JimGant

Right. Don't ask, don't tell, and don't be obvious. Why wave a flag, calling attention to the fact that you're out-of-step with the norm. The gays I know don't call attention to themselves; and are readily accepted into our circle for traits that matter, which doesn't include sexuality.

Sounds like four fine candidates for the Russian army. Perhaps Thai Immigration can assist...

Plenty of info on this subject on Google. My beef is not with Holland (Netherlands) for being smart enough to stay neutral -- but with stupid Americans, like President Wilson, that somehow believed America needed to get involved in European affairs -- with a subsequent -- and unnecessary -- high price in lives. And a high price, in not allowing Germany to arrive at an amicable surrender, but instead be shamed into a harsh treaty that lead to WWII. Anyway, weirdo Trump's divorce from Europe is pretty much what most of America, whose ancestors left Europe to get away from their problems, endorse.

Yep, the guy's a madman. But he's fun to watch. A bull in a china shop, I love the crystal he's breaking: exporting illegal crap, allowed in by the Dems; having NATO countries finally pay what the US was subsidizing, at the expense of US needed projects; and, as a corollary, saying Europe's defense problems really need to be addressed by Europe -- a lesson WWI taught us, when 100,000 Americans died defending Europeans from Europeans (while Holland watched from the sidelines). Maybe the guy is really on to something.... (even tho' it actually is just common sense, and not from a strong read of history -- why didn't former politicians grasp this requirement for 'America first?') Yeah, Federalizing the Nat'l Guard to deal with situations Democratic governors can't -- to further rid our streets of troublesome illegals -- just doesn't get my dander up. And, restricting entry into the US, from certain countries, whose citizens have no positive value to add to America -- sounds OK. Yeah, sad that the good folks, with brainpower to add to the US, are thrown out with the bath water. But, hey, overall, probably a good point from which to start cleansing our immigration system. My stocks are back to where they were before Trump's recent election. Not that I'm happy that Trump flunked Econ 101, and tariffs aren't really positive. And that we had to suffer the tariff reaction on my stock prices. But, it seems, somehow the stock market has realized, with all the back and forth on tariffs, that the end result won't be a disaster. In fact, when tariffs are viewed as a sales tax, they may even help with the nat'l debt. Saying that, I'm not even alarmed at Trump's budget bill. Yes, deficit can be bad (but usually not, when priming is needed). And a deficit added to nat'l debt seems to be really bad -- but only by emotion. Why? Nat'l debt as a numerator to GDP, actually has the US in fine shape, compared to, say, Japan and Singapore -- certainly fine countries to emulate. So, don't sell the house and move to Fiji. America will be just fine. It will be fun watching such an idiot like Trump keep pushing forth some needed changes, that only a bull in the china shop could do. End result: Maybe the US will end up staying out of all the world affairs, and using the trillions saved to reinvest in our problems at home. Let Europe pick up the slack, in defense -- and in feeding starving babies in Africa. Anyway, fun to watch from afar. The US will come out of this -- and probably stronger -- re itself and the world -- 'cause Trump's view of the world vs US -- actually had traction.

What!? Half their "friends and neighbours" are illegal aliens. No need to read further argument on this thread with that key fact being conveniently omitted in the OP.

I don't see anything in the new proposal that eliminates the remittance aspect of Thai taxation. Only that foreign assessable income in 2025 is not taxable if remitted to Thailand in 2025/2026. But, if remitted after that, it would be subject to tax. Which is really screwy. Say my 2025 US income, assessable if remitted post 2026, is used in 2025 to buy a car and a stock. In 2030 I sell both, none with a capital gain. I then remit the proceeds to Thailand. Is this still income? Is money that begins life as income, always and forever still income? I don't think so. And there's no way Thai RD would ever know this remittance of sale proceeds was originally 2025 income -- unless under self assessment I say so. Which, I'm sure, I wouldn't do -- with my integrity intact. And furthermore, it's most likely this 2025 income got filtered through my checking or savings account. So, how much of that checking account used to buy the car and stock -- consisted of my 2025 income? With my large checking account, and using FIFO -- none would be 2025 income. Are the Thais really so, "ready, fire, aim?" I guess maybe so...

