timendres

Maybe Elon should just reform the Democrat party. They are flat on their backs.

You are likely to get a different answer from each person in the village. That said, Thais are pragmatic if nothing else. Especially in the village.

I remember when the US started "forcing" access laws. I am absolutely for accommodating disability access. Any one of us could find ourselves disabled, and it makes sense to promote these designs. The problem I had with the US was the implementation. It makes sense to force all new builds to meet these standards. The cost and effort in a new build it relatively small and reasonable. The issue was with existing buildings where compliance was impractical. New builds should meet disability standards. Existing buildings should be incentivized, not forced. Bangkok is a nightmare for anyone in a wheelchair (or otherwise disadvantaged). It will take decades to correct. But progress is being made and should continue to be made.

When I had my company, the Thai staff were always a bit surprised how well informed I was about Thai politics. And I was always curious to hear what the staff thought about different issues. But I was very careful to never pick a side or take a position. It is not my country. I would always just say "Politics. Crazy, right?" and leave it at that.

85 events in the last 15 years. Yup, almost daily, as you suggested. Just another 5,390 shootings, and you would be so right.

Please, do share whatever you are smoking...

That has not changed. However, what people are pointing out is that banks and other institutions will be unwilling to make the investment to verify citizenship. It will be easier and cheaper to simply say "get it back at refund time". So they will take it from every transaction.

Many insist that I am a ghost. I tell every Thai person I meet that I really want to meet a ghost. Please.

I am not an expert on this topic. Have only talked to a few "landlords". But I believe that, if the landlord has a valid extension, and they are hiring Thai nationals for any "work" involved, and they are reporting their income to the Thai government and paying taxes, I believe it is all fine. The difficult part is proving you are not "working" if, say, you are on a retirement extension. But one guy I spoke with indicated that he hired Thais for everything, including meeting potential renters and executing all paperwork. Another simply had a management company to handle everything - I believe as part of the development.

Not much to say. IO suggested a way to "expedite the process". I declined. The number was absurd.

When I renewed two years ago, the IO insisted on the deed to the condo, as the owner was not in the blue book. (it was her daughter who was registered in the blue book and managing everything for her elderly mother). We produced the deed and all was okay. But it was a small battle over my unwillingness to provide an envelope. This was at CW.

Young Place / Grand Le Jardin in Ratchayothin, Bangkok. Rooms are generally 70sqm, but some are over 100sqm. Walls and floors are quite thick, so minimal noise. Building has an open interior that you will never see in a new building. The building is reasonably well maintained and in good condition. A pool is the only "facility", but it is nice and on the 7th floor outside. 350m from BTS station Ratchayothin. Rents run from 12,000 to 20.000 per month.

When you mention "35w versus 65w", I assume you are referring to the charger (the power brick). The difference is nothing more than how fast the batter will charge when you are plugged in. If you need really fast charging, select the 65w. If you do not care how long it takes to charge, select the 35w.

Sounds like every politician since the beginning of time.

Trump believes this move will bring jobs to the US, something he wants to accomplish. It is not designed as some sort of punishment, although anyone who understands economics knows that any action that benefits some people (bring back manufacturing jobs) also hurts some people (increased prices for tariffed products). Trump has far too much on his plate to spend time worrying about a few expats. I am more concerned about the financial pressures on social security causing unpopular changes that affect expats.