John Drake

How are the applicants going to prove they've been in the US for 10 years? Take their word for it? Create false documentation? That's what they did for the last amnesty. That, and the numbers were so much larger than expected that INS ended up barely giving any inspection to the application and just stamped through approvals.

If they are willing to go to these lengths to take this guy's 600 baht per month pension, imagine what Thai IRS will do to get their hands on the tax on expatriates' worldwide income.

It's been all over Twitter for more than a week.

Married as of June 17. That's a couple of days ago. Now eligible for the amnesty. And since this was known in advance, how many of those June 17 marriages are fake?

Married for a couple of days and immediately eligible for Biden's amnesty. How long are they required to stay married?

In your reply you deleted most of my comment and left in the specific segment about raising the retirement age for extensions to match the Thai retirement age. I've seen a lot of schadenfreude about how these changes would impact the above 60s or 65s. So I just thought I would put something out to show how easily the under 60s could be affected. Do I want that? No. Since right before the election, when so many people in this forum were celebrating Prayuth's defeat or upcoming defeat, I constantly remarked that he had been good for those of us on retirement visas and that the Shins had a history of going after us. Now, that's what is playing out. All I ever wanted, and kept posting to the forum, was for things at immigration not to change. But you don't need to go far back in these comments or in other topics to see people jumping on mandatory insurance as a good change. That despite the fact that some people will either be priced out of it or unable to be covered. Or there might be a requirement to buy what amounts to worthless Thai insurance. Or that excluding "pre-existing conditions" might make anybody's expensive policy near worthless and might, indeed, reduce their ability to pay for medical treatment, as costs they have in their bank now dedicated to treatment would be needed to pay for the worthless policies. And of course everyone who has consistently used the 800K in the bank method over many years (let's say until at least when Covid started, so 2020) should be allowed to continue to extend under the conditions they first used. After all, the 800K I put into the bank to cover my first retirement extension (after retiring from Mahidol) ten years ago was worth a lot more than 800K in today's inflated currency. That should be part of the consideration (along with the banks only insuring deposits to 1 million). So, no, I don't want you kicked off your extension. I just want them to leave us alone.

The prospect of one of them keeling over in a seizure should insure giant ratings.

Wait until the digital wallet finally gets going and then watch the waterfall in the baht exchange rate.

Keeping RFKjr off the air and out of the discussion of the race is simply because two ineffective, brain addled, old derelicts fear him. Rather than Trump and Biden talking over each other and behaving badly, I think there is a bigger likelihood they get brain cramps and freeze. Both of them. RFKjr is smart and well backgrounded in the subject of Big Pharma, Big Tech, and Big Corruption. Biden and Trump are owned by the very forces RFKjr has put in the forefront for scrutiny. Put RFKjr on the debate stage and I think he becomes the leading candidate overnight. People simply cannot be satisfied with two such inferior hunks of garbage like Biden and Trump.

The banking sanctions are weak. Prohibiting US investment and restricting imports from Thailand would play out much better. The problem is the US is happy appearing weak. All of the anti-American positions and actions Thailand has taken since Srettha took over has seen no pushback whatsoever. China would come out and threaten. They've done so in the past and got Thailand's attention. Thailand enjoys an export surplus with the US that is about the same in size as Thailand's export deficit with China. The US could act and severely impact what is going on in Thailand. But we can't even get a statement out of the embassy. All the ambassador does is post videos and pictures of his morning jogging.

I wonder if Trump will try the Al Gore maneuver? https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4542475/al-gore-intimidate-george-bush

Seems to be your argument that Trump has made yet another mistake by accepting the terms of the debate. Typical of him. He folds when the pressure gets to him.

The debate will hurt Trump more than Biden. Until now, paradoxically, Trump has managed to slide by because of the court cases. Judges did him a favor by gagging him, because the more he talks and shows himself, the more people are reminded of what an imbecile he is. The debate will re-expose him. At this point, Biden looks so helpless that the only thing that could make him look worse would be the need for him to be taken off the stage in a gurney.

Yep. Remember that. Also remember that the Shins were responsible for flood control in 2011.

The guy probably spends that much when he sends out his serfs to buy his groceries.

Since he left for abroad, the triads have run quietly undisturbed.

I wonder if he'll go on a hunger strike?

Found good tomatoes on the vine in Foodland, Tops, and Gourmet Market.

The US looks feeble and weak, because it's represented by a president who looks feeble and weak and a challenger to that president who looks increasingly befuddled, confused, and bloated. Having either of these two in office next year will be a calamity for Americans. Four more years of Biden is unthinkable. Four more years of Trump is unbearable. Is either one apt to live through to the completion of their term? RFKjr is the only hope.

Everybody dies. And all I can tell you is that every time I go to the hospital, I pay before I leave. Never skipped out. Frankly, it would not be possible. At Thonburi 2, where I usually go, I am escorted in a wheelchair by at least one beefy guy to the payment desk. I'm pretty sure my experience is not rare. I would guess most of those of us on retirement extensions pay our way, one way or another. And I suspect a lot of the very old guys let nature take its course.

If it's an issue of leniency, it's not the "geezers" you're so eager to blame for running out on medical bills but the younger bunch. Just look who takes stupid risks on motorbikes, falls off balconies, gets involved in violent fights, and who takes to begging on gofundme and similar sites. Want to solve it? Well, why not increase the age for the "retirement visa" and extensions? The older you are, the less likely you are to cause trouble, get involved in criminal rackets, or run your helmetless head into a pole while riding a motorcycle. Remember, it was members of motorcycle gangs, guys in the lower to mid 50s, who kicked all this off many months ago when Big Joke said it was too easy for them to get retirement extensions. Solve the problem? Raise the age for the retirement visa and extensions to the same age as Thai retirement age, which is 60.

Need more taxes!

I think there is a more than even chance that both Trump and Biden malfunction during the debate. Would be entertaining to see them seize up at the same time. Vote RFKjr., the only sentient lifeform in the race.

This is such flagrant fraud, I'm surprised the entire nation is not double over in laughter. There are wheels on a hospital bed. Just roll him into the court and put a mask over his face.

Without a strong dollar, the US, which is reliant on imports for its standard of living, will have to pay much much more for every day goods. Watch inflation skyrocket again, if Trump does this. All his economic policies call for nonsense like this. He spends more than Biden, while trying to devalue the currency.