STOPPAGE TIME
General Prayuth should learn from America
Tulsathit Taptim

BANGKOK: -- Say whatever you like about George Soros, but his preferred analogy on the near-collapse of the US economy is spot on. It compares the US economic system prior to the late 2000s meltdown to an oil tanker. The big ship once had watertight compartments to prevent oil sloshing around and sinking the entire vessel, until someone decided to do away with the safety measure.

Loose regulations or blatant deregulation tempted people at the very top of the US financial sector to gamble heavily with other people's money, or simply cheat. Rules prescribing extreme prudence on how public savings were "invested" became more and more lax, giving rise to toxic derivatives and all their disastrous siblings. Oil was allowed to slosh around freely, and the rest is history.

Thailand's politics has been similar to that oil tanker in many ways. The division of power and constitutional deterrence of linkages between politics and business were the necessary compartmentalisation, meant to ensure that if one key part of the system broke down, the entire "ship" would still stay afloat. The idea was that if the executive branch was corrupt, we would still have the legislature, and even if the legislature was dysfunctional, we would still have the judiciary.

And there was the business sector, which was not supposed to get involved in politics, simply because if politics was in turmoil, the economy would still be able to survive. There was the bureaucracy that, clumsy as it was, should have resisted political influence and acted like a watchdog. Then there was the military, which was not supposed to be dragged into the political and economic pictures for obvious reasons.

As we already know, all the watertight compartments of Thailand's system have been all but removed. Either corruption led to the easing of the rules or vice versa. Like the regulators in the US who turned a blind eye to the birth of weird financial instruments and carefree lending practices, Thailand's standards on corruption became weaker and weaker. Bad elements sloshed from one key institution to another, threatening the entire system.

The lines demarcating the practices of lending and investing got blurry in the United States. The lines on corruption got blurry in Thailand, and as a result the lines on punishing political crooks and politicising graft scandals became messy, too. Accountability was washed away, because just about everyone could blame everything on something else and did not need to be responsible for anything. The United States ended up with the biggest economic bubble in its history, and Thailand its biggest political turmoil.

The most outstanding similarity with America, however, is that a badly corrupt system became "Too big to fail", simply because practically everyone was linked together in an unholy chain. If banks went under in the United States, the entire economy would go down, too, and those standing to suffer most would be the underprivileged. In Thailand months ago, it was argued that if the government had to bow out, mega-projects would be killed and so would the concept of democracy as a whole. The well-being of the executive branch had come to overshadow the well-being of the overall system, just as a corrupted Wall Street had held the whole of the US economy hostage.

Here's the big question: What should we do now, considering that we have already tried the idea of making things watertight? The 1997 Constitution sought to compartmentalise Thailand's political and business systems. But "geniuses" found a way to get around the asset declaration rules, for example. The "independent agencies" could not handle simple cases of doctored declarations and tax evasions, and were accused of siding with one camp at one time and the other camp at another.

And the "toxicity" spread beyond Thai borders, just as half the world was holding rotten American CDOs (Collateralised Debt Obligations). Thailand's terminally ill system somehow came to be linked strongly with foreign interests, be it political or business. And just as Wall Street advocates claimed they were defending the merits of the free market, capitalism, financial leverage and so forth, supporters of the seriously ill Thai system cited one word - "democracy".

Now we see how dangerous General Prayuth Chan-ocha's undertaking is. His coup ended a very bad episode of decompartmentalisation, but his National Council for Peace and Order risks creating a new one. That is why he faces an outcry every time there are signs the NCPO is consolidating its power. At the end of the day, the oil tanker needs watertight sections independent of one another.

Another disheartening similarity beckons, and it will take every ounce of Thai determination to prevent it from occurring. The financial "wizards" who caused the global misery still hold sway in America, fighting off protests, deafening calls for reform and President Barack Obama's "change" agenda, which is turning out to be lukewarm.

Protests. Deafening calls for reform. A "change" agenda. Do they sound familiar?

