Walker88

Pointing out reality and getting a good laugh at 45/47 isn't bitter; it's joyous. I probably would be bitter if I had failed to benefit from the Biden Economic Boom. Sorry you missed it. The pathological dislike of Biden caused lots of the MAGAs to miss out on some of the easiest wealth-building opportunities in a long time. For those not self-hobbled, the cash register was ringing almost continuously for 4 years. Thanks, Joe and Kamala, for the embarrassment of riches.

Yes, the memory is pretty sharp. Why I can remember a time when someone who tried to start a coup d'etat would be prosecuted, not get elected POTUS. Those were the days, back when America was on a path to Great. Next month, the decline begins. As for Biden being a hero, no, he's just infinitely superior to the guy he trounced by 7 million votes in 2020. 45 inherited a growing economy and 4.8% UE, but left Biden a Recession and 6.8% UE. Today the US, under my non-hero Biden, is growing 3 times faster than the average G7 nation, experienced the longest period of UE below 4% in 64 years, and has lower inflation that the vast majority of the world's nations. Oh, and it produces more energy than it uses. Not bad. Your hero, I predict, will mess things up, just as he did last time. Failure is what he does best. Absent his allowance, daddy co-signed loans, and inheritance, he'd be pouring Slurpies in a 7-11 at a truckstop on an Interstate in Keokuk, Iowa. Mark Burnett made him a hero among the forlorn and poorly educated, which is the only reason he is where he is.

I don't know...I think the apex of slapstick absurdity was when 45 walked up the steps of Air Force One with a long strand of toilet paper stuck to his shoe. 45 also does a good imitation of a 3-year old drinking from a glass, needing two small hands to hold the vessel.

Maybe Aussies of your socio-economic class, but most world leaders wish they could have had the economic growth the US enjoyed from 2020 until today, along with massive stock market gains. People of every ilk, however, did laugh at 47 and his "sharks circling a sinking electric boat", "Arnold Palmer's junk", "that great guy Hannibal Lecter", plus a supposed billionaire schlepping golden sneakers, Chinese-printed autographed Bibles, or NFTs of a bloated fat guy pretending to be an astronaut or fighter pilot, in spite of his bone spurs.

Interesting thread in terms of the consistency of opinion and the fairly transparent virtue signaling. I wonder if this was GG's intent....to see if everyone would jump on the same page, suggest their own wealth, but then state why they have no need to show it. Let me join in..... I live in Bangkok. Having also lived in a host of countries, I find Bangkok almost on a par with Tokyo in terms of safety from bad guys. Perhaps others have not noticed, but there are tons of Mercs, Ferraris, Porsches, Rolls Royces, Bentleys, Lambos, McLarens, etc. on the road. Not sure if those folks are flaunting, but they do seem unconcerned with anything untoward, save for dents or scratches made by Grab or Food Panda delivery guys. Certainly if there are bad guys out there, their universe of potential targets is quite high. The odds favor being overlooked. Maybe if one strolls through a bad part of town, wherever that might be, wearing a Piaget or Richard Mille at 3am, that might lead to trouble, but I'm guessing most bad guys wouldn't know real from a copy watch. they're likely more interested in gold chains or a couple thousand baht. I'm also going to guess the bad guys could be fooled by someone wearing a street market bought shirt with the word "Armani" or "Chanel" plastered across the front, and not notice the guy wearing a non-logo'd Brioni or Stefano Ricci shirt or suit. Maybe....just maybe...bad guys might suspect a fit guy with clean clothes, shirt tucked in, neatly groomed, un-tatted, acting quietly and reserved, might be that expat multi-bazillionaire, and if so, I guess that's justification for being fat and tatted, unshaven, garbed in baggy cargo pants and a Chang wife-beater. Do the latter and EVERYONE, bad guys and normal Thais, look down on you and avoid you. You'd be perfectly safe, save from scorn. Perch your bulbous backside on a barstool and try to share stories of your SAS secret missions, and you'll be as safe as a man can be, nobody coming near you. Simply having wealth might be mentally comforting, but there's little point in having it, if one is afraid to buy things that might give one pleasure, whether that is a Lambo, a fancy house or condo, or anything else that is dearly priced. Might as well just give away all the dosh and do away with any unfounded fear of becoming a target. Maybe if one lives in rural Isaan, it might be wise not to park a Bugatti Chiron in the yard, but most of Thailand is quite safe. Showing off for the sake of showing off might not be as dangerous as many posters imply, though it is rather gauche. Enjoying the spoils of what one has earned, however, is kind of nice. I have things I enjoy owning---though I couldn't care less about watches or jewelry---and I do not have any desire to make anyone jealous, but I live, act and purchase how I want, without fear anyone cares one way or the other. It's for my comfort or pleasure. Besides, in a society where one pillar of the culture is saving or promoting "face", there are a myriad of other visible targets, should a bad guy be on the hunt. Odds favor one's safety.

