AndreasHG

Usual Trump's bombastic rhetoric, while perfectly knowing which side his bread is buttered on. No worries: Tesla will keep on making profits on regulatory credits (31% of Tesla EBITDA from 2016 to the end of Q3-2024), federal EV tax credits ($7,500 per vehicle), Space X will keep on entering into profitable supply contracts with NASA and the Pentagon, X Corp. and xAI Corp. will still benefit from a lenient regulatory environment. A win-win.

If you know the Millgram Experiment, you surely also know that each experiment lasted 50 minutes only, but you conveniently decided to ignore this fact. If it has proved easy to push a person to obey for 50 consecutive minutes, in an unexpected and unusual situation, to antisocial orders, the decision of consciously having children takes a long time, sometimes a decade or more, and it is usually a decision taken by two people. And it really takes a lot of idiocy to stick to a decision, we would otherwise reverse, for such a long time based on brainwashing only. Said this, I acknowledge there are a lot of idiots around, for the simple reason that the idiots' mothers tend to be pregnant all the time (grasping contraception is beyond their ability). But I doubt they are so many to cause a demographic crisis, in Thailand or anywhere else for that matter.

I experienced firsthand the benefits of Thailand ASEAN membership and of the organization's evolution. One example is export of electric/electronic products from Thailand to Indonesia. Due to the now abolished Indonesian high import duties on Thai products, all trade was done through smugglers located in Singapore. Legitimate businesses were cornered and effectively pushed out of the market. The situation was such that some products were even smuggled back into Thailand, due to the way the tax was structured in the country, damaging legitimate businesses in both Thailand and Indonesia, to the sole benefit of Singaporean bootleggers. Just like in the EU, the elimination of tariffs and non-tariff barriers among the ASEAN members has served as a catalyst for greater efficiency in production and long-term competitiveness. True, for most of the farang living in Thailand nothing apparently changed. But if today we can buy a television set, a computer or a washing machine at affordable prices in Thailand, this is due to the lower tariffs ASEAN countries agreed upon. 20 years ago this was not the case.

And Trump is taking care of it...

I never doubted that, in democracy, candidates faithfully reflect the qualities of the voters. And from what I can see America is stuck between a rock and a hard place. The result of an educational system that is failing the country and is incapable of 'making citizens'. On the bright side, tirants ar usually much worse than their subjects. A good reason to stick to democracy no matter what.

I heard they are classified as "threatened" on the endangered species list, dangerously veering towards extinction.

Generally speaking, smart people do not allow anything to be pushed upon them, nor to be "instructed" with regards to how they conduct their lives; especially on how many children they have. Smart people choose. Idiots are "instructions" takers (and usually become serendipitous parents when proper "instructions" are not timely given). When it comes to Thai people, they tend to be in average pretty smart, and perfectly capable of deciding by themselves what's best for them, with or without 'the "save the planet" crap'. But I understand this is a very subjective matter: who you are, what you do or have done in life, and who you spend your time with, determines whether you believe people are only meant to passively execute the "instructions" coming from the high above, or to consciously choose how to conduct their lives. In my opinion, most of the people choose.

One of the too many bloodthirsty nutters Russia produced in its not so long history.

20 years ago, this thing was unknown. Today it is ubiquitous, and one serving can add 300 to 700 calories to the daily diet, depending on serving size, flavor and topping. Daily intake required by a woman 160cm tall, little or no exercise, weighting 50 kg and aiming at maintaining it, is around 1,500 calories/day.

XI Jinping and the CCP are also good reasons to leave China or, at least, take some money out of it and build a comfy nest out of their reach. China is currently losing wealthy individuals and families by the thousands (https://www.henleyglobal.com/publications/henley-private-wealth-migration-report-2024/crazy-rich-moves-breaking-down-asias-millionaire-migration-flows). The richest Chinese prefer the US, Canada, Singapore, but also Australia, Europe or wherever there is no extradition to China. Middle class Chinese have fewer options and that’s where Thailand comes into the picture. From shoe-box apartments in Bangkok to villas on the Thai coast line, these investments are insurance policies against anything that can go wrong in China. And things went very wrong many times in China, as the Chinese diasporas around the world prove.

A loser who could sit in the White House for the second time. A clear sign that the Constitution is aging and failing the American people. Gerrymandering and the presidential election are the two issues that need to be resolved.

But the forces who shall support Harris are dependent on the perceived qualities of the Dem candidate...

Do you mean this one? It isn't named and shamed for obvious reasons.

Unfortunately, many farang are just wrecks standing on their last leg here in Thailand, especially in Pattaya and Sukhumvit soi 11. A real embarrassment to all the decent farangs out there.

Jail is surely the place to which Trump belongs, but 14 days before elections? That sounds like desperation to me...

It takes a very poor opponent to lose against Donald Trump. A terrible opponent. It's a nearly impossible feat, and one that Democrats appear poised to accomplish twice. I keep my fingers crossed, but I know it's not going to suffice.

