jas007

Reciprocal. Tariff on shoes? Ditto for the USA. Tariff on audio speakers, ditto. Tit for tat. Don't muddy the water with nonsense.

I have a limited sample. Four different agencies plus two years on active duty in the US Army during Vietnam. Anyway, I've been a manager. I've also seen what goes on, typically. People can look like they're working, but what are they accomplishing? You can go by their office and there they are, "hard at work." And yet they take two or three days to accomplish what a competent employee could accomplish in three hours. Are they doing that on purpose, or are they just stupid? I never tried to fire anyone, but the people playing games didn't get any good recommendations from me. Sometimes, I wonder whatever happened to them. They probably never got another promotion, ever.

I'm here on Wongamat Beach, in Pattaya. Russians are everywhere. And if I walk down the street, I see Russian travel booths set up. II'm not sure about motorcycle or car rentals or weed shops. We have those kinds of businesses here in the neighborhood. But if there are Russians running these businesses, what stops the Thai police from checking up on them? They seem to be operating out in the open. Anyway, how many Thais speak Russian and can be guides for Russians here on vacation?

Is he really "picking" on Canada? What part of "reciprocal" don't you understand? It''s a simple concept.

The world is not a fair place. Anyone who doesn't know that should learn it. Anyway, I haven't met too many people who have extreme wealth and have earned that money from "hard work." They were all lucky. They inherited their money, or, they happened to be at the right place at the right time. But it makes them feel better if they think they "earned" it. Then again, what is "wealth"? It probably isn't money. I'm nowhere near being a billionaire. But I make more money than most, if not all, of the Thais I come across every day. I can't fix that, but I try to be nice and make a difference when I can. Why not? I once spent 17 hours talking to one of the most wealthy men in the world. He was next to me on a plane from Bangkok to NYC. At first, I didn't know who he was, but I later figured it out. Anyway, his advice to me: go have fun. Travel. You can lose your money in a day, but they can never take away your memories. The source of his wealth: inheritance. Don't overthink things. It'll drive you crazy.

This discussion could go on all day. The great evil? How about a raid on the US Treasury? That was done deliberately, to destroy the USA. That's another discussion for another day, but it's real and it did happen. Now, how to fix the mess? I'm not sure what the current debt clock shows, but I do know that it's mathematically unsustainable. At a certain interest rate, all bets are off. You don't want to be anywhere on planet earth when that happens.

People always talk about foreigners taking jobs away from Thais by working illegally. What jobs, exactly, would someone do "illegally"? What foreigner would want to work for 400 baht a day as a security guard or a clerk at a convenience store? And whatever the Russias are doing here, how is that taking away jobs from Thai people? What jobs, exactly? It seems to me that, if there is a problem, that problem should be addressed by the Thai police, not at the immigration counter.

The Austrian school believes in "free trade" and limited government interference, to be sure. Sounds good in theory, but in Trump's mind, there's not free trade in the world for the USA. Other countries impose tariffs on US goods, and so what works in theory doesn't work too well in practice. The US is getting a bad deal, on the whole. Trump wants reciprocal tariffs, to level the playing field and, in so doing, take government interference out of the equation. Will it work? I'm not sure, but my best guess is that the alternative is even worse. So, let's hope Trump succeeds despite all the political opposition. They're up against a great evil and what they're trying to do my or may not work, but it's worth a shot.

Maybe the tariffs will work and maybe they won't. Right now, many people around the world are parroting the same line you are. Let's see what happens. You had better hope Trump succeeds. Otherwise, you had better hope you have a lot of gold and silver and can protect it from roving bands of gangsters. It'll be a Mad Max world, for sure.

Not just because of Tump. Why not blame politicians and the broken political system? Give the people "bread and circuses." Distract them while we steal their money. The Romans tried that, and we know how that turned out. In the end, it never works. Currently, inflation is the name of the game. How much longer will that trick work? Maybe for a while? What about BRICS and the alternate currency they plan? Probably a fantasy for the time being, but don't discount the fact that those countries have real assets to back their currency. All they lack is depth. Trillions change hands around the world on a daily basis. That needs to continue for the system to function, and currently, the only place those transactions can occur is in the USA. So there's still time. I don't hold up much hope, long term, but it's worth a shot.

