spidermike007

If we're going to comment we should try to stick with the facts and try not to embellish the truth too much. I know you are a huge supporter of the man who refuses to embrace truth, but that's really not a viable excuse for some of the things that you post. U.S. exports of goods and services to the world also hit a record, reaching $3.2 trillion in 2024. That was driven by record sales of U.S. services, like business and financial advising, as well as foreign spending on travel in the United States. But exports of goods taken on their own grew more sluggishly, as a strong U.S. dollar made it more expensive for other countries to buy American products, and the United States sold fewer cars, car parts and industrial supplies, like raw materials and machinery, to the world. Competition from automakers in China and strikes in the U.S. auto industry weighed on exports of vehicles, parts and engines, which fell $10.8 billion compared with the year before. Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, said Chinese electric vehicle sales had taken off in 2024, in China and elsewhere, and were siphoning market share from other producers. Companies like General Motors have been under pressure in China, where more than four-fifths of the electric and plug-in hybrid cars sold are now Chinese brands. “The Chinese auto industry has really come on and is very competitive in the E.V. space,” Mr. Zandi said. “And that’s a real problem for U.S. manufacturers that are producing and exporting to the rest of the world.” America’s total trade deficit in goods and services, which consists of exports minus imports, grew 17 percent to $918.4 billion. U.S. oil exports surged, pushing the petroleum surplus to a record $44.9 billion. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/05/business/economy/us-trade-deficit-2024-record.html

Not making light of this missing young man, but Phuket has nothing like Soi 6 in Pattaya. The action on Phuket is terrible with the exception of a lot of ugly and fat women on Bangla Road, there's barely any action left on Phuket in 2025. Phuket has become a forlorn wasteland.

This just goes to show you that the young PM is simply following in the footsteps of the simple-minded leader across the sea, by appointing bottom of the barrel nominees, who are not qualified, who are not particularly intelligent, who are not good at their jobs, who have very little experience, and who are there simply based on their connections, or fealty, with no thought whatsoever of them having been hired on the basis of merit or talent or smarts.

As an American I'm certainly conflicted over this, but I do think that America definitely needs to be punished, and a statement must be made by nations and people around the world that this kind of ridiculousness, this kind of arrogance, this kind of stupidity simply will not be tolerated. And within that statement people will also be showing America that it's influence is waning, and that it's horrific leader is at least partly the cause of that.

I always encourage women to carry pepper spray, and a very thin stainless steel pen. A tremendous amount of damage can be inflicted with such a weapon, and it would certainly discourage most fools. Are you ready to unlock the door yet, or do I need to inflict more punishment?

I think there are certain crimes that one can commit that are nothing less than a self-revocation of the right to consume oxygen. I am one of the few Democrats that I know that supports the death penalty wholeheartedly. I think if it's a heinous crime, if it's something that can be proven without a doubt, if there are eye witnesses or video evidence, then the death penalty should be carried out. I would go a step further and say it should be carried out within 90 days of the crime ,without the possibility of an appeal. A firing squad is as good away as any it's simple, it's inexpensive and it's fairly foolproof. Take the fools out.

A lot of people are under the delusion that Trump is smart because he's rich, but as a wise person once told me it's a whole lot easier to get rich if you're willing to steal the money, than it is if you labor to earn the money. 17 of his businesses have failed in the past few decades. Some at huge losses. Trump Steaks, Trump Shuttle Airline ($120 million in losses between 1988 and 1990), GoTrump, Trump Vodka, Trump Mortgage, Trump University, Trump Ice, The New Jersey Generals, Tour de Trump, Trump Network, Trump Magazine, Trumped!. Many businesses that licensed his name went bankrupt, or went out of business. And he had between four and six major bankruptcies (depending on the source), including the Trump Taj Mahal (which he spent $1.2 billion building, and was $3 billion in debt within a year of opening), Trump's Castle, Trump Place Hotel (which was very successful prior to Trump buying it in 1988, and he managed to put it into $550 million in debt by 1992!), Trump Hotels and Casinos Resorts ($1.8 billion in debt by 2004, bankrupt in 2009) , and Trump Entertainment Resorts. There are likely others. And this does not take into account the 3,600 lawsuits he was involved in as of the time he first took office, the vast majority of which were filed by small contractors against his companies for non payment, or total default. Many of these contractors were crushed. It is part of his M.O. Promises made but never kept: Every voter needs to be reminded of Trump's promises last time he was running: He promised to cut the deficit. He added $8T. He promised to build a wall. He only did 458 miles out of 2,000. Most of it was repair or replacement, not new. He promised to make Mexico pay. They didn't. We did. He promised to unveil a new healthcare plan. It didn't exist. It never happened. He promised a middle-class tax cut. He cut taxes for the rich and big corporations. The middle class is still paying for it. He said he wouldn't play golf as President. He made 250 visits (way more than Obama) to his own golf clubs. It cost taxpayers $150 million. He said he'd increase economic growth by 4%. Nope. Biden did. He promised an infrastructure plan. He had none. President Biden signed a massive one. He promised to hire "the best people." He hired mostly incompetents, and the good ones he fired, and then said they were the worst ever, and they said HE was in fact the worst ever. He promised to bring down the price of prescription drugs. He didn't: Biden did. He promised a Hillary lock-up. Nope. Promised we'd win the trade war with China. Nope, It cost about 250,000 jobs and hurt Americans, not helped them. He promised his corporate tax cuts would help and benefit workers, and corporations would use that money to invest in American workers. They didn't, they used that money to buy back stocks. He promised to revive the coal industry. Never happened: more coal jobs were lost during his presidency. There is very little that comes out of Donald's mouth that is the truth.....

