jas007

It's not. only the amount, which is usually minimal but the amount is sometimes supplemented by various states. It's the source of funding. Title II benefits are funded from the Social Security trust fund and are generally considered a property right by the courts. Title XVI benefits are funded by the government's general fund and are a creature of statute and regulation. There's a distinction, and in legal terms. It matters for purposes of my point here.

Trust me on this, it's not your "property" in the same way your Title II benefits are your property. It's considered a form of welfare, based not on your work record but on the government's beneficence. In any event, they normally don't play such benefits to those overseas more than 30 days. And they can very much do that. However, Title II benefits are different. Bottom line: they'd have as much luck telling you couldn't travel with Nike jogging shoes as they would telling you couldn't travel with your Title I benefits. Musk may get some mileage with the "chainsaw" nonsense, but you can bet he has very smart legal advisors who know the law and know full well they'd get nowhere in court with any kind of restriction on receiving Title II benefits overseas.

You obviously know nothing, so believe what you want. The right to travel is a fundamental human right recognized by the Supreme Court. It's a longstanding concept. As is your fundamental right to your property, including your Title II social Security benefits which you earned. If anyone tried to restrict your right to travel, including your right to travel overseas with your property, they wouldn't' get very far in the courts. Perhaps you should stick to commenting about that which you have some clue.

Easier said than done. There are two types of Social Security benefits. Benefits received under Title II and Benefits received under Title XVI. Title XVI benefits are SSI and are a form of welfare. They're not typically payable to those onside the USA for more than 30 days, except in certain unusual circumstances. Title II benefits are the received based on your earnings and are your property, so to speak. And you have a constitutional right to travel, including travel outside the USA. A ban on the payments of Title II benefits outside the ISA wouldn't fly, constitutionally. Even the Supreme Court wouldn't uphold such a ban.

You miss the point, I'm afraid. The war is over, and cannot be won by Ukraine. As for the US being broke? Not so long as they have the world reserve currency. And least not for a while. Years, perhaps. In any event, if you step back a look at the bigger picture, you also miss one very important factor. Russia is now at the table and ready to make a deal with the US for mining Russia minerals, not only in the Donbas, but across Russia. The Big Lie has now been exposed and no amount of nonsense from Europe can change that simple fact. The sooner you digest all that, the sooner your eyes will open and you'll begin to see.

The UK is broke. They can sign all the loan agreements in the world with Ukraine and it doesn't change that simple fact.

They thought they were invincible. It just goes to show you why they went so very wrong. They believed their own nonsense.

For those who have their SS money deposited into a Thai bank, I wouldn't worry about any wide scale disruption, but that's not to say it couldn't happen. Anything is possible. So be prepared. One of the benefits of keeping at least 800,000 baht in a Thai bank is that that money could last you a while, if need be.

The main point of it all, at this time, is that the war is already over. Russia won. Trump recognizes that fact and wants the killing to stop. He wants to move forward. Ukraine is not a national security issue for the USA. And Putin isn't the boogeyman many people have been led to believe. That's the way he was portrayed because the warmongers and the Globalists needed a boogeyman to continue the war, continue the money laundering scheme, and continue the WEF Globalist shadow government conquest of the USA. But that's now history. Exposed as the fraud it always was. Just watch.

I don't think any deal has been inked. Yet. But today's confrontation at the White Hose couldn't have turned out any better for Trump than it did. Zelenskyy showed all the world what he really is, and in the process, effectively ended his life. And things couldn't have turned out any better for Putin, who saw Zelenskyy go down in flames before the whole world. As for leaving Ukraine with "nothing." I think that's history at his point. Already a done deal. The war is over. Russia won, despite the hundreds of billions of dollars of US aid and military equipment. They're out of solders to feed to there meat grinder. And for what purpose? So that the warmongers can continue the money laundering? So that the Globalists can continue their attempted takeover of the world? So that influential members of Congress can continue to amass millions while at the same time drawing puny salaries? None of this is a real option for the USA, going forward. It;'s an unsustainable path that will bankrupt the USA in a fee short years. Trump knows this. Putin knows this. And they both want peace now. As Elon Musk has said, there is only one viable option to preserve the USA. Stop the war. Stop the fraud. Cut unnecessary spending. That's the only real option. Anyone who thinks otherwise id delusional.

