John Drake

They're all charging high fees. In a way, you're getting to the point that should be discussed. And it's not just the cost of the degree(s) but the quality of the product the loans pay for. Reducing outstanding loans should at least be tied to a cap on tuition. There are lots of areas to cut at American universities. When I received my first appointment as a faculty member at a large, well regarded state university, the school had five secretaries who covered all the departments. When I visited there about ten years ago, there were 15 secretaries as well as four PhDs serving as full time undergraduate and graduate advisors--with perhaps a twenty percent growth in student enrollment. For all my academic life, advising was something assigned to individual faculty members, not a separate job generating $80K/year per advisor. Universities are bloated with excess administrators, support staff, and counselors. And this doesn't even take into consideration the money wasted on athletic programs, stadiums, pools, and even velodromes. All extraneous to the stated mission of education.

Most of the physicians will indeed make more than the cut off point. But I can assure you that there are plenty of failed lawyers and even engineers who will not come close to $125K. Ought to also check comparative salaries across the board. I'd imagine even a failed lawyer in NYC earns more than 125K, but how many lawyers in Peoria make 125K?

English or history is irrelevant. Don't you understand? Look at the cost of enrollment, first for undergraduate and then for graduates. Even state schools easily go past $100,000. I doubt that getting a PhD in any subject can be done for less than 100K, unless you're going to a diploma mill.

You have no experience with American higher ed, do you? Your major area of study does not preclude you from receiving a student loan. https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/loans/subsidized-unsubsidized

It's not a problem that those programs exist. The issue is that they overproduce graduates. Visual arts are fine, as long as they are a more exclusive course of study, instead of an undergraduate "undecided" dumping ground. If someone wants to study filmmaking or media arts, for example, they should be tested prior to entry for an aptitude in those majors. Or, if you really want to be effective, take the students interested in those programs and enroll them in majors that emphasize things such as storytelling, writing, narrative development, and history. Have them read. A lot. Then, upon graduation, those interested in direct application of their knowledge to industries such as film or television could take a six months vocational line of study at a place like SAE, which was a vocational training with hands on intensive study using equipment. Thus, exclusivity at the theoretical level, and broad based learning at the practical hands on level. Could cut costs enormously and save students from being directed into dead end careers.

I'm sure their friend and ally China will step in and bring massive free aid.

Must pop the bubbles in the nasdaq, Dow, s&p, as well as in housing and the crypto ponzies.

Hold to be at fault the institutions ultimately responsible for generating the debt, the universities. Student loans go to places like the University of Phoenix, with a graduation rate of less than 30 percent. Some state institutions not much better. Essentially, they've become adult day care centers, with massive waste in facilities, administrators, and personnel. Any loan forgiveness should have been accompanied by a cap on tuition at universities receiving federal funds or loans.

The guy had a rap sheet a mile long since age 12 and nobody investigated anything.

Should the administrator who hired these two sleazes be a foreigner, I trust he will be fired and deported. Should he be a Thai, I hope he is demoted to janitorial services.

Perhaps I'm wrong, but didn't Musk arrive at his decision to buy based on Twitter's public filings? If as alleged in the whistleblower accusations those filings were deliberately falsified, then I don't see how Musk can be forced to buy the company. Or the CEO and board keep from being fined and sent to prison.

And 3) stop flights from Russia.

Criminals or not, lots of frozen Euros will be trying to find some place warm to camp out the winter. That ought to make for an equally large amount of criminal overstayers.

Energy rationing is coming.

Wait until someone comes up with the idea of rationing units of electricity. I can see it now. Each Thai adult gets 400 units per household and each farang gets 200 units.

I'm usually a little over or a little under 300. Better turn off the computer right now to make it under 300 this month.

That was the fantasy fed by the likes of the Bushes and Clintons, who were busy cashing in.

I assume this is correct. I just wanted to point out that people with TM6s shouldn't discard them, thinking they're no longer checking. FWIW, they checked my TM30 and the photocopy of it as well. I always go to immigration assuming they want everything. So I keep things at the ready, including my lease, address documents, and any supporting papers.

You posted this comment last Tuesday. Last Thursday I went to Chaengwattana for my yearly retirement extension. I had an appointment. I included a copy of the TM6 as well as put the original in my passport (I remove it most of the time because it is so old it is wearing out). At all three processes of the extension, they kept and put a check mark on the TM6 photocopy. They also flipped open the stapled TM6 original and inspected it. Usually, they discard items they don't want or that are superfluous. So it seems they wanted my TM6 last Thursday.

If you can't do without wine, just pay up for it. Wine, cheese, and other western foods cost more than back in your home countries. I never imagined when I was moving to Thailand that I was coming just to get a cheaper version of my home country.

Probably trying to get Willie Nelson to move here. After all, he fits the age, if not income, profile of most people on Aseannow.

FWIW, went to Chaengwattana today for the extension. Had bank letter from yesterday. Used machine outside bank to update it for today's date. I did so but the machine printed over the previous entry so that the 18 August date was actually a little above the previous transaction. Immigration let it go with a "next time" and told me to get an assistant to make sure the passbook processes properly. Just another of the teeny tiny things that can go wrong at the last minute.

In my case, I know there were also some major repairs made to the house.

Already happening, my new lease increased 15 percent just this month.

Just to make sure. I have seen on this forum that Chaengwattana will accept a bank letter acquired and dated the day before going in for a retirement extension, yes? This, with activity noted and reflected on deposit amount on the letter. Do you also need to supply proof of account activity the day of the appointment? All this for retirement extension, using the 800,000/400,000 baht in the bank all year around method.