Lacessit

Actually, the reference to Trump was in passing. The passage actually refers to MAGA's, but no one seems to have picked that up.

Really? You need to keep up, the conservatives in Australia have just been put to the sword. Save your sympathy for Rupert Murdoch. He's been meddling in elections for years, the Millennials and Generation Z aren't listening.

Given the negative reactions thus far, I'd say I have touched a nerve. I am quoting one of America's best crime writers.

Perhaps they were on a tight budget, the ruble isn't worth much.

The claims from the White House are 200 countries are lining up to cut deals on trade. A pity there are only 195 of them. It's far more likely the countries are re-aligning their trade between themselves, and seeking to minimize their export exposure to American whims. It is what sensible leaders would do. Isolationism won't work too well for America if other countries abandon the greenback as their means of exchange. The USD is the only thing keeping America afloat in its debt swamp.

Australia punches well above its weight in a number of fields, including science and engineering.

This is an excerpt from James Lee Burke's latest novel, "Clete". He predicted a leader like Trump way back in 1989. " In my lifetime, I had seen numerous groups come and go. Their names change, but their membership remains the same - people who feel they have been left out. They blame immigrants and women and gay people and Jews and Blacks and anyone else they can pick on. Needless to say, most of them are not bright, and get chewed up and spat out by the rich people who exploit them". Sound like anyone you know?

Humans take to drugs for a variety of reasons. There are plenty of drug users who are quite affluent. Governments need to acknowledge they can't arrest their way out of the problem. All the evidence from countries who have legalized drug use indicates crime rates drop significantly. There is no profit for criminals with legal drugs. Let's face it, some people will seek out drugs for a number of reasons, and no amount of education will stop them.

I guess I'll have to go to Truth Social for factual reporting.

It's pretty obvious Murdoch's influence in Australian elections has waned into irrelevance. That should be ringing alarm bells for the Liberals, who have always relied on support from News Corp. The Millennials and Generation Z are not listening.

He had a lot to be humble about.

Take up golf. All those trees, grass and fresh air.

The police get kickbacks from bars. They don't from online sites. Upholding the moral and legal standards of Thailand - today's entry in the BS Olympics.

PEG 3350 ( Macrogol ) and PEG 4000 ( Forlax ) are effective. Similar to what is used for a cleanout prior to a colonoscopy. Non-habit forming, non-irritant. Forlax is 520 baht for 20 sachets.

"Paedophile dolphins trained by the EU". Another priceless phrase.

I prefer the cool of early mornings, teeing off at 6.30 am. A swim before lunchtime. Nights are the time when the drunks and yaabaa addicts come out to play on the roads, I stay home.

There is a clip somewhere on YouTube of a interviewer trying to explain to a MAGA how a tariff is a tax on goods which is paid for by the buyer of said goods, and the MAGA insisting the tariff is paid by the country exporting the goods to America. As they say, you can't fix stupid.

The last time I was in debt was 1974. On the basis of a single statistical sample, you are claiming Australia is becoming a nation of dole bludgers. Fact: Less than 10% of the population of working age are on income support, 90% are working. Some people still swallow Coalition BS, however. War on the poor. I don't mind the rich getting rich legitimately. I also don't mind them passing their wealth down to new generations. It's when they play the tax system with negative gearing, superannuation, and family trusts that I say whoa. I know a multi-millionaire who has boasted of how his tax accountant obtained a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card for him. THAT is bludging off the system. Shorten got rolled by Morrison when he proposed sweeping reforms in that area. Morrison brought in tax cuts for people who needed them like a motorbike needs an ashtray.

Dirty/clogged fuel injectors are the most likely cause. Yes, diesel particulates can increase the risk of lung cancer. The difference between Thailand and Malaysia is obvious, I have never seen a bus, truck or car blowing smoke there. For all I know, there are death squads operating that drag errant drivers out of their vehicles, and execute them on the spot.

Not likely he will stub his toe, he's had foot in mouth for years.

Diddly squat. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Nothing. A black hole. Ever noticed the MAGA people have absolutely no sense of humor?

I really don't think Trump has that long. The Smoot- Hawley tariffs of June 1930 were almost immediate in their impact on trade. Purchasing and trade decisions were affected within another month, and it only took 3 months for retaliatory tariffs to start biting back. Trump has locked himself into a fight with China he can't win. Xi holds all the aces, and knows it. That's why the CCP won't cave.

Apparently the Chinese agree with you. Their economy is a 50:50 mix of private enterprise and socialism/communism.

It's the first time in American history the bond market tanked along with the stock market. That forced a rise in interest rates on Treasury bonds, which adds to the interest on American debt. You are in a time where change will become a constant, and not for the better. You just don't realise it yet.

Three people in the USA are sitting on more cash than 150 million Americans at the bottom of the totem pole. If you can't see anything wrong with that, your values are skewed. In Australia, negative gearing and capital gains discount have distorted the housing market beyond recognition. It took me 18 months to pay off my mortgage, now it takes a lifetime. Of course, there are people who think that's OK. Greedy b@stards. Welcome to the club. Australia was the country of the fair go. No longer.