jas007

So you think Rubio is a "grown up"? If there's one clown in the world right now that has a real chance of starting WWIII and ending humanity as we know it, it's Rubio. He and whatever Neocon clowns he has at his disposal. Playing the "American Exceptionalism" game might work OK in some Third World neck of the woods, but in the Middle East, with Netanyahu seemingly calling the shots for the Neocon crowd, with multiple parties involved, including Iran, Russia, China, Turkey and Egypt? It's hard to imagine a bigger mess. A conflict that has been brewing for years with no solution is sight. "Bomb, bomb, bomb Iran." Is that the mantra? Doesn't sound too "adult" to me. They already have Trump bombing Yemen. The path to peace and prosperity? Or a big mistake?

When was the last time you were back in the USA? Up until recently, people were doing OK. That all changed, though, with runaway inflation, and now it's affecting just about everyone there, even the well to do. For the most part, anyone who looks like they're doing fine is probably living on credit of some kind.

Doesn't Russia now have hypersonic weapons that can't be stopped by anything? They've already demonstrated that they do, I believe. Maybe Trump knows something he's not disclosing? Otherwise, a "dome" for the US is a big waste of money. Actually, I worry about the Neocon in Trump's Cabinet. Rubio. He may say he's working for Trump, but he's still a Neoccn, and that means trouble. Maybe not in the current talks to end the war in Ukraine, but in the Middle East, for sure. Who is really running US foreign policy?

What they don't seem to realize is this: the election is OVER. Trump won, and he's the real President of the United States. He won the popular vote. He wont the electoral vote. And, he has a sweeping mandate. A very large majority of the people of the United States support him and his efforts to clean up the mess made by Biden. And yet the people on the left continue with their fantasy. People on the left are so brainwashed that their entire mindset seems to be permanently warped. They seem to really think that Trump is some sort of temporary interloper, a nuisance to be thwarted at every turn. No matter what the problem is, get Trump out of the way and everything will be fine. Even Harris, during the campaign, thought that all she had to do was utter the word Trump and that would win every argument. Was it the 60 Minutes interview that was altered after the fact to make her look less stupid? Someone asked her a question and she said something like: "But Trump." Anyway, Trump is a real US President. And he's President now. All the nonsense we heard about "protecting our democracy"? In reality, those people wanted to protect their continued plunder of the US Treasury. Trump is stopping them and they're mad.

Everyone knows or should know by now that the tax cuts you mention didn't pay for themselves. Reagan figured that out in short order during his first term and tried to undo the damage, but the cuts were politically popular and, to this day, politicians have continued to run up debt as if that's always the answer. Cut taxes and everything will be fine. And now we have a 36 trillion dollar mess that may well bankrupt the country. Did you seriously think I didn't realize that? No one can go back and undo the damage that's been done. The debt is there. The question going forward is how to deal with the problem. There's no guarantee that the Trump plans will work. None whatsoever. But if he's not given the chance, that's tantamount to hoping he fails. And, like I said, if that's what you want, then you are part of the problem. Apparently, Trump thinks he needs room to maneuver. He needs a period during which he can have lower interest rates and that, during this period, his tariffs will begin to bring in a lot of money and establish a trend of slowing the growth of the debt. In other words, perhaps his plans will help re-establish some confidence in the continued worth of US bonds. The percentage of US debt held as reserves by countries around the world has been dropping. That trend needs to be reversed or there's big trouble. Mathematically, there's a point where more debt simply doesn't work well any more. It becomes counterproductive.

The billionaires are involved because, like everyone else, they would like for their money to continue to be worth something. When the debt bubble pops, all bets are off. And when that happens, they'll no longer be billionaires. The USA will be finished. And so they're trying to do something about the mess that now exists. And make no mistake, it's a big mess and it's possible that nobody can undo the damage that's been done. Please tell me you're not OK with the alternative. Would you like to see America destroyed? Business as usual isn't going to work this time. If you don't know it, the banking system is on the verge of collapse. Who is buying the US Bonds? Is there any gold in Ft. Knox that the US actually owns?

He says he does care about the killing. He probably also wants to recoup some of the wasted money. Why can't it be both?