Well you're right in saying that he's unqualified for the job, as his first administration was a huge failure, but the other aspect of this is that the man does not have a compassionate bone in his sorry body, and he's willing to sacrifice the well-being and the financial livelihood of tens of millions in order to achieve what he thinks will be the end result of his dream, which we all know is just pure nonsense. Unless it's a whole lot more diabolical than we know, which is a strong possibility.

Trump is completely lost, he is floundering, he does not seem to have a plan, unless that plan is to wreck the economy, he is very poorly advised, he has surrounded himself with bottom of the barrel nominees who give him consistently poor advice, and the entire administration is in way over their heads. The disaster of Trump 2.0 is starting to reveal itself, just wait as the drama will deepen, and the results will worsen, unfortunately.

I have the misfortune of occasional nightmares, but I think dreaming of Donald Trump would be one of the worst that I would ever have. I'm very thankful that that's never happened.

I posted this before, but it is an excellent essay, and one that bears repeating, especially for those who are not well versed in globalization and the inherent ecosystems. Trump should read it. He might actually learn something, for a change. It’s a total mess. As the Ford Motor chief executive Jim Farley courageously (compared to other chief executives) pointed out, “Let’s be real honest: Long term, a 25 percent tariff across the Mexico and Canada borders would blow a hole in the U.S. industry that we’ve never seen.” So, either Trump wants to blow that hole, or he’s bluffing, or he is clueless. If it is the latter, Trump is going to get a crash course in the hard realities of the global economy as it really is — not how he imagines it. Ecosystems? Listen a bit to Beinhocker, who is also the executive director of the Institute for New Economic Thinking at the Oxford Martin School. In the real world, he argues, “There is no such thing as the American economy anymore that you can identify in any real, tangible way. There’s just this accounting fiction that we call U.S. G.D.P.” To be sure, he says, “There are American interests in the economy. There are American workers. There are American consumers. There are firms based in America. But there is no American economy in that isolated sense.” The old days, he added, “where you made wine and I made cheese, and you had everything you needed to make wine and I had everything I needed to make cheese and so we traded with each other — which made us both better off, as Adam Smith taught — those days are long gone.” Except in Trump’s head. Instead, there is a global web of commercial, manufacturing, services and trading “ecosystems,” explains Beinhocker. “There is an automobile ecosystem. There’s an A.I. ecosystem. There’s a smartphone ecosystem. There’s a drug development ecosystem. There is the chip-making ecosystem.” And the people, parts and knowledge that make up those ecosystems all move back and forth across many economies. As NPR noted in a recent story about the auto industry, “carmakers have built a vast, complicated supply chain that spans North America, with parts crossing back and forth across borders throughout the auto manufacturing process. … Some parts cross borders multiple times — like, say, a wire that is manufactured in the U.S., sent to Mexico to be bundled into a group of wires, and then back to the U.S. for installation into a bigger piece of a car, like a seat.” Trump just waves off all of this. He told reporters that the U.S. is not reliant on Canada. “We don’t need them to make our cars,” he said. Actually, we do. And thank goodness for that. It not only enables us to make cars cheaper, but also better. All that a Model T did was get you from point to point faster than a horse, but today’s cars offer you heating and cooling and entertainment from the internet and satellites. They will navigate for you and even drive for you — and they’re much safer. When we can combine more complex knowledge and complex parts to solve complex problems, our quality of life soars. But here’s the catch. You cannot make complex stuff alone anymore. It’s too complex. And if you are not part of these ecosystems, your country will not thrive.” And trust is the essential ingredient that makes these ecosystems work and grow, Beinhocker adds. Trust acts as both glue and grease. It glues together bonds of cooperation, while at the same time it greases the flows of people, products, capital and ideas from one country to the next. Remove trust and the ecosystems start to collapse. Trust, though, is built by good rules and healthy relationships, and Trump is trampling on both. The result: If he goes down this road, Trump will make America and the world poorer. Mr. President, do your homework.