Update. Renewal of five year license. Went about 1PM; adequate parking; took about 1.5 hrs. Documents required are as previously described in this thread. Remember, the Medical Certificate (yes, required for 5 yr renewal) and Certificate of Residence must be no older than 30 days. Copy of TM30 not required, as CofR covers this avenue. What's not mentioned previously in this thread is, if your expired license was obtained with a now expired passport -- you need a copy of the Immigration stamp transfer pages found in your new passport. I didn't know this, and had to queue up at the copy machine - which, in some circumstances, might be long. There's no having to sit thru a driving movie at DMV. But, yes, watch the prescribed driving movie online (it's not too terrible -- Miss Lime is cute). And if on PC, take a screenshot of the QR code presented at its end. Print out and sign the bottom in blue ink, like all you other copies presented. The place was crowded, but seemed to move along efficiently. And, yes, as earlier mentioned in this thread -- go directly to counter 27 (second floor), the one exclusively for foreigners. They'll sort your paperwork; have you sit until name is called; then they'll give you a color blind test, plus all your paperwork, with a coversheet for your review and signature. And, your queue number, attached to the package -- then go sit in a super hard chair, until they call your number. When called, you'll pay 505 baht for the five year renewal. Advisable to have the correct change -- took me awhile to find a 5 baht coin at my home, but I'm sure this was superior to having them make change. Next, you'll queue up for your photo and license issue. Wear a collared shirt; otherwise, you'll have to put on one of their collared shirts hanging on the wall. They even made me button to the top the Polo shirt I was wearing. And, yeah, license is good for five years, from my birthday next year.

Hey, what's another 50k to a wealthy pensioner.....?

Define dangerous. We don't really know what that number is. But we do know that a better measure of a debt's problem is its ratio to GDP. For the US, the latest number is 122%. But Japan's number is 255%; and Singapore's, 168%. Does anyone really think these economic powerhouses are headed over the cliff? Anyway, we really don't know if a few extra Ford class aircraft carriers will be worth the extra debt. But the debt/gdp ratio will still be within what's been a manageable level for developed countries. Gloom, doom, and barf burgers.

That's the key to this whole argument. That the SS trust fund has been amassing Treasury IOU credits via interest IOUs -- is a nice accounting gesture -- making payouts between 2010 and 2021 seem like a non event, as the trust fund actually increased in value. Why? Well, SS had to make up for the cash deficit, ie, cash benefit payouts exceeding cash pay ins -- by finally cashing in those Treasury IOUs for real, touchy feely, payable to beneficiaties -- cash! But incoming interest IOUs exceeded this amount -- until 2021. And the result was -- that the Treasury had to raid the general tax fund, or sell more bonds to China for real cash, to obtain that cash to pay for those SS Trust fund cashed-in IOUs. And the result was an increase in the Federal deficit. But, holy smoke -- that huge SS trust fund, even reduced by cashed in IOUs -- earned more interest IOUs than the IOUs necessarily cashed in. This between 2010 and 2021. So, it looked like the SS trust fund was solvent up until 2021. And this is what you mistakenly maintain. You've been hoodwinked by an accounting mechanism. Any MBA knows cash flow accounting, not financial accounting, is how you look at reality. Anyway, way too much time wasted on this. A Google search of "ss cash deficit" will give better explanations than I can. And, I alluded to your Canadian connection. Any meaningful comparisons of US SS with the Canadian equivalent? That might be enlightening. Cheers.

I think you've lost the gist of this discussion. Perhaps it's time to go back to Canada.

Only in IOUs -- not in cash.

Yep.

Actually, the US Federal budget has to pay back those IOUs held by the SS Trust Fund, which it's been doing since 2010, when the SS Trust Fund finally reached a negative cash flow situation. And prior to that, the Fed govt certainly was borrowing from itself, when it absorbed the excess cash collected by the SS Fund, and traded it for IOUs.

Yeah, the Chinese get cash; the SS Trust Fund gets an IOU for the money now headed for the builder of the Ford class aircraft carrier -- plus another IOU for annual interest. Real money vs. an accounting gimmick.