I use the work magic because I think people should take the supposed benefits of tariffs with a grain of salt. On the other hand, the alternative is a recipe for disaster, sooner, rather than later. Have you done the math not he sustainability of an ever increasing federal debt in the face of rising interest rates? As for economists and their overwhelming beliefs? The vast majority of those people are Keynesian, correct? In other words, their mentality is suspect. It's those same people and that same thought process that got the country into the mess it's in. Anyway, their game isn't the only game in town. Ever hear of Austrian economics? Or the Chicago School and Milton Friedman? It has all evolved, for sure, but the last people you want to listen to right now is a Keynesian economist.

In reality, or in fantasyland? In reality, tax cuts, without more, will enable more of the same nonsense. Expand the debt and kick the can down the road. It works until such time as it doesn't and then we're all in trouble. Whether you know it or not, America and much of the rest of the world exists in a debt based system. You think you have money? Unless you have gold or silver, you have debt. Your dividend payments are debt. Your retirement funds are probably packed with lots of debt based instruments. Even Social Security is backed by debt. The Social Security "trust fund" is nothing but a bunch of special purpose US bonds. Of course, some payments are paid into the system by those currently working. But at some point in the future, those payments won't cover the benefits owed. I think the current system runs short in the year 2034 or so, unless they make some changes. In Trump fantasyland, which I happen to think is our best hope right now, tax cuts help keep everything afloat while his tariffs works their magic. Short term economic pain in exchange for a more prosperous future without the rest of the world leeching off America. We had all better hope that Tump and his team are successful in pulling that off. Unfortunately, there are some people who have been well and truly brainwashed. They really do think their problem is Elon Musk, one of the people trying to save the system. Ands yet why would anyone want to help the people committing waste, fraud, and abuse? Why would anyone be happy that other people are living off their hard earned pay? It's a truly insane position to think that way. In a worst case scenario, the US dollar may well have another five years or so as the world's reserve currency. It's in need around the world for various reasons, and isn't going to just disappear overnight. Use that five years wisely, if you can. It may be your only hope to get out of this mess in one piece.

How do I reconcile that with inflation? Simple. Debt. Debt that is unsustainable and a banking system that is currently on life support. The failure of it all is just a matter of time. So far, they've managed to keep it all afloat, but not without a lot of trickery. Every time there's a crisis, the Fed has an "infinite" supply of money to give to the banks, to Wall Street, and to seemingly anyone else who needs it. The Fed even bailed out overseas banks. Did you know that? During his term, Greenspan once said: "Anyone on Wall Street that needs any money, give it to them." Fast forward to 2025 and we now have a banking system that's "too big to fail." It's stated policy. The "Fed put." Do I think Trump can fix any of this and "Make America Great Again"? Nope. But we had all better hope those guys are successful at what they're trying to do. Maybe the decline of the US Empire can be managed. Maybe it'll just fade away over a few hundred years like every other empire in history. I'd be OK with that. If Trump and his team fail, it won't be a pretty picture. However much "money" you think you have, it won't be enough.

Anyone who has ever worked for the government will tell you, if they're being honest, that most of the work is done by about 20% of the people. 30% more sort of work, and the other 50% could be gone tomorrow and no one would ever notice the difference. The question is: how to identify the people that are worthless? Currently, they're protected by unions and civil service regulations. So it's not so simple. And yet some balked at having to reply to an email questioning what they did last week.

I have some of that and some other cryptos I've had since 2017. I still don't trust it, though. Where did it come from? Did they ever figure out who created it? One time, Jaime Dimon (CEO of Chase) stated that anyone who thinks the creator didn't leave a back door somewhere is crazy. Maybe it's a government program designed to introduce the world to an alternate source of money? Money they control? Personally, I don't really trust the government with anything. I don't have much choice, though, so I do the best I can.

In other words, you can't win this argument. Not in a million years. The value of the dollar is, for the most part, vanishing as I type his. And to the extent that, for some purposes, the value of the dollar has increased, there's a good explanation. Some factors are deflationary. Computerization, for example. The invention of the silicon chip was hugely deflationary. For example, offices full of accountants keeping track of budget expenditures have been replaced by a computer somewhere, and all those people previously employed doing so had to look for other work. The AI revolution that's under way now will be deflationary. Millions will be put out of work by AI agents, self driving cars and taxis, robots. It's all coming and it can't be stopped. Other expenditures couldn't be shipped overseas and perhaps can't be performed by robots in the future. Education, health care, etc. Costs for these are through the roof, no?

