John Drake

I prefer the old senate.

If that is all that was done by BJ and Prayuth, then be thankful. What's coming up in September could shatter you completely. Fact us, we went through an era of unprecedented stability at immigration under first BJ then Prayuth.

I wonder just who will own those companies getting the stock pump.

Forget the knives. Get rid of the knifers.

Can't blame this one on retirement extension either. Another Swissie with attitude.

She's only got one place to turn, now. Nigel.

light rain continuously since last night in western suburbs of Bangkok

All of which amounts to closing branches, taking away ATM machines and parasitically using other banks' machines, deleting online banking, and frog marching everyone to their phone app.

FWIW, either last year or the year before SSA held an online Q&A for expatriates. I did manage to get the representative to answer my question, which was why not use MYSocialSecurity, instead of the unreliable letter system. He said then that that was what they were wanting to do. There have been some additional functions added to the site, but of course the Form 7162 is not yet one of them. But at least some change is taking place. Maybe before I'm dead, I'll be able to verify online instead of using mail.

Didn't you say last year that you have trouble with mail delivery at your place? Hope it goes more smoothly this year. These social security forms are the second most aggravating task I have every year, worrying first about getting them and then worrying if they'll get back to the US.

Big Joke! And he's back. Toldyaso.

I receive all my mail at a PO Box. It's just more reliable. The guy on the scooter may not read English all that well, but the people in the Taling Chan post office are quite efficient. Last year or the year before, I received an official looking document from the UK at my house meant for some Englishman over in Pinklao. I didn't give it back to the village post man but returned it to the post office to make sure he got it. I think, btw, I was able to change my address online.

They'll get government subsidized Netflix to go home and be happy. Government subsidized DoorDash to fatten up on. A government subsidized 10 square meter living cubicle. Nothing else needed. Utopia.

Every time you think he's out . . . . This is why I keep posting he'll be back.

If he owns a home and a car in Texas, those are exempt from bankruptcy liquidation. He gets to keep them. Here is a pdf: https://tiagotx.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/The-Texas-Homestead.pdf

Members of the Biden coalition fighting each other in the streets.

I probably should have replied to lordgrinz directly, as he is the one who brought up the subject. But I had already scrolled past him and got lazy.

The very first sentence of your reply to lordgrinz was "That is my fear also." And what lordgrinz had said was "Inching closer to a Civil War, to tell you the truth, I think it's inevitable......but needed."

Pretty much what I thought. I'm beginning to wonder if on the visa issue they might just go in the opposite direction, making things easier or even lower cost. They've still got time to bury the tax stuff. But the visa "reform" is now two months away.

Srettha holding the bag.

Seems to alter the condition of sale, doesn't it? You had one, now you have 2/3rds? I'd want my money back.

Which is why they don't mind paying inflated prices. They do this wherever in the world they go, Canada, US, UK, you name it. They launder money through property purchases and at the same time make homeownership or property ownership costs so fantastically high that it is impossible for native citizens to buy.

There is not going to be a civil war in Thailand. This is white man's old age fantasy.

Prayuth was better. And, as it now turns out, more fair and democratic.

The major skill needed for AI is to outwit and circumvent the algorithmic filters when asking for information. Pretty soon there will not need anyone with AI skills to create AIs, because the AIs will be able to do that themselves. Google Gemini told me so when I asked.