Once again, another person who is living in the past. Russia does not want the rest of Ukraine, and they certainly don't want any part of the rest of Europe, given the mess it's in. They want to be part of a new world, looking forward. Trump realizes that, JD Vance realizes that, and Trump is the one in charge at the White Hose. Trump is the one who will make a deal. And Zelensky and his advisors, whoever they are, can't see that reality. Instead, the continue to regurgitate the lies they've been told over the years. Propaganda works. But in this case, it can't Trump reality. FAFO, as they say. For Zelensky, it's over. An actor, a dictator, and a madman. He has no way out, and even Lindsey Graham is telling him he's a dead man.

Yes. Trump was there to make a deal to end the war, now. Not to relive history. The only people who don't understand that are brainwashed people desperately clinging to the Big Lie. And Zelensky lost his cool. He, too, apparently, having been brainwashed by the likes of Blinken and Boris Johnson. He thought he could relive history, play his USA Trump card, and dictate to Donald Trump. And that was the end of Zelenskyy. No matter what he does, he's a dead man, and no matter what he does, Ukraine is done. Europe can neither fund any kind of "boots on the ground," nor will it dare attempt to do so. At this very moment, an impeachment resolution is under consideration in the Ukraine parliament. And yes, as Russia has now warned, Zelenskyy is risking WWIII.

Trump and Vance behaved like Trump and Vance. Trump quite succinctly told Zelenskyy he had no cards to play. He was there to make a deal, and Zelensky was overlaying his hand, thinking the US was his Trump card, so to speak. Trump reminded him calmly that that simply wasn't the case. JD Vance also explained, but Zelensky persisted, and what followed was epic. An extended shouting match for all the world to see. A fool overlying his hand. Calling the Vice President a "bitch" under his voice was all everyone needed to hear. Trump was there to make a deal, not relive history. And Zelenskyy had no hand to play without an agreement with the USA, which was not forthcoming. And wo we witnessed a crazed fool on an extended rant. Trump knew, and the world now knows, Zelenskyy is out. A dead man walking, no matter what he does. Kicked out of the White House, he now has two options: Come back when he's ready to make a deal, or leave, go home, and meet his demise there. Trump is ready to make a deal, and he makes deals only with someone at the table, ready to deal. Who's left at the table? The USA and Russia. There's your deal going forward I'm afraid. Bad for Ukraine, which will cease to exist, but good for world peace. And I'd be very very worried right now, if I lived in London or Paris, capital cities of both of the Europe's nuclear powers. London and Berlin are on the chopping block, sooner rather than later, perhaps.

Wow! I may have been wrong. Today, in the Oval Office, in front of the whole world, Zelensky just ended his presidency, ended Ukraine, and may have signed his own death warrant. No deal was agreed to. Instead, we witnessed a shouting match. Even the Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States couldn't believe what she was witnessing. So, unless this was some sort of grandiose political stunt, Zelensky is history. What comes next? WWIII? One thing for sure: the US is out, I think. Can Europe pony up the money to fully fund its commitment to NATO? Can Europe arrange for a repayment to the United States of the money previously plundered? Perhaps the next deal Trump makes is with Russia. Stay tuned.

It's funny. Some people just don't get it. Tesla is not really a car company. It's so much more. A software company, an AI company, and more. It's just a matter of time and Musk's RoboTaxis will be operational. The software that enables that will soon be licensed all over the world. To Uber, for example. The value of that, alone, will exceed the current value of Tesla. And then there's Optimus, the humanoid robots. They'll soon be available to just about anyone who wants to buy one, at a very reasonable price. Another arm of the company that will soon far exceed the Value of Tesla. And it's all computing that occurs at "the edge." I loaded up on Tesla at around $150 and watched it climb recently to $450. The current correction is a real gift. If they're stupid enough to take it down to $150 again, all a person has to do is buy some and wait. That might not happen, though, as the current market correction is nearing its end.

