spidermike007

8 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

It's not very high though. Poor Thais have seen little rise in food prices in decades. The food I eat has increased about 15 baht since the early 90s. Pattaya baht bus has been 10 baht for decades, a Thai can rent a room for about 2,000 a month. I could also, but I wouldn't like to live in one.

What has increased is trying to live a western life style, where it's as high as the customers will be prepared to pay to live as though they were back home ( which raises a few questions ). The Islands have definitely increased in prices, but that's down to the invasion of the flashpackers and the subsequent disappearance of cheap places to stay on the beach, as the greedies cash in.

The most obvious change is the invasion of the Chinese horde. They have distorted the accommodation market and destroyed the environment, among other sins.

I do not buy your theory for a nanosecond. Just look at some of the staples we eat. Watermelon has gone from 12 baht per kilo, to between 20 and 25 per kilo in the past 10 years. Pomelo has gone from 25-30 baht each, to 60-80 baht each. Oranges have skyrocketed to the point where most of us do not buy them anymore. Meat, seafood, bread, butter, milk, rice, nearly all vegetables, beer, and nearly anything else I can think of has gone up significantly. I think the real inflation rate is at least 10% annually. I am not interested in the "basket of goods" fiction that the government uses to try to convince us of the lie, that inflation is low. Just look around you. 

It is apparent by her body language, the way she looks at him, and the complete lack of communication or rapport between them, that Melanie utterly despises Tiny D. She has no affection, respect, or love for this man. And the last thing in the world she ever wanted, or expected was to be First Lady. She obviously hates the position and the scrutiny, and who could blame her. She is not the megalomaniac in the family. 

Tiny D. as usual, is being the petulant little adolescent he truly is, in his attempt to crucify the media. He started this war. He drew first blood. Now, he does not seem to be enjoying the aftermath. Sometimes, being a bully has a price. 

The media does not have to undermine his leadership. He is doing an incredibly good job of that, on a daily basis. There is no leadership. No moral, ethical, or practical leadership. Just a tiny man pretending that he gives one iota about the welfare of the nation, and the common man, when in reality just the opposite is the case.

Get out, get out, you are not wanted, you are not liked, few approve of you, and your time for departure is long overdue. Get out now.

There is little chance Tiny D. will pardon himself. It would cause a constitutional crisis, that would no doubt lead to his impeachment. As dumb, and tone deaf as this charlatan huckster is, even he must realize that. But, one can only hope.

3 hours ago, jayboy said:

You are talking rubbish and the one thing you claim to know for sure you do in fact not know.Inflation is only slightly higher at just over 1%, slightly more than the expected rate of about 0.85%.The information on which this is based is not manipulated by what you ignorantly call "goons".In fact Thailand has a longstanding history of producing reliable and excellent economic and financial data and is well served by able officials in the responsible ministries and the Bank of Thailand.Naturally in the basket of items used to track inflation some items will increase more than others.You mention the "tourist industry", a euphemism no doubt for bars and similar places frequented by sex tourists and resident "expats".If the girls and boys are hiking their prices it doesn't really matter and in any case is irrelevant to the national inflation position.

Such pure and unadulterated silliness. Anyone who listens to those government figures anywhere in the world is suffering from a severe case of delusion. All you have to do is leave your house to see inflation all around you. Frankly, I would rather look at grocery prices, the cost of construction materials, food and staples, than the "basket of goods" nonsense these creeps tell us is supposed to represent our lives and our reality. This has nothing to do with your sex industry. Your boys and girls may be hiking their prices, but that has little to do with the lives of most of us. I barely drink, so the cost of a beer in a bar means little to me. I see inflation everywhere around me.

49 minutes ago, brling said:

The defenders of ALL things Thai, say the Thais do not "wallow in negativity and sadness",  and the heading of this thread begins "MOST THAIS".   

I agree. I consider the Thai people to be some of the most positive people on the planet. Westerners tend to wallow. Not most Thais.

3 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

Where you hear those complaints?  Some of the 1000 bars or massage shops in Pattaya?

"Slow, no customer"...

I am hearing/seeing just the opposite at many businesses.

Growth is at a five year high, people are coming here in droves, and the economy is doing well.

Most Thais have no education on economics and would have no clue what the "economy" is.

But, people love to wallow in negativity and sadness for themselves in some odd way it makes them feel empowered.

 

Restaurants, hotels, gift shops, and travel agencies, that cater to tourists. All are saying the same thing, in the resort areas. I am not making this up.

One thing about the economy I know for sure, is that inflation is alot higher than the goons in charge are willing to admit. And also, nearly all of the tourist establishments I talk to are complaining. Most say business is nothing like it used to be.

Israel, being the apartheid state it is, has very, very little credibility. For some reasons, they seem to be repeating the very thing many Jews escaped from. When Netanyahu asks, the best answer is why would I listen to you? You are a homicidal maniac. You have zero respect for the rule of law. You are not even bordering on a humane man or leader. And your country has an extremist element within it, that your politicians have a very hard time saying no to. 

I was not a big fan of Obama. But, one thing I admired about him, was his ability to say no to Israel, something triple D (draft dodging don) has a very hard time doing. 

The only time I carry my original passport around, is when I am leaving the country, or have lost my ATM card or bank book, and need to get them replaced. Any other time, the DL and a color copy of my passport seems to be fine, along with my ATM card. I refuse to carry my original passport for anyone. Not gonna happen. 

Allen is one of the good guys. He adopted the daughter of his ex. Big deal. He has apparently treated her very well. Farrow is and was a partially insane woman. He was doing the daughter a favor, by shielding her from her mom. 

