jas007

I'm not sure if there' a connection or not, but along with the recent UFO hearings and disclosures, we're seeing an apparently huge uptick right now in fleets of "drones" all around the world. Over cities, over military installations. They're everywhere, and they're not trying to hide. Whatever they are, I have the feeling we're likely to find out soon. Perhaps they're earth based military craft of some sort. Chinese drones? Russian drones? Drones belonging to the USA? Or perhaps, they really are from another planet or another dimension.

Those are some of the worries, to be sure. And we're already seeing some aspects of this pay out around the world in different ways and in different countries, especially in the totalitarian regimes. China has a social credit scoring system they seem to be rolling out to control not only access to the banking system, but to other aspects of life, as well. In Canada, look what they did to the truckers they didn't like. Even in the USA, some banks are beginning to use the banking system as a political control tool. I'm not sure what's going on in Australia and the UK, but my guess is hasn't been good lately, based on some of what I've read online. The COVID pandemic and the response to it is another example. In the USA, they were developing "Health Passports" or whatever they called them. Your vaccination status would be entered into the system, along with, presumably, other medical records. Didn't get your jab? No school for you. No job. No going out to eat. Stay in your house or else! So while cashless banking and payments is convenient, it's just a step or two away from totalitarian control. Fortunately, Trump won the election in the USA. Not a good thing for the Globalists and their dreams. Not a good thing for the New World Order. I'm a little worried by Trump's apparent embrace of cryptocurrencies, but we'll see how that plays out. He says there will be no Central Bank Digital Currency, and yet he's all on board with the cryptos? Personally, I don't see the Globalist agenda getting much traction in the near future. At some point, people will have had enough. That's already happening. Americans want to be Americans. Russians want to be Russians. The French people want to be French, and so on. Nothing wrong with that. Anyway, all the fears may be overblown, at least for the near future. Cash isn't going anywhere. How would the underground economy operate? What about all th poor people in the world who have not access whatsoever to banking or digital payment systems?

I thought it was OK, but then again, I don't usually drink that kind of tea, so for all I know, there are other kinds I. might prefer.

I don't remember. I hadn't had tea in a long time and I just picked them up, I guess. I'm sure I didn't think about it at all.

So an additional Thai law focused on compliance with its International obligations for reporting tax information. Doesn't really conflict with the tax treaties, but rather a banking obligation and a requirement for anyone wanting an account at banks that demand the report. Maybe Hart just figures that's between the bank and its customers. You may be right, though. Maybe he doesn't understand the ramifications, as nearly all expats in Thailand who are or will be tax residents will have a Thai bank account.

Perhaps he is aware of that? That's my guess. Thai tax law is just that. Thai tax law. That doesn't mean that an International Treaty doesn't mean exactly what it says.

Even if they are "not for profit," their prices are still skewed by market costs across the system. For example, if they don't pay RNs the going rate, they'll find themselves with a shortage of nurses. If they don't fairly compensate their staff physicians, they'll find themselves with a doctor shortage. And you can bet they don't get any charity from the drug companies. So it all factors into their accounting. And even then, what other factors are in play? In large part, it's a tax thing. Or rather, the tax set-up is all part of the larger game. Non profit hospitals operate as 501(c)(3) entities under the tax code.. Donations to the hospital are tax-deductible. In exchange, the hospitals must agree to provide certain free care services and so on. In short, the government has attempted to regulate the system, in part, through the tax code. Unfortunately, the resulting medical care still costs plenty and more than it should. Everybody still makes money.

Even those aren't free.

Heavily regulated? Are you kidding? Some aspects, are, to be sure. Medicare, for example. It's more or less a creature of regulation. So much regulation that the system barely functions as intended. And the rest of the system pays the price. As for the financials of public companies being public knowledge? So what? That's the way it works. Might affect the stock price, but that's a good thing, to a degree. Perhaps such companies will learn to operate more efficiently if they know the results will show up on the bottom line and boost executive compensation. But maybe not, if it only works to increase corporate greed and hurts the patients as a result. In any event, comparing Starbucks to medical care is a stretch. One is. a necessity, the other, a luxury. No one needs to go to Starbucks.

Some industries are regulated. Electric utility companies, for example, are usually privately held businesses. Their rates are regulated so as to allow for a fair return on capital. Or at least that's the theory. It seems to work better in some states than it does in others. Regulate medical care in a similar fashion? That would mean set prices for medical procedures and for drugs. Not quite a similar situation, though. And electron running through power lines is the same as every other electron, without distinction. But medical care? How would you account for factors that are difficult to measure? Take heart surgeons, for example. Some are highly skilled and at the top of their profession. Others may sometimes be on the verge of losing their license. Should we pay both doctors the same for the same procedure? Should we pay for mediocrity, only? You get what you pay for. In other words, you'd end up with a medical system that's only mediocre. Given the current structure of the political system, making those kinds of changes would likely prove impossible. The drug companies have too many lobbyists. The AMA has lots of lobbyists. The hospitals and other care facilities have lobbyists. And congress doesn't seem to care about its constituents. Only those making big campaign contributions.

Personally, I've never had any kind of denial for any kind of health insurance claim. I can't say that I've had any major claims, though, until recently in Thailand, where my Geo Blue carrier paid 471,000 baht for eye surgery. Even at that, the Blue Cross Blue Shield company ultimately paying the claim probably wasn't too bothered by what would about br a claim amounting to around $14,000. In the US, that's peanuts these days. Nor can I remember any member of my family ever having any kind of health claim denied. I used to see cases, though, years ago and in another life, at the federal court level. Insurance companies using revery trick in the book, including hired medical experts, to try to weasel out of legitimate claims. And the insurance companies weren't about to pay those claims unless some court made them. Truly despicable treatment of sick people.