That's a very good point, and one that most Trump voters simply do not understand. They got so caught up in the hyperbole, and the anti- immigration fervor that they forgot that Americans don't want to wash dishes, they don't want to do basic landscaping, they don't want to work in fast food kitchens, they don't want to pick fruit, and they don't want to do dozens of other jobs that require low-paying manual labor, without much in the way of benefits. America would be a completely broken nation without its immigrants, most of whom are very hard workers and work for less than Americans are willing to work for. It's the same in many countries around the world. Trump knows that, he's just simply playing with his supporters.

Isn't MAGA a religion, and Trump the spiritual master?

With many people, once they got attached to a theory, it was hard to get them detached. They’d screen out unhelpful facts, invent favorable ones, and ignore contradictions in their own claims. Look at those Sandy Hook, multiple fraud convictions, and Jan. 6th truthers, babbling about false flags and crisis actors and all the rest. When people were motivated enough to believe something, they were going to believe it no matter what. There was no such thing as a bridge too far.

I completely agree Buffett would be a great asset, and Musk is a huge liability, and to address your point he does not know how to run a casino, and anybody who doubts that should take a look at the history of his casinos and the massive size of his bankruptcies, leaving thousands of small contractors in the lurch, many of whom lost their businesses permanently. But that's just who Trump is.

It would appear at this point that Trump's seesaw approach to tariffs is having a dire effect on the US economy, thousands of jobs are being lost every day, the stock market is crashing (and believe me that crash has only just begun) and many countries are re-thinking their relationships with the US, realizing that the US is not the dependable ally they thought it was. Many are avoiding visits to the US which could decimate American tourism, and many nations are likely planning their manufacturing in such a way that they are considerably less dependent on American imports, exports, and sales. A wave of frustration over prolonged inflation helped power Trump to victory in November, and a majority of respondents -- 58% -- said inflation would be a major factor in deciding their vote in future elections. But just 32% approved of the job Trump was doing on inflation. Views of the economy by households deteriorated this month to the lowest level in over a year, according to a widely followed survey by the University of Michigan. So where does that leave America (and Trump) in the grand scheme of things, and how badly could Trump's policies come back and bite him on his enormous butt? In the minds of many of us Trump is grossly overestimating the importance of the US and the dependence of other nations on the US. Granted the US economy is still huge, but it's not immune to damage, it's not immune to punishment by other nations, it could start shrinking, and it's not immune to crashing. Of course this could all just be some insane scheme to crash the US economy and the world economy with it, thereby making Trump and his super rich buddies even richer in the process. Who knows what lurks in the mind of this completely unhinged man? One thing is for certain, he's being very poorly advised by highly inexperienced and incompetent people, and he is going to lose a very significant percent of his support base if he continues with these insane policies.

I think you're correct he does not know how the stock market works, but I think you can go one step further and say he does not know how the economy works, and on a more important level he knows nothing anything about globalization and all the intricacies involved in manufacturing internationally. There's a reason why that's taking place, there's a reason why manufacturing has shifted overseas. It didn't happen in a vacuum and that manufacturing will not return to the US, not during our lifetime. It is just a slogan and a concept that he used to very craftily deceive millions of people into voting for him. I think at this point in time it's becoming increasingly more obvious that he (and more importantly the dark stains who control him) are deliberately trying to crash the US and the world economy. And they're doing a pretty good job, just give him another year or two, most of his supporters could be out of work. It was the notion of taxing foreign nations that caught Mark Cuban's eye and he shared the quote to X, formerly Twitter, with his own addition asking: "Can someone explain to me how we would tax a foreign nation?" He continued in a thread, "A tariff is a tax imposed on foreign-made goods, paid by the IMPORTING BUSINESS (Walmart would be an example) to its home country's government. (USA) As an example , Walmart imports billions and billions of goods. If there is a 10 pct [percent] tariff, Walmart pays the US government 10pct on those billions, and guess who they pass that cost on to?" https://www.newsweek.com/mark-cuban-donald-trump-car-industry-tariffs-1946543

At this point in time it is truly the only reasonable explanation for his completely inane policies, and his ridiculously uninformed tariffs. I believe that he thinks by crashing the world economy he and his wealthy cronies will benefit on quite a number of levels, this is intentional and it will really surprise his supporters, who have no idea who the man truly is, and have no idea how heinous and evil his intentions are.