Blood in the streets? That might happen, but it probably won't be from rioting grandmas and grandpas. Will some people lose out in the process? Sure. The fraudsters and the people who have been scamming the system for years. The people collecting checks who don't even show up to work. They'll be screaming bloody murder and they'll be torching car dealerships and they'll be trying to blame everyone but themselves.

So, how are you controlling yours? What's your plan, going forward? If you have a foolproof solution, let us know.

Let's assume that's right. What then? Who do you trust? The people who have been destroying the dollar since 1913? The politicians who enable them? The "Democrats." The Republicans? Some people are advocating for a return to "sound money." That's what the constitution calls for. Gold and silver. Go read it. And yet somewhere along the line that idea went by the wayside and here we are. If you'd rather not trust "people" when it comes to your money, that's reasonable. Buy some real money with your increasingly worthless dollars. Buy some gold coins. Maybe buy some silver. Find a place to hide it and hope nobody steals it from you.

Of course it's about the "value" of the dollar. People aren't totally stupid. But even you must admit, if you're honest, that the "value" of the dollar has decreased over time. Nothing goes in a straight line, but that's the unmistakeable trend. In recent memory, depending on how old people are, I'm sure there are people here who remember the America they grew up in. The Post-WWII America and the great middle class that once was but that has now mostly disappeared, thanks to the politicians, the debt based banking system, and the Fed. Before long, they'll own it all. That's the plan. "You'll own nothing and you'll be happy." Was that Klaus Schwab at the WEF? In the Post WWII US economy, A single man could graduate from high school, find a factory job in one day, and with the pay from that one job, buy a house in the suburbs, buy a car for the family, support a wife and a couple of kids, send those kids to college, and have money left over to save for retirement. Try telling that to a kid today. ""Work hard kid. Get a Job in a factory, save your money, and you too can live the American Dream." And yet there are problems with that scenario, no? The factory jobs have largely disappeared. Saving money is a fools game because of inflation, and even if such a job could be found, it wouldn't pay enough to support a wife and a few kids, the kids could not afford to go to school, and, if they did get an education, they wouldn't be able to find a job when they graduated, and if they did find jobs, those jobs would pay peanuts. What happened to the value of the dollar?

Better watch what you post, or they might come looking for you. What would you be, a terrorist?

Currently, the US dollar is, I believe, the longest lasting fiat currency. Historically, every single one of them has eventually reverted to its real value of zero. The game is nothing new. Once upon a time, the Romans started to add base metals to their coins. They needed money to pay their soldiers to hold their empire together and that was their solution. Sound money that wasn't so sound. Sound familiar? Anyway, chalk up the dollar's resilience to the gargantuan explosion of debt around the world. The problem is so large that it's almost not quantifiable. Consider gold, for example. Some people hold the real thing. That's real money. But on paper, many parties seem to think they own that same gold. It's been hypothecated and re-hypothecated so many times, it's hard to quantify at this point. Derivatives of derivatives. No one knows for sure. How much gold is really in Ft. Knox? Gold actually owned by the USA? Or, in vaults in NYC? Whenever the debt market freezes up, all bets are off.

What are you doing for health insurance now? It's possible to spend time and even retire in Thailand without heath insurance, provided you have the right kind of visa. Not that I'm suggesting that you don't carry insurance, but it's an option. I'm not sure, exactly, why I ended up in Thailand. For all I know, I'm not here permanently. I think I found out about it online, and ended up following different blogs and websites and mailing lists. So by the time I actually arrived in Thailand for the first time, I had done a lot of research. Of course, I first heard about it during the Vietnam war, when I met some people who had been stationed here. They seemed in awe of the place.

And you think the crime rate is related to the length of the visas? Why? And I'm not sure how people "working illegally" would relate to the crime rate, assuming you mean violent crime that disturbs everyone. In any case, I'm sure that the Thai tourism industry woful benefit from less crime, overall. People want to feel safe when they go on vacation.

On my iPhone, I can also set it so that every call I get that isn't from someone in my address book or from selected friends, goes straight to to voicemail.