Elon is not the Deep State; he is THE State, right out in the open. In fact, he's Leo Di Caprio on the bow of the Titanic, screaming, "I'm the King of the World!" Musk is running the transition and calling the shots in the US. Last night he decided it's time to interfere in Germany, too. The right always barks about George Soros. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't remember Soros heading to Delaware or Chicago or Arkansas to meet with Biden, Obama or Clinton. Musk sets the dinner menu at Mar-a-Lago, and is 47's shadow, or perhaps 47 is now in Musk's shadow. Musk has the strings of his puppet, 47. At this time, 47 has to run his own ideas past Elon. 47 was ready to support the spending Bill, but Elon quashed it and put 47 in line. Absent an 11th hour deal---47 sycophant Speaker Johnson has just come out playing 47 with "a concept of a plan"---Christmas is postponed. No budget deal and a govt closure may well mean airports close, as ATC personnel won't be getting paid, nor will TSA employees. Those on a govt pension or living off Social Security won't be getting their checks. Anyway, it all depends on what President Musk decides is best for him. We know he loves carbon credits, because that gives Tesla buyers a $7500 tax rebate. He and his partner Vivek might decide the US no longer needs NASA, but it can be replaced by Space-X. There's an interesting editorial on the Aussie site new.com.au, which can be seen here: https://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/us-politics/beginning-of-the-end-elon-musk-overreaches-in-his-relationship-with-donald-trump/news-story/fd8772e86b0a8b4d80a93816d3cc8a6f A quote from the editorial: "Elon lobbied Republicans to ditch the bill, while Mr Trump said nothing. Once it became apparent that Elon had succeeded in killing it, Mr Trump belatedly came out to echo his position. That is not authority. It’s a last-minute scramble to save face."

Yea, he loves it so much he tried to overthrow 250 years of democracy, and also put US national security at risk by stealing thousands of highly classified documents and keeping them out in the open in his wedding planning facility, where anyone willing to pony up $200K can join and have access. Those with an inability to see reality are fooled by performance art like dry-h#mping the flag at the CPAC conference run by Matt Schlapp, a guy who likes to "grab'em by the cojones", not small kittens like 45/47. As President Musk shuts down government over the holiday season, Americans on Social Security, a government pension, SNAP or SSDI, or who work for entities a South African immigrant and an Indian immigrant plan to shut down, are going to understand a phrase 45/47 used to use: "They're killing Christmas" The Grinch now has a name: Elon.

Who? Obviously President-Unelect Musk. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess one thing Musk and DOGE will not cut is carbon credits on things like.....oh....electric vehicles. With a $7500 rebate per Tesla sold, the stock price of Tesla clearly benefits from carbon credits. The US/DOGE might even shut down NASA and turn it over to Space-X, and make Space-X the only partner of Space Force. I'm also going to guess the US once again pulls out of global climate accords, but retains carbon credits on electric vehicles. President Musk will insist, and he will pull the strings of the bloated puppet sitting behind the Resolute Desk.

