newnative

I have been following the discussion regarding SS and spouse benefits. I wonder if anybody knows the answer to my situation. I am an American citizen, age 72, legally married, in the US, to a Thai citizen, age 58, since 2016. We live in Thailand full-time. Thai spouse has a SS number but no SS work credits. Would he qualify for spouse benefits when he turns 62 and survival benefits after I pass away? We do not plan to live in the US for 5 years. Thanks in advance if anyone has any information on this type of marriage situation.

Far more likely.

Scary delusional.

And the answer is . . . yes! Who could blame her.

All an act. And, it doesn't mean the Georgia voters have forgotten how Trump trashed Kemp.

Or, could be that idiot Trump hugely insulted the Republican governor of Georgia. Thank you, Donald, for being such an idiot. Now, on to all the other swing states and let's insult the Republicans there.

Typical Trump. He's far too lazy to actually do any thinking on any of the important issues so he does what he always does, takes the easy way and just insults. Which, actually is probably smart on his part because he has done so many flip flops and told so many lies that he can't keep anything straight at this point. In the horrible event that he wins, he'll likely need a new cabinet position, Department of Trump Lies, to manage and maintain all of them in some sort of order. Meanwhile, I find it insane that any woman with a functioning brain would vote for Trump.

Maybe because he died in a plane crash years ago. But, you're right-- wacko RFK Jr. just appealed to the same wackos that already support Trump so no lift.

My Thai spouse and I bought a new house that had just started construction last year from a local construction company here in Pattaya. While the builder/owner was Thai, and the construction manager, most of the construction workers were not, with the exception of the electricians and maybe a few others doing specialized work, and the company that built the pool. What I would call the yucky work--doing the steel girders, the tile roof, the concrete block walls, digging holes and installing water piping, foundation work, drywall, painting, etc., was done by non-Thai workers. They arrived each day on the back of a pick-up truck, 10 or 12 all crammed in together. We see pick up trucks full of these workers all the time and I don't know how they get around the labor law--perhaps they can get an exception if no Thai workers can be found to do the work.

As dear old Dad used to say, 'too rich!'. If anybody has treated Pence horribly it's super nasty Trump, himself.

Clueless.

Absolutely. It bears remembering that 60% or more of Chinese tourists to Thailand are F.I.T tourists, traveling independently, and not in tourist groups. Like you, our new housing project of about 28 homes, some not yet finished or occupied, has at least 3 well-off Chinese families so far. We know one Chinese family that sends their two daughters to private school--and they told us a good education for them was one of the reasons they moved to Thailand. Pattaya gets tour groups but it also gets its share of F.I.T Chinese tourists, who stay at new hotels like Centre Point Space and very nice resorts like Centara Grand in Wongamat, and others. They may not be as readily visible as those following a waving tour guide flag but they are there.

I'm curious as to how I can become a 'NON-PAYING' tourist. Sounds terrific! Travel anywhere for free. What's not to like. First, how do I get there for free? Mind you, I'm not really big on walking long distances. And, hitchhiking? Daddy said never hitchhike. Once I get to the country I am visiting, how do I sleep in a hotel for free? I'm not one of those fresh air, sleep on the sidewalk guys. Just knowing how to do that will be worth patiently waiting for your answer. My goodness, if it's free I could just live in hotels for the rest of my life! You hold the key, guy. Share! Now, about eating for free while I am visiting for, say, a week. How does that work? Should I pack a second suitcase full of food? I have to say lugging around a second heavy suitcase of food doesn't sound that appetizing. Hopefully, you can tell me how to eat for free. Maybe just use the free room service at the free hotel I'm staying at? Thanks a bunch!

More bad news for Boeing. But, on the bright side, I see a potential Gilligan's Island/Lost in Space tv show. The two that are stranded left for an 8-day 'cruise' to the space station and now have been lost in space for months, hoping for a rescue. While they wait, fun, laughs and antics for the whole family. ABC this Fall.

'normal safeguards' Talk about utter nonsense. Since 1973, there have been 196 exonerations of prisoners on death row in the United States. So much for 'safeguards'

I am against the death penalty because: 1. I value life and the death penalty devalues it. And, 2. There have been cases of people sentenced to death being found innocent. Yes, these cases are rare but even just one rules out having the death penalty, in my opinion. I prefer life in prison without the possibility of parole.

My spouse and I came to the same conclusion--and we currently own a 2018 CR-V which we like. We looked at the new one and it just did not look new enough for us--as I said in another post, the current model should have been the 2020 model. Or 2021 at the very latest. 2021 or 2022 should have been a blank sheet of paper design. Here it is 2024 and still same old, same old. I don't know why Honda has been so slow with the CR-V. They've radically changed the Civic and other models several times while keeping the same current CR-V shape since even before our model year. The new model looks very dated with its styling--especially compared with the new Chinese models arriving--and we were not that impressed with its interior. Plus, no plug-in hybrid and very expensive. And, we hated the black wheels--along with the black grill. Just too much black. Although the Amish in my native Pennsylvania probably love it. Had we bought a new CR-V, we would have selected the top model, at around 1.729MB. Instead, we have booked a BYD Sealion 6 PHEV for a little over 1MB, saving nearly 700,000 baht. The MG HS on discount looks like a terrific bargain.

He's flip-flopped so many times at this point I don't think anybody, including Trump, knows what he thinks, if he is still capable of thinking, about the abortion issue. Whatever, it's a definite loser for the Republican ticket. Just saw a poll where Americans are 70% in favor of abortion being legal in almost all cases.

'...currently in discussions...' So, nothing nailed down yet, if ever. Thanks for the info, though.

According to the judge handling the case it was rape by the legal definition. I'll go with what he says--he's the legal expert.

Trump just get more whacko every time he opens his mouth.

As an American, all the pension or social security money I am sending over is shielded from Thai taxes by the dual taxation agreement. I plan to do nothing unless I am absolutely required to do something. Right now, there is nothing required that I know of, and that includes filing a Thai tax return.

My sister, an accountant, used to work for a chocolate company that had Trump for a client. She said he was the absolute worst for paying bills that he owed to the company. It was always a long struggle to get paid, involving a lot of work and numerous billing letters, etc. Just one more example of the hundreds and hundreds out there. Obviously, nothing has changed for the Grifter of the Highest Order.

At least when he loses this time we won't have to pry him out of the White House kicking and screaming like a spoiled rotten baby.

Total scam. They left out a zero on the price of the houses. 50MB, not 5MB.