HappyExpat57

OH GAWD! PLEASE don't tempt them! That sounds like a "hold my beer" challenge.

No. The House Speaker is a critical position. The Speaker decides what bills can even be brought up for a vote, and if the likes of Jordan, or (GOD FORBID) that demon spawn aka MTG were put in that chair, only deep MAGA bills would even be considered. What I see finally happening is the childish bickering is coming to a head. Cooler prevailing heads are calling for the "C" word - compromise!

Paypal and Thailand are no longer good bedfellows. A few years back I was informed I had to close my US Paypal account and open one in Thailand. Wanting to be a good citizen, I closed my US account only to find the restrictive nature of opening a Thai Paypal account. I had to wait until I physically went back to the US to be able to reopen a US Paypal account and thumb my nose at the whole system.

YOUR reply to the question "And what country gives billions of Dollars to Iran?" was this: "The USA were going to, 6 Billion $, hasn't that been put on hold?" YOUR words indicate the US was going to give Iran $6 billion and I corrected you. You do see that, yes?

Never gonna happen, he is an absolute election denier. THAT should be a basic litmus test for any potential House Speaker- "Do you think the 2020 election was legitimate?"

That's redundant.

It's difficult to folks who listen to Fox NOT-news.

I grow weary of correcting this idea. It is NOT US money, it was Iranian money that the US froze.

And just how are we expected to determine which is real and which is counterfeit?

It looks like they're taking a stab at a Universal Basic Income (UBI) which is a humane concept. However, considering how this gubmint is rife with grift, it should never be implemented without serious honest oversight. My computer started gagging and laughing as I typed the last three words of the previous paragraph.

A simplification, but by no means a stretch: You own a small business making rubber bands. You make a comfortable living. Suddenly, war breaks out and the gubmint comes to you, saying "If you'll make these bullets for us, we'll pay you 10 times what you're earning right now." You say "HELL yes" and start manufacturing 24 x 7. You LIKE this newfound wealth and want to keep it going. And so the Military Industrial Complex was born, needing fresh blood to keep the coffers overflowing. To date, the US has given a total of $76.8 billion to Ukraine for their war with Russia, of which $28.2 billion is direct military aid. I really have trouble wrapping my head around how this much money can't conclude a war without some SERIOUS grifting going on. https://www.cfr.org/article/how-much-aid-has-us-sent-ukraine-here-are-six-charts So while it's not worth it to the vast majority of the world, those in power reap obscene benefits.

If you have to pull your money out of your retirement fund to finance this gamble then you are not fluid enough to absorb possible loss. In most normal rentals, you have to anticipate at least a 10% vacancy rate. I can only imagine in LOS that rate is much higher. Then you have the upkeep/maintenance and repairs which can really hit you in the wallet. Since you're asking, I'm replying - I don't think you're in a good place to try this adventure.

Haven't we seen this before? (rhetorical question) This falls under the heading of "planned obsolescence" and is a continual source of income for the chosen contractors.

Not sure if Tiffany's Show survived Covid, but their headliners were drop dead gorgeous. There was one in particular that had curves most women would be envious of. So in answer to your question - yes I have.

My son and his friends (mid-30's to 40's) all feel they will never see a retirement, and I must say I see their point. Between corporate greed and the US gubmint chipping away little by little at old age security, they see no hope in preparing for "golden years." They have said they expect to work until the day they die.

If THIS sinkhole prompts a safety alert, then the whole of Thailand must also be placed on safety alert. Them things is EVERYWHERE!

The odds are VERY unlikely I will outlive that number. If I actually last that long then I will be a doddering, incontinent, gelatinous mass ready for a home that I can pay for with a US credit card and STILL avoid the taxes. Hah!

Without reading the initial novelette, I'm basing my reply on title of post. Bottom line - they start taxing any money I bring in to LOS, I will start using an agent for my annual extension and start living off the 800k. From my understanding of immigration's attitude, this is a win-win.

Same as when you ask for info on how to secure a service, people say "DO it yourself, much cheaper." EFF you! Case in point: My US passport expires in a little over a year, time to do it now. I started the process myself, starting with the photos. I went to a photo place recommended by folks on Facebook, told the photographer VERY CLEARLY I needed US passport photos. The photos they sold me were obviously not the ones we get for immigration so I thought all was good. Then my little inner voice said "hire an expert on something this serious." I went to an agent who immediately saw the photos were UK photos, not US. Their service will cost me under 4k baht and the time a frustration they saved me is well worth the price. Bottom line - it would save us all time and trouble if we just answered the questions asked, but I guess that's just too much for some to handle.

Yes, but that full pay is a pittance. I knew a big fish BiB in the little pond of Pattaya. He was a Thaksin supporter, and when Thaksin was ousted, this guy was rotated to a position, full pay, but none of the real gravy those guys get in the brown envelopes. He had a beautiful wife, several nice condos, cars to match - all gone in the blink of an eye. Being a BiB is a vow of poverty until you start worming in to the inner circles, skimming as much as you can without getting caught.

For what it's worth, I've seen Jesse Waters interviewing Dem supporters and some of them are also painfully stupid. It's really a decline in mental acuity across the nation. 50 years ago a wise man told me the people who really run America want to eliminate the middle class, resulting in a ruling class and a servant class. You start with education - civics was a required class when I went to high school. Now I'm not sure if it's even offered as an elective. When shows like "Beavis & Butthead" or "Jackass" are glorified and stupidity looked up to, the results are what you have running around today.

Supporters of the tangerine traffic cone of treason don't bother with pesky things like facts.

Yes WITH unwanted sugar.

I'm genuinely surprised it took this long. BTW, @HanagumaI gave you "Thank you's" on both posts you put here. I often disagree with what you have to say, but to quote @JCauto "Appreciate you engaging in reasonable debate, by the way."

Find some English speaking TV shows. I've known several people who did this to supplement their lessons.