The idea of sexual harassment in the US, has passed all reasonable boundaries. When Matt Damon recently came out and stated that there was a big difference between a little pat on the butt, and forceful rape, he was nearly crucified by some women in Hollywood, (especially the shrill, elderly, and way, way, way past the sell by date) Minnie Driver. That alone demonstrated to the most reasonable mind, how far out of control this "war on men" has gone. It is beyond ridiculous. It is petty, silly, surly, and just plain old dumb. Not to say there are not men who deserve it. But, a pat on the butt, or a man putting his hand on a woman's thigh, when they are engaged in a friendly conversation is NOT the same as rape and does not constitute sexual harassment. And yes, I would feel the same way if it happened to my daughter. Give me a break. This whole situation is stupid. American men have been emasculated already. Now, it is getting so extreme, pretty soon it might be illegal to even possess a male organ in the US. 

So, I propose this. When a woman accuses a man of "sexual harassment" the burden of proof lies on her. She has to demonstrate some evidence. Otherwise, it is he said, she said. And in the US, she said always wins out. It is the utter embodiment of a nation that has lost it's footing, has really never found it's identity, and has a population of women, 90% of whom, have no ability, willingness, wherewithal, or desire to connect with, manifest, or embody their inner woman, or express femininity for anything other than personal gain. The US is  on the decline, and has been for the past 30-40 years. It is the Western Roman Empire, in the late 5th century AD, prior to Odoacer marching on Rome. 

17 hours ago, Kaoboi Bebobp said:

 

TH and OZ do have a so-called "free trade" agreement.

 

The following is not about wine but ask how Australia feels about having its gold mine shut down by junta order without any discussions or negotiations, and no official replies to Kingsgate Consolidated's requests for talks. Thailand utterly ignored the injured party, which is now pursuing other remedies. Chances? Zip. 

 

Now, back to your regularly scheduled topic . . . wine prices. 

When it comes to treaty agreements, trade agreements, and other policies agrees upon with other nations, Thailand is more or less a lawless nation, and an entity unto itself. The presumption must be that nobody will ever do anything about it, so let us try to get away with it, as long as possible. If they are called out enough, maybe they will change? It seems the only thing the government responds to is being shamed alot, on the world stage. A stooge is a stooge. A crime lord is a crime lord. A leader without morals, scruples, or ethics is a deadbeat, right? A renegade nation is just that. Law and order? Respect for other nations? What is that? Why even bother?

22 minutes ago, Skeptic7 said:

Very well said Spider...especially the final 10 -11 words. Sadly this is Thailand. Always has been and prob always will be. 

 

IMO...many very nice $5-6 bottles of US & Aussie wines sold in The States which are quite good, but ridiculously priced here. 

I am very passionate about wine. I tend to drink wine that is in the $15-50 range, in the US. Some of these wines are simply stunning. Single vineyard pinot noirs, McLaren Shiraz, some outstanding wines from the Southern Rhone, like Chateauneuf, and Gigondas. Some very good ones for $30, to $50. Not cheap. But wines that inspire. I am not drinking to get loaded. I am drinking wine for inspiration, and exhilaration. Few of those wines are even available here, and if any can be found, they are $100 to $200. There is no way on earth I am going to spend that on a bottle of wine here. 

So, I tend not to drink wine here. Or the occasional decent bottle of Italian or Australian wine, that sets me back 1200 baht, and is decent at best. It is called shooting oneself in one's foot. That is what the Thai government has done. They have sabotages a potentially multi billion dollar industry, and denied themselves billions of dollars in duty, that we would be happy to pay, if the numbers made sense. 

No doubt the wine duty was about a small lobby, that paid a senator to pass anti fareng wine legislation, to promote a handful of very inferior domestic wineries. A myopic policy, that staggers the imagination. To think of the hundreds of billions of baht the country is losing every year. If the duty was only 100%, the wine industry here would explode. It would benefit tourism, but attracting a far higher level of tourist, the hotel industry, restaurants, and the people, and ex-pats, who could choose from good wine, at fair prices. Good wines that I pay $30-40 for in LA, cost 6,000 baht here, if you can find them. And who is going to pay that kind of money for a wine that is 80% less overseas? It is a bit like an ignorant hi-so guy paying 15,000,000 baht for a Porsche 911 here, that cost $120,000 in the US. 

Oh, sorry. I forgot. Making sense, and using reason are not to be expected here, especially by members of the incompetent government, who can barely get dressed in the morning, much less come up with coherent and intelligent policy. 

1 minute ago, Lucky mike said:

Thought there was an agreement also between Aus/Thai as well ?

Perhaps. Nearly all of the agreements that Thailand signs, when it comes to trade, are ignored. With impunity, arrogance, insularity, and a bizarre sense that Thailand is the definitive center of the known universe. 

Incredible. Where is the compassion? This guy woke up in the morning, went about his day, was driving carefully, and probably never saw it coming. Just snuffed out like a mosquito. How do you think his family feels, having lost a loved one, then seeing this on the so called news? And these hooligan "so called newscasters" make fun of him! What can one even say? Where is the respect? Where is the value of a life? Who were the parents of these two, and why did they fail so miserably to raise decent, sensitive, caring human beings? 

4 hours ago, Lucky mike said:

What happened to the free trade agreement ?

Well, the free trade agreement only applied to ASEAN nations. And Thailand has broken nearly every promise made to ASEAN, including allowing the importation of all alcoholic beverages, from every ASEAN nation, duty free. This went into effect 18 months ago, New Years of 2017. Just a bald faced refusal to abide by an agreement that was signed by all parties. ASEAN needs to take Thailand to task, and someone needs to sue Thailand in an international court, and bring attention to the criminal acts being committed by the nation.