For some of us, it may not be 'OK." Burt whatever he does undoubtedly beats the alternative, which is the bankruptcy of the United States in the not too distant future. Why do you think Musk has involved himself? He surely doesn't need to make any money. Ditto for Trump. But they both see reality and they both know that something has to change, or else. What part of a $36 Trillion debt don't you understand? Do you seriously think that the current rate of debt expansion can continue unabated? Other nations are already selling off US bonds. No one is buying, except the Fed. And the only way that trend can be reversed is if a credible effort is made to slow the spending. Perhaps it will work. The US Treasury was raided. Money was stolen by the war mongers. Waste. fraud, and abuse everywhere you look. And the system needs continuous debt expansion to survive. One of the ways they do that is by war. War always cost money. A lot of money. A lot of debt is generated. Make fun of Trump all you want, but if you're looking for a culprit, go look in the mirror. You're part of the problem.

The US government, if you're an American and that's the kind of "money" you have. So, you never know who has control, right? And that's the problem, in a nutshell. You no longer control your life. Someone else does. Look what Trudeau did in Canada. It's a bad idea to give anyone that kind of control.

How did this thread devolve into an argument about who had cell phones and computers in 1999? Why does it matter? In 1999, everyone I worked with had cell phones. Everyone I worked with had high speed internet access both at home and at work. As for myself, I had a computer at home since the early 1980s, although back then everyone had dial-up modems for online access and phone bills could get expensive. Comouserve and Genie were also expensive and the charges were by the hour. I first looked at the Internet way back then, but I had to dial into a university to see it, and it was text based, as I recall. Internet browsers didn't come along until Netscape? in the 1990s. I think I bought my first cell phone in the mid 90s sometime. A little Motorola flip phone. Anyway, from what I can tell, most people in America are having a hard time affording much of anything these days without going into debt, which pretty much rules out any kind of extensive travel. Inflation is not much fun.

I think the name of the game is inflation. The currency will continue to be destroyed, so much so that there will be no need to "eliminate" Social Security. You'll still get a check, and with that check you might be able to buy a cup of coffee. It looks like they wand to eventually move to a Central Bank Digital Currency. Of course, the powers that be will control the CBDC, which is not good if you value your freedom. They'll be able to control how and where your money is spent. They'll be able to track every penny.

The problem is this: even if you're 100% correct, Trump is still the President. And he's going to do something, like it or not. But, the alternative is much much worse. So it's a bad situation and we hope for the best outcome.

I'm pretty sure Medicaid can't be collected overseas by anyone. Vets in need of care while overseas can apply for benefits administered by the VA. I forget what it's called, but they are covered if they qualify. If they're in the states, then they can always collect Medicaid if they qualify. Some states supplement the federal benefit amount.

I don't believe for a second that Trump is in any way a puppet of Putin. I do believe that Trump is a realist and knows the war has been won by Russia. And he sees no reason why another million young men need to be fed into the meat grinder. Ukraine has been all but ruined by the proxy war. Trump wants the killing to stop. There's no point to it. If that means agreeing to some of Putin's demands, that's the way it is. Wars have an end. This one ends sooner, rather than later, and the result is the same.

The tax treaty means exactly what it says. I think you get mixed up by focusing on the "double taxation" idea. Bottom line: government pensions and Social Security are taxable in the country of origin, ONLY.

No matter how you look at it, inflation hits poor people the hardest. The rich have first access to the money and are therefore in a better position to adjust. Not so with the poor. Anyway, like it or not, Trump is now President. He has a plan and we had all better hope it works. Otherwise, there will be no America. Just chaos. I'm not sure people realize just how fragile the system is. Nobody will receive pensions. Nobody will receive Social Security. And your "money" will be worthless. Why would anyone support such a scenario? Only people intent on destroying America.

I think if you read the relevant tax treaty, you'll find that government pensions and social security benefits are taxable in the country of origin, only.

They're brainwashed. And they probably don't realize that the optics aren't favorable. It's sort of funny, when you think about it. That's been the story of the "Democrat" party for a while, right? Take the most ridiculous nonsense possible, and try to make it seem "normal.."

You can try to deflect the issue all night. Reciprocal tariffs, or not? And if you don't understand the word reciprocal, go look it up. I'll wait.

You have to be kidding. I'm pretty sure cops drive down the street every day, more or less. They aren't blind. Anyway, I'm sure it's all a matter for the police, not for Thai Immigration.

You're talking to a stupid AI agent. AI is more than that. Those little AI bots are just toys, and are subject to biases introduced by their creators. In a sense, large language models have their limits. Namely, they reflect the biases inherent in ti n the herd. The mob of nutcases that have been brainwashed, and that brainwashing is reflected in the responses from the AI bot. Where it get interesting is when AI begins to think for itself. That's almost here.

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.