There is no question that the liberal visa policy has enabled the Russian Bratva and the Chinese Triads to establish a presence here, but it is very unlikely that the Bratva members go around announcing who they are, and who they work for. One look at them, and you know.

The current political and economic climate between Canada and the U.S. has made traveling to the U.S. less appealing for many Canadians. 66% of Canadians indicated that the situation has made the U.S. a less attractive travel destination. This sentiment is particularly pronounced among older Canadians, with 78% of those aged 60+ noting that U.S. travel has become less appealing. This aligns with our research, which shows that older Canadians express heightened concerns regarding the state of Canada-U.S. relations. The perception of former U.S. President Donald Trump has a major impact on these views. Among those with a negative opinion of Trump, 86% said the current political climate has made the U.S. less appealing, with 59% actively avoiding travel to the U.S. Over the past few weeks, tensions between Canada and the United States have intensified, spurred by President Donald Trump’s imposition of tariffs and the constant threat of annexation. This heated political landscape has ignited a surge in Canadian patriotism, which is now expressing itself in a very tangible way: through consumer behaviour. In other words, shopping choices, travel plans, and overall spending patterns are no longer driven simply by cost or convenience—political considerations are increasingly at play. As March break, family getaways, and summer plans draw near, this sea change in behaviour presents a pivotal moment for Canada’s domestic travel market. Tourism boards, local businesses, and destinations across the country have a timely opportunity to harness this sentiment, encouraging Canadians to spend their vacation dollars at home and reinforcing a spirit of unity in an era of heightened political and economic tensions. Younger Canadians were more likely to have U.S. travel intentions, with 42% of those aged 18-29 and 41% of those aged 30-44 either having booked or planning to book a trip. Families with children were also more inclined to travel to the U.S., with 51% of those with children under 12 and 46% with children aged 12-17 planning a trip. However, as the tensions between the U.S. and Canada have escalated, 56% of those who initially planned to visit the U.S. have either canceled or changed their travel plans. Of these, 39% have shifted to other countries (20%) or different locations in Canada (19%), while 17% have postponed or canceled their U.S. trips. Younger Canadians (63% of those 18-29 and 62% of those 30-44) and those with children (64% with kids under 12 and 72% with kids 12-17) are more likely to have altered their plans. In contrast, older Canadians are more likely to continue with their U.S. travel plans, with 32% of those 60+ planning to proceed despite the political climate. Those who find the U.S. less appealing as a travel destination cite a variety of reasons: 48% cite concerns about the political climate or leadership, particularly under Trump 46% mention disagreement with U.S. policies 43% express a preference for supporting Canadian businesses and destinations 43% are also concerned about the weak Canadian dollar The combination of political concerns, disagreements with U.S. policies, and economic factors like the weak Canadian dollar is driving many Canadians to view the U.S. as a less appealing travel destination. Older Canadians are more concerned about these factors, with 60% of those aged 60+ worried about the U.S. political climate (compared to 34% of those aged 18-29) and 53% concerned about the weak Canadian dollar (vs. 30% of younger Canadians). Those with a negative view of Trump are especially likely to cite concerns about the U.S. political climate (54%) and policies (51%). Tariffs are another factor affecting Canadians’ travel plans. While tariffs had not been implemented at the time of the survey, 28% of Canadians said they would still have concerns about traveling to the U.S. even without them. On the other hand, 24% of respondents said the removal of tariffs might make them more likely to visit, but that the political will still influence their decision. Only 18% of Canadians noted that, if tariffs were not implemented, they would be more likely to visit the U.S. Now that tariffs have been implemented, they are likely to further discourage travel to the U.S., with many Canadians already expressing hesitation even before their enforcement. A significant proportion of Canadians plan to avoid traveling to the U.S.. 71% of respondents indicated that they intend to avoid the U.S. for at least the next six months. Additionally, 23% of Canadians plan to refrain from U.S. travel for more than a year, with 28% of those aged 60+ and 27% of those who view Trump negatively among the most likely to take this approach. A further 32% said they would consider returning to the U.S. once the current situation improves, though no specific timeline was provided. This sentiment was particularly strong among those aged 60+ (39%) and those with a negative impression of Trump (36%). The significant number of Canadians planning to avoid U.S. travel highlights the growing impact of political tensions on travel decisions, with many indicating they will only return once the situation improves, reflecting a deeper shift in attitudes toward cross-border relations. This emotional undercurrent is shifting travel and buying patterns in ways we haven’t seen before. It’s not just feel-good rhetoric: Canadians are breaking old habits and forming new ones, motivated by something far more powerful than a good deal or a chance to earn loyalty points. Many Canadians now see their spending as a statement, whether that means choosing a cottage weekend in Ontario over a shopping trip across the border or picking local vendors instead of U.S.-based retailers. It’s rare to witness such a profound shift in consumer sentiment. Yet in this moment, Canadians are re-examining their everyday choices – from where to vacation to which brands they trust – and these decisions are fueled by deeply felt emotions. For Canadian tourism operators and DMOs, this is both a challenge and a remarkable opportunity: to meet consumers’ growing desire for authentic, homegrown experiences, and to solidify a new habit of supporting local that could endure long after the current tensions fade. Canada is the top country of origin for U.S. inbound international visitors each year. The U.S. welcomed more than 20 million Canadian visitors in 2023—nearly half the population of the country. Ninety percent of the Canadian population lives within 100 miles of the U.S. border, and the majority of Canadian visitors cross a land border on foot or by car. Border states like Washington, Michigan, New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire are popular destinations for Canadian shoppers. Deranged Don. Making America less relevant and diminishing it's influence by the day. https://www.fodors.com/news/news/u-s-states-that-will-be-hardest-hit-by-canadas-travel-boycott