When I came to Thailand this time, I didn't bring many clothes at all. Just some Merino Wool T-shirts, some shorts, some cotton sweat pants, and a bunch of jogging shoes. All the "Hawaiian" type shirts I've ordered since then I ordered from Amazon (the Tommy Bahama shirts). I also have one Quicksilver shirt I bought at Central Festival that has sort of a restrained Hawaiian look. Not too obnoxious. Anyway, what I found is that not all Tommy Bahama XL shirts are created equal. The dark blue one here says XL. but it fits OK. The Flowery one is supposedly the same size, but is way too large for me. I'll probably never wear it. I also bought a few plain dark blue Tommy Bahama silk shirts, but I don't know how to classify those.

If I had a "Why Would I Care" file cabinet, this is where I'd file this question.

Of course the economy is going to show signs of strain from tariffs and spending cuts. Powerful forces are fighting back any way they can and it's all just beginning. Trump knows this, the American people know this, and the real people seem to approve. Not the fake real people the media portrays. Not the fake conserevatives planted at rallies. The real people. The people who elected Trump and who are row giving him one of the highest approval ratings ever for a President at this point in his administration. The media will tell anyone who will listen that Trump economic policies have been tried before and have failed before. But have they really? Or did they just fail in terms of the Western mindset? According to Trump, reciprocal tariffs are good for America. Spending cuts will be more than offset by cost cutting measures, and his Trump Gold Card program can make all the difference in the world, in short order. Attract the best and the brightest from all over the world. People who will create real jobs. People who will pay taxes like everyone else. Anyone criticizing Trump before he even begins his quest, is simply falling victim the failed lies of the past. Why not give the guy a chance? He's up against powerful forces, as I've said, but I think the real American people support him, at this point.

Somewhere in storage, I've got a few of the old Rayon shirts. I wouldn't call them typical "Hawaiian," but ore like something out of the 50s. The ultimate cool, though, at least back in the 70s at the beach in Southern California, were old, Hawaiian silk shirts. You could pay big money for some of the ones with class. Even today, I think you can find those, if you look.

I like Hawaiian shirts, but not all of them. Tommy Bahama can be good, but they tend to run a little large and aren't exactly cheap. Anyway, while some Hawaiian shirts are ridiculous, others have class. I wear them once in a while in Pattaya, more often when I'm traveling. Merino wool shirts are also good. They don't absorb sweet and odors, and you can wear them anywhere any time. In any event, I don't buy into the notion that they're just for Songkran.

Sorry. That's not going to happen. They are incapable, they can't afford it, and Russia won't have it. It'a new world. The globalists, the warmongers, the Neocons. They're all part of the Big Lie and they are all part of the past. It's time to move on.

I don't know where you heard that, but mark my words, it's not going to happen. What remains of Ukraine will be secure because of an ongoing mineral mining operation, with the US and Russia in business together. I could be wrong, but that's the only thing that makes sense. That's what will happen. NATO is almost history and the EU cannot afford a war and does not have the military capacity for a war. And Trump isn't going to fund any of it.

Well, it gets more interesting by the day. Zelenskyy will supposedly sign onto the mineral deal with Trump on Friday. And it now looks like Russia wants a partnership with the US to mine Russian metals such as aluminum and the rare earth minerals. So Russia and the US will be in business to extract minerals, and Ukraine gets to keep what's left of its country. NATO won't be allowed, not will EU troops, which cannot possibly stand up to Russia without US support, which will be nowhere to be found. Good deal for everyone but Ukraine.

Well, Zelensky caved in and is supposedly ready to sign onto the peace deal giving the US half interest the titanium and other rare earth minerals concentrated near the disputed areas. That sounds all well and good, but will such deal be acceptable to Russia? No NATO in Ukraine is a must for them, and perhaps that goes as well for no EU soldiers. So can Trump convince Putin that the mere presence of the ongoing mineral extraction business run by the US is a sufficient guarantee for Russia? Will Russia itself guarantee the safety of the business? My guess is that something along those lines will happen. Maybe the US can cut in Russia for a share of its profits. Everybody wins except Ukraine, o so it would seem. One thing is certain, the EU is finished as a military power in the region, as is NATO. But the killing will stop as Trump has promised.

'I've begun to notice more Thais wearing masks, as if they're ready for a replay of COVID. I think it's voluntary, but maybe that's a new rule for some employees?