Lacessit

America was only too happy to have Australian boots on the ground in a number of its military adventures. You should read history, instead of trying to revise it.

You get my monthly award for the best retort on ASEAN. Brilliant.

AFAIK the agent opens an account in the foreigner's name for a nominal balance, then tips in 800K baht before getting the visa or extension. The 800K is then withdrawn a day or so afterwards. The corrupt IO gets a substantial bribe to overlook the fact the money has none of the seasoning requirements, I am guessing 10-15K baht.

The title of this thread should read: " JD manages to alienate a few more allies".

He is not Daniel, sticking his head into the lions' den is not a good idea.

Coming from you, the ultimate accolade.

When an Immigration Officer requires me to have a TIN and/or tax return to extend my visa, I will get one. Until then, the tax office can come to me.

I won't be paying any tax, as I have about 5-6 years' worth of pre-2024 savings to draw on. You have evidence Immigration is asking for proof of tax payments when foreigners renew their visas?

Did you go to the tax office, or did they come to you?

I have my 800K in the bank. I don't use agents. Next.

Musk has the sense of humor of a scorpion. It was deliberate and defamatory. If I called you that, would you think I was joking?

Money determines what is defamatory. Musk defamed a British diving expert during the Thai cave rescue, by calling him a pedophile after the guy rubbished Musk's submarine idea. He got away with it, because he had a much bigger wallet to pay lawyers.

Don't you know motoring writers are the equivalent of journalistic prostitutes? They write according to who gives out the best invitations to trade shows and sporting events. Sales figures are the best guide. BYD overtook Tesla as the biggest seller in 2022. It was only Biden tariffs that helped Tesla get back market leader position in 2024. Worldwide, BYD leads. I have run out of insults for you, and it's not through lack of imagination. You might want to think about that.

As I understand it, one of the Japanese EV carmakers tore down a BYD they had purchased, for the purpose of reverse engineering. They were gobsmacked by how far ahead of their own vehicles the BYD was, in terms of technology. Another demonstration of your abject ignorance.

China will overtake the US as the world's biggest economy by 2030. It will be everyone's most important market. America has opted for old technology, gasoline powered vehicles. Tesla can't compete with Chinese EV's, poorer quality and higher prices. To give you an idea of how far America has sunk, in the 1950's the US produced half the world's steel. Now, China produces 10 times as much as America. The steel China produces went into infrastructure. 48,000 km of high speed rail criss-crossing the country. America, just 80 km. Pitiful. Estimates vary about the number of dams China has built on the Tibetan Plateau. Hundreds at minimum. Tell me, what major infrastructure has America built domestically in the last 20 years? It's like watching a race between a T-Model Ford and a Lamborghini. These are facts. If you don't like them, I have others.

Any male with a few brain cells knows which part of a woman's cycle is fertile, and which is not. Unprotected sex with an otherwise fertile woman to prevent what crime? I don't get it.

During his last Presidency, Trump played golf on his own courses 300 times. On average, the American taxpayer was charged $800,000 each round for billeting his Secret Service detail. All up, $240 million. That does not include the $2 billion the Saudis pumped into son-in-law Kushner's company. Now post any Democrat President who has come within a bull's roar of those amounts.

It takes a really good propaganda machine to dress up $600,000 income and $16 million in expenses as a good share to own. It takes utter stupidity to assign any value to the same stock, when it posts an income of $3.6 million while listing a $401 million loss. One can only hope the MAGA people have put their money where their mouth is.

What are these "western principles"? The USA is in the process of becoming an oligarchy. It's easy to see how well that has worked for ordinary Russians.

It was a massage. You should get one for your brain cells. No dream, a nightmare for Americans. Personally, what Trump does won't affect me at all.

Oil shipping can be re-routed in a month or so. Canada has ports on its western and eastern seaboard. It's a matter of getting the stuff from within Canada. Yes, the US could shut those trade routes down. It would also mean America at war with the rest of the world. Trump is a bully. The only way to deal with bullies is to hit back - hard. China is doing that already, with retaliatory tariffs. Who do you think will blink first?

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

I am wondering if there was a mRNA therapy which raised the IQ by 100 points, whether the OP would still reject it. Beware, the new golem or Kurdaitcha of folklore is among us, now known as mRNA. Best wear lots of garlic.

It's not as if I care one way or the other. If you can tell me how raising tariffs against allies and cutting taxes for billionaires makes America great again, I'm listening.

For some people, more is never enough.