This is a good "fly on the wall" thread to observe. That being said...... In the internet age what seems clear is that nobody likes anybody, and racism is hard wired into our genes. Individually, we might get along, but the "other" is most always worse. A few comments on the comments: One is that Japanese are better behaved and refrain from "walking around with floozies on their arm". Well, one reason is they have their own street---Thaniya St in Bangkok". On visits to Thailand before I bought a business and moved here, I often stayed in the Silom/Saladaeng area. At breakfast, especially during the Golden Week holidays, dozens of Japanese men would come down to breakfast with their previous evenings' partner. The men would chat among themselves, as would all the young Thai women, and then all would go their separate ways---the women home, the Japanese men to the golf course. One of the reasons this may have changed is because the Japanese economy is in the doldrums and the yen trading near its weakest level in decades. Then there is a comment on "floozies", a reference to Thai women who work in the entertainment industry. Personally, I do not feel superior to those women, as I did not grow up as they did. Whatever their job, I have no moral superiority to them, and I would never use a disparaging term to describe them, such as floozy, slut, whore, etc. Yes, "your" wife or girlfriend is a good girl, and at worst was a "cashier". Good for her. That does not make her superior, nor you. And no, I don't have a girlfriend who works in the trade. They have more taste than to choose me. Most of us goal seek when we wish to feel superior. We're not like the drunk Russian who decides to dance shirtless on an agogo stage. We're not the Brit who runs naked through the streets of Pattaya. We're not the tatted Aussie who thinks it's okay to walk shirtless through the streets of a major cosmopolitan city. We're not the American caught with an underage girl in his hotel room. Whom do the Thais prefer? Maybe if I'm an Administrator at Bumrungrad Hospital, it's Arabs. Maybe if I own agogos, it's young Koreans or multi millionaire Western expats. If I own a pub in a major tourist zone, it's Brits with a serious drinking problem. If I'm a landlord on Walking Street in Pattaya, it's French men. Maybe if I own a seafood grill, it's Chinese. Maybe if I'm an Indian watch seller, it's "Bob", looking for another "Roleks" or "P R J". Personally, all I know is I am luckier than most everyone, and I had nothing to do with it. Accident of birth. I thus feel a responsibility to behave, act polite, dress well, keep my voice low, accept the inevitable difference of opinion or misunderstanding that might possibly result from cross cultural contact, and just "be nice". There but for the grace of Zeus go I, as a "floozy" or dancing drunk Russian or shirtless Aussie or eternally angry and status-seeking "Bob".

Like much media, CNN has suffered because it splits the intelligent demographic among many networks geared toward an above average intellect demographic (i.e., CNN, MSNBC, PBS, Al Jazeera, NBC and non-cable media) Roger Ailes of Fox had a cynical, albeit brilliant idea to create a network for lesser intellects, assuming actual news was far to complex for them to understand. Instead, he created a venue where everything is black and white and simple. He also knew his demographic wants rage and wants to be angry at something, as it gives their lives meaning. He purposefully chose staff of mediocre intellect, assuming they could relate better to the left-of-the-mean on the IQ Bell Curve that was his target demographic. In his business plan he argued that despite the lesser intellects being less economically successful, if he could draw a majority of them to his network, their combined economic clout would be attractive to advertisers. He was right. He knew his creation would not draw Porsche or Brioni or Audemars Piguet, but it would draw My Pillow, Bud Light, Denny's, the F-150 maker, and tobacco chewers ("Just a pinch between your cheek and gum and it sure feels relaxing"). CNN, like other news media (save for Fox, Newsmax and other Fox wannabes), gave the viewing public too much credit for being intelligent. They are far too high brow, whereas guys like Hannity and Watters and Gutfeld are low brow enough to attract the goobers of society. A second problem is that professional journalists saw that news had become entertainment, so far too many argumentative panel shows were put on, Only a few networks like Al Jazeera, BBC, PBS and NHK have maintained programs that do in depth studies of important issues.