EssilorLuxottica operates a large plant in Rayong manufacturing ophthalmic lens and frames, covering 220,00 sqm and employing 6,000 people. Prices in Thailand shall be competitive, due to no import duties. For those who don't know EssilorLuxottica, the company owns the brands Ray-Ban, Persol, Oliver Peoples, Alain Mikli, Oakley, Foster Grant, Costa Del Mar and many more, in addition to licensing prescription and non-prescription sunglasses frames for many luxury and designer brands including Chanel, Prada, Giorgio Armani, Burberry, Versace, Dolce and Gabbana, Michael Kors, Coach, Miu Miu and Tory Burch. The company retails its products also directly, through its fully owned retail chain "Sunglass Hut".

I took once the Ijmuiden (Amsterdam) Newcastle ferry, and I saw the British booze culture in action. Minutes before the bar closed for the night, I saw all British travelers, including truck drivers, rushing to buy who two, who three pints of beer, to ensure they were set and covered for the night. Only minors where excluded. All other Brits, from 18 to 80 y/o, including girls, grown up women, mothers and grandmothers took part in the alcoholic bacchanal. A new experience for a continental European, who grew up with plenty of alcohol available, and very little appetite for it outside of social events.

If it works as intended, it's a great initiative! Pity not to have access to this insurance while being on a retirement VISA, especially for injuries due to accidents caused by uninsured third parties.

Thank you for your comment. I appreciate your honesty. Health care spending, both per person and as a share of GDP, continues to be far higher in the United States than in other high-income countries (e.g. Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland). And yet, Americans see physicians less often than people in most other countries and have among the lowest rate of practicing physicians and hospital beds per 1,000 population. Screening rates for breast and colorectal cancer and vaccination for flu in the U.S. are among the highest, but the U.S. has the highest rate of people with multiple chronic conditions and an obesity rate nearly twice the OECD average. As a result the U.S. has the lowest life expectancy at birth, the highest death rates for avoidable or treatable conditions, the highest maternal and infant mortality, and among the highest suicide rates. Elections should also be fought around this topic.

1. Obamacare predates Trump: Why Trump didn't fix it? 2. Because, and you should know unless you left the US many decades ago, big pharma charging outrageous prices in the USA has been ongoing since decades. And you still can't see any potential conflict of interest. That is something I can't fix...

Enstilar is a foam produced and sold by Leo Pharma used to heal some skin conditions. We all can see the benefits for American and UK consumers. Do you see anything else? What you don't see is the result of the vicinity of American businesses to the American politicians.

I never doubted you can't see anything 👍.

For a man whose main businesses rely on public fundings, his proximity to a candidate to the top public office in the country should rise more than one question. But many Americans seem oblivion of this fact. Tesla: Even ignoring federal and state incentives for the purchase of electric vehicles, Tesla benefited from regulatory credits for a total of $8.286B (billion USD) from 2016 to 2023. In 2024 Q1-2 regulatory credits stand at an all-time high of $934 million. Tesla is on track to cash a total of more than $10B in regulatory credits by the end of this year, cash which is generated with no cost for the company and that competitors must pay Tesla because mandated by the federal government. Space-X: NASA is this company's main customer, but also other Federal agencies including the military, and foreign governments, allies of the United States or close to it. The Space Development Agency (SDA) is Starlink the largest publicly known customer. The Boring Company: this enterprise is an underground tunneling system company, founded by Elon Musk to solve big-city traffic problems. X Corp.: political ads are a significant component of the revenues generated by this money losing enterprise (Elon Musk’s X Courts Political Advertisers Ahead of a Contentious Election Year - WSJ). Elon Musk focused all his entreprises on activities heavily relying on American people's public money support, either federal, state or local. Here are some articles on the topic. I start with the WSJ, certainly not a lefty newspaper. Musk Role in a Trump Presidency Raises Conflict-of-Interest Questions - WSJ Elon Musk’s Big Business and Conflicts of Interest With the U.S. Government - The New York Times Elon Musk campaigning for Donald Trump raises conflict of interest concerns What do Elon Musk and other billionaires want in return for backing Trump? : NPR

In recent times, this is exactly the play book Hugo Chávez followed in Venezuela. The end result was not the redemption of the losers and marginalized of the Venezuelan society, but the triumph of the corrupt and the profiteers, starting with Chavez himself who died as the richest man in Venezuela. Corrupt, exploiters and profiteers do not tollerate scrutiny, accountability or any opposition. Only the well-intentioned, the honest and decent people do not fear criticism and scrutiny by their fellow citizens. And I can't understand what additional evidence the American public needs, to realize that Trump is a crook, an exploiter and a profiteer. Freedom, contrary to general beliefs, is not a human right acquired at birth. Freedom is something people must deserve. Every individual and any society as a whole must earn the right to be free and to live in a democratic system. The right to live free is a daily struggle and an achievement for everyone, including for the American people. I don't fear for American democracy. I fear for the American people, both from the right and from the left, and for what happened to their lust for freedom, and to their education system, which failed to teach them how to stay free, and how a precious gift freedom is in our life.