I bought these at the Tops Daily store:

In my mind, "for profit" is fine so long as it emerges from an arms length transaction not entered into under duress. For example, if a billionaire wants to hire a private physician to be at his beck and call 24/7, then why not? On the other hand, if Mr. Middle Class is crossing the street and gets run over by a motorcycle, does that person have any real choice as to whether or not he wants medical care? It's more like "give us your money, or else." I realize that may be extreme in the USA in case of an emergency and the need to medically stabilize the patient, but generally, that's how it works. You pay if you make an appointment with a doctor, and you pay if you want your meds from the drugstore. Otherwise, you take your chances.

Medicare is run by the government. It's a political animal and would go broke in short order if it had to raise rates at a level consistent with costs. But it's politically popular, or at least it has been, and so it has continued and expanded in scope, like everything else the government gets involved in. Its presence enables the rest of the system to continue on its course. It's a parasitic symbiotic relationship of sorts.

I think that guy ended up in prison on an unrelated charge. He may be out now. They had a nickname for him, but it escapes me now. Anyway, the entire healthcare industry, including the drug companies, the doctors, the insurance companies, and everyone else employed in that system, is today nothing but a "business." They run it like any other business. It and the military industrial complex. Both operate as ruthless capitalists. Both have hundreds of lobbyists in DC, and both make the illegal drug cartels look like a bunch of amateurs. Sick or injured? If you're not insured, then "sorry, you didn't pay for "protection." Otherwise, you may just live to see another day. And, just as the health care industry would collapse without sick people, so too would the military complex collapse without a continual state of war. And so if they can't find one somewhere, they manufacture one. It's been that way for years.

Evil insurer tales, for sure. That's how they play the game these days, or so it seems. Don't think, though, if this was in fact a grievance murder, that the people who would do such a thing are worried about right and wrong. They're past that point. Someone paid for insurance and didn't get it. Or, they had a loved one who died as the result of a denial of care. For them, the "system" didn't work. So they hired Luca Brasi for "justice."

The original article characterizes the proposed move as "unprecedented" for good reason. It would be stupid and could eventually be ruled unconstitutional, I believe, given the circumstances. Of course, there's some precedent and the courts have ruled that such power is basically unlimited. Still, the courts are political these days, so who knows? Perhaps Biden has some advisors that will set him straight. The political fallout could be enormous.

Quite the contrary. It's working exactly as planned for the big insurance companies. After all, remember where the money comes from. America seems to have the best congress that money can buy and insurance companies have good lobbyists with lots of money to throw around. Anyone who has ever worked in DC will be happy to tell you stories about lobbyists. They're everywhere. Even at congressional staff nights on the town, there's always some guy there with a nice credit card to pay for everything. It happens every day.

You should be able to designate a beneficiary for the accounts right on the brokerage sites. If you want a back up will, that's fine, but it might not be necesary, depending on your circumstances.

Most of Trump's nominations will likely be confirmed. I don'r see a problem with them, except for the Neocons. A good way to start WW III if he actually listens to any of them. Maybe they're just there for show. Listen to Trump because God only knows what the Neocons have in mind. Great for negotiations. Still, even if Trump gets his cabinet, he's got a mess on his hands. Musk and Ramaswamy want to cut two trillion dollars. A nice goal, but there isn't really two trillion dollars to cut, unless they cut into the military budget and Medicare/Medicaid in a big way. And I'm afraid the public isn't prepared for the financial meltdown that's in store. But there's no real alternative. The banking system can't handle much more debt, the country owes 34 trillion dollars, and the situation is rapidly deteriorating and unsustainable. Trump won't be running for reelection, so he won't be much bothered by the polls.

Do you have an iPhone? If so, you have a wallet on the phone. It comes with a Cash card to which you can add money. When you set it all up, you designate a bank for transferring money in and out of the card. Perhaps you can set it up with your Mastercard bank if that's what you have, then transfer money onto the cash card from the bank. At that point, the cash card becomes a Visa debit card loaded with however much money you added to it.

A few years ago, a friend asked for my advice on a crypto to pour some gambling money into. I told him XRP, which, at the time was trading at around 25 cents. Unfortunately, I didn't take my own advice. I'm not recommending it now, but I've seen some pretty wild projections on the possibility of price appreciation from here.

It's not always just stray dogs. One time, I was walking down the boardwalk on Jomtien Beech along an area where they had a lot of umbrellas set up for tourists, which is pretty much all of it. Anyway, I was walking along as usual one day and an angry pit bull came at me from the beach. He didn't seem happy. The owner was there and fortunately happened to be watching. He yelled "no" and the dog actually stopped. I was lucky.

For whatever reason, I have been in the habit of waking up at 4AM. Recently, though, I'm experimenting a little. I go to bed when I'm tired and wake up whenever I wake up. Usually, I'm still up at 4AM, although sometimes I don't wake up until 6AM. Anyway, sleep is more important than many people realize. Getting eight hours of sleep one way or another is crucial. If for whatever reason I don't get the full eight hours at night, I end up taking a nap during the day. Yesterday, I guess I was sleepy. While I was laying around the pool, I fell asleep for about an hour. I wasn't trying to, it just happened. Last night I slept better, at least according to my sleep tracker, which showed 100% recovery.

Ribeye steak and two eggs. A navel orange. Two cups of coffee.