I'm thankful that the Cult of the Wormheads has come here to solve this mystery. I have no doubt that the next volcanic eruption or solar eclipse will also be attributable to "The Jab". I'm a little surprised how many expat PhD biochemists have settled in Thailand and joined AN. We're just lucky, I guess. I'm one of those Luddites who do not believe that correlation equals causation, nor do I believe everything on the internet is Gospel truth. That's just the natural skeptic in me. I see that data and consider things like: ---Awareness among the area population that that particular hospital has developed a comprehensive cancer treatment program and broadcast it, so folks turn toward it for treatment ? ---The prevalence of the area consumption of Koi Pla, which has been linked to liver cancer ? ---Rising levels of pollution countrywide, but cancer patients not congregating at one specific hospital in other areas ? ---Some particular cancer causing substance in some factory or farms in that area ? ---Better reporting and data keeping re cancer numbers ? ---Better detection methods ? ---Tattoos ? ---An alien bio weapon being tested first in Khon Kaen ? /sarc The skeptic in me also questions the credibility of a proponent of odd conspiracies who takes exception to FDA-approved vaccines, but is perfectly comfortable injecting himself with heroin sourced from rural Myanmar or Afghanistan.

Another 50 or so similar lawsuits, and ABC will approach the penalty paid by Fox Comedy News for lying about Dominion Voting Machines. Of course there's still Smartmatic, and that one, if it ever get adjudicated, is for $2 billion and change. We need more apologies from the radical fascist and lying right.

So if I understand the 47 Doctrine, which is capitulation before combat, if and when Mexico decides to reclaim its ancient and long historical sovereignty over southern California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, 47 will just let them have it. No bloodshed and wasted resources. Certainly the ethnic Hispanic people in those States likely prefer to be under Hispanic and Latin leadership, not some white guy from Queens. Maybe give south Florida, including Mar-a-Lago (that name certainly doesn't sound Caucasian), to Cuba, too. Hispanic people are the majority in south Florida anyway. And the bonus is maybe Mexico will then build a wall and even pay for it. Oh, and since I'll be running my business in Thailand, it makes no difference to me and my life.

I think it's a problem not limited to Thais, but young people worldwide. Modern 'conveniences' have led to limited development of the brain, which ostensibly stops developing at age 25. Buy something for 40 units most anywhere, and give a 100 denomination note, and out come the calculators in Bangkok or Boston. Others have mentioned map reading....many young people couldn't find their way home without GPS. They fail to learn spatial skills or conceptualize the layout of their domain. I've impressed the hell out of service staff by instantly telling them change, such as what I'm due for a 787 baht meal if I've handed the staffer a thousand baht. One is instantly Eye N Stine. Again, this is hardly limited to Thailand. I'm going to guess few of today's young people could do Feynman tricks for solving complex integrals in their head. Another thing is many young people cannot read the time on the watch they are wearing as a fashion item. They do not know what the three hands...hour, minute, second...mean and how those relate to the numbers in a circle. They need to look at their phone, which say 13:26. Many skills that helped the brain develop lots of connections are no longer being used. Most people do not even write long hand anymore, instead just typing or using their thumbs to touch a phone screen. Writing cursive script once helped the brain develop spatial orientation and coordinate hand movements. No more. This stuff doesn't just materialize on its own; it requires doing specific actions to generate neural connections.

Michael Estes, Curtis Allen, Gavin Wright, Patrick Stein, Adam Purinton, Jeremy Christian, Wade Page, Edgar Welch, Sam Woodward, James Fields, Dylann Roof, Robert Bowers, Ian David Long, Cesar Sayoc, Gregory Bush, Stephen Paddock, Christopher Hansson As Trink used to say, " 'nough said".