Trump lies when he says other nations will pay for them. He lies when he says companies will pay for them. Consumers will pay, so it becomes a tax. Be bold, big Don and for once be honest. It is a tax hike. And it could slow down the economy and result in a massive loss of jobs, and major inflation. Very dumb policy. It was the notion of taxing foreign nations that caught Mark Cuban's eye and he shared the quote to X, formerly Twitter, with his own addition asking: "Can someone explain to me how we would tax a foreign nation?" He continued in a thread, "A tariff is a tax imposed on foreign-made goods, paid by the IMPORTING BUSINESS (Walmart would be an example) to its home country's government. (USA) As an example , Walmart imports billions and billions of goods. If there is a 10 pct [percent] tariff, Walmart pays the US government 10pct on those billions, and guess who they pass that cost on to?" https://www.newsweek.com/mark-cuban-donald-trump-car-industry-tariffs-1946543

A PR puff piece for this hapless administration. She has accomplished next to nothing. That entire family is so toxic at this point. They hoped her youth would fool people into thinking that she was progressive. She is just a younger dinosaur. She is moving Thailand backwards at a breakneck pace.

Trump lies when he says other nations will pay for them. He lies when he says companies will pay for them. Consumers will pay, so it becomes a tax. Be bold Don and for once be honest. It is a tax hike. And it WILL slow down the economy and result in a massive loss of jobs, and major inflation. This is very dumb policy.

The deranged Trump policies continue to wreak havoc around the world. Even his own supporters are getting tired of his nonsense, and the Dow dropping substantially is Wall Street and the economy's way of slapping around this giant fool. A wave of frustration over prolonged inflation helped power Trump to victory in November, and a majority of respondents -- 58% -- said inflation would be a major factor in deciding their vote in future elections. But just 32% approved of the job Trump was doing on inflation. Views of the economy by households deteriorated this month to the lowest level in over a year, according to a widely followed survey by the University of Michigan. "He's just rushing a little bit. I think the whole thing with the DOGE is being rushed a little bit," said Gerald Dunn, a Republican 66-year-old martial arts instructor from Staatsburg, in New York State's Hudson Valley. "I like what he is doing but I think a lot of what he says is just BS. When he starts talking about annexing Greenland and annexing Canada, you know that's just smoke." "I struggle with things like picking a fight with Canada. Why are we picking a fight with Canada?" said Todd Wellman, a 49-year-old Republican from Indianapolis, who said he wrote in now-Vice President JD Vance as his choice for president in November. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-gets-middling-grades-americans-top-issues-reutersipsos-poll-finds-2025-02-23/

It certainly appears to a lot of people that both Musk and Trump are racists, however the argument that this guy made was pretty damn foolish. He should have just simply stuck to the facts, which are plentiful.