Ukraine.

It appears that a group of senators met with Zelensky and pumped him up for his meeting with Trump. How irresponsible is that? It certainly didn't go well for Ukrainians that want to quit dying sooner, rather than in a few more years. Group of RINOs and Democrat Senators Met with Zelensky and Blew Smoke Up His A$ Before He Met with Trump – Vigilant News Network

That, Orbitz doesn't break out. The differences in the numbers lead me to believe that each city's airport in China has its own tax rates for transit passengers, just like back home.

Here's a typical breakdown from my Jan/Feb Orbitz itinerary, flying R/T from Tianjin to BKK. It doesn't break it down further by the various accounts, but it gives an idea of the amount. If Thailand is only charging 750 baht ($22 at 34Bt/USD), they're on the light end of the scale. When I was flying from the USA, the imbalance was even more stark. In my mind, Thailand could jack up the airport taxes by double (or more) and they'd still be charging less than the other end. So I don't whine about $22 or another $9. It's a bargain. Edit: Here's my Feb/Mar invoice: (Keep in mind the Chinese New Year holiday was the month before.

My vision is having machines where they scan their boarding pass and their smartphone and it gets added to their Line (or other) account in less than 30 seconds. Their citizenship should already be encoded by their boarding pass. Maybe with a few manned booths for those who don't have QR payment capability or want cold hard cash. (or if the QR scanners go on the fritz).

Airline taxes around the world change all the time. It's a 2 minute job at the the airline to change that number in their database. They also have no problems dealing in whatever currency the passenger wants to use. That's done every day. I understand the reluctance to charge different rates for different passengers. Which is why I'd propose charging everyone and offering a rebate to those who can show that they're exempt. Whether they be Thai, or foreigners on WP, or whatever they decide. Edit: It may be more than a 2 minute job, but think about how many taxing entities charge airport taxes in cities around the world. Local taxes, state taxes and federal tax rates change all the time. Like when the city builds a stadium, and hoses taxes the travelers who will never use the stadium and can't vote. But that's a pet peeve of mine...

They're already being charged to enter their own country. My airline tickets already charge 15x that amount of tax to get into Thailand. (The taxes usually exceed the cost of the ticket itself). Another $9 isn't going to sting any worse. And it always feels good to get a tax rebate, with the added benefit of knowing the foreigners aren't getting any money back.

That's part of what makes it complicated. Who has to pay and who is exempt and how (and where) do they figure that out, especially on the fly? I still contend that the simplest solution is to add it to the plane ticket price and offer rebates to those who should be exempted. Flying into BKK once a month like I do, I'm probably more affected than most will be. And I'm not nearly as concerned with the $100 extra that's going to cost me in a year (12 trips) as I am that one of my trips is going to be derailed by some kind of online payment SNAFU. Edit: Or, God forbid, queuing up to pay it on arrival at the airport before going through immigration.

It would have taken a while for SWAT and ICE to get across the pond.

I think the experience with "BP" depended on where you worked for them. I actually worked for Amoco, which BP bought, and was the part of the company that was responsible for Deepwater. It was full of great people and a small cadre of cowboys that screamed the loudest at our meetings. In the ivory towers, we always had adults in the room. But not necessarily at the field locations, especially when drilling.

Wow. His Florida place is worth almost 2x what the judge claimed that Mar-a-Lago is worth.