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/General-Prayuth-should-learn-from-America-30240788.html

 

[thenation]2014-08-13[/thenation]

But he is still correct, when he says that the rules protecting against sloppy banking & another collapse, were deliberately removed.

 

The people who did that are long gone, but the world will be living with the consequences for years to come, and Soros is right to point this out.

"The lines on corruption got blurry in Thailand, "

No they didn't. They were just ignored.

I like the analogy, but it isn't accurate.

 

Thailand is not culturally well suited to democracy. It has just lead to cycles of elections, corruption, brinksmanship, mob rule, coup, then elections again.

 

As bad as that sounds eventually the cycle will break. Then all bets are off.

I like the analogy, but it isn't accurate.
 
Thailand is not culturally well suited to democracy. It has just lead to cycles of elections, corruption, brinksmanship, mob rule, coup, then elections again.
 
As bad as that sounds eventually the cycle will break. Then all bets are off.

Culture has nothing to do with it. The key words are "autocracy" and "education". You might say, OK, the culture has allowed the autocratic system to hold sway. I say it's education. There are no examples in Thai history (that I can immediately think of) where there has been a "people's revolution" against the bourgeois. So no precedent to follow. The idea of rising up is not clearly understood, but all-important subjugation is imprinted from birth.

Tulsathit's analogy, while stretching the imagination, is not wrong. It's just a little askew. He's comparing unmitigated capitalism with the fierce protection of privilege. But if they have one thing in common, it's lax enforcement of the law - or simply lax laws.

Why should General Prayuth learn from America, if you cast you selective mind back to 1997, all of Asia, it could be said, learned from Thailand, you don't need to go outside Thailand's borders to point fingers, the misapprehension that Democracy can be up and running overnight is a myth, it takes hundreds of years of testing back testing and perseverance to reach some sort of Democracy , Thailand did have a slowly emerging Democracy till Thaskin Shinawatra's government changed the chairs on the Thaitanic and turn Thailand into a basket case, the first rule of Democracy is transparency , from what I read this morning, starting with General Prayuth, Thailand has along way to go. 

Topics discussing the US always bring out "interesting" posts.  Several posts have been hidden from view.  Please stay on topic and abide by forum rules.  And no more nazi comments.

 

11) You will not post slurs, degrading or overly negative comments directed towards Thailand, specific locations, Thai institutions such as the judicial or law enforcement system, Thai culture, Thai people or any other group on the basis of race, nationality, religion, gender or sexual orientation.

 

 

General Prayuth should learn from America

 

What?.... that election collection is automatically democracy???    We went through that already, string controlled from Dubai. 

 

etc. etc., learn what? How to initiate wars for fuel resources and what not. creating currencies of debt year after year? 

Regrettably, the introduction to a thoughtful essay is based on "say whatever you like about George Soros." Indeed, having made this association it's important to remember who George Soros is. I will honor the OP and say what I like.

George is not just an uber rich, arguably self-made billionaire who shares pearls of financial forecast. George is directly and indirectly involved in the suffering, lives, and deaths of millions throughout the world through his Open Society, Tides Foundations, other fronts, and multiple sham fronts fomenting revolutions under the cover of "Color." George directly meddles and instigates color revolutions around the world leading to untoward numbers dead in the past few decades- from Ukraine to Ukraine to the Arab World. Under libertarian democratic names he seeks total anarchy throughout the world.

George meddles tirelessly to destroy America. His billions and astute investment manners are the reason he caused quite a stir recently when he began divesting large sums in US trading. It's fair to say this wasn't proactive rather a precipitating effort. George and his dummy companies are rife with really bad people.

I always get a headache reading Tulsathit.

 

Thailand is in no way, shape or form anyway closely related to anything in the US.

 

Thailand does not have the global 'reserve currency' status that has allowed it to print off unlimited worthless cash to throw out all over the globe.

 

Without that nice little perk, the USA would have gone completely bankrupt by 2009.

 

That is soon going to change, and the USD will no longer hold that advantage, the world is changing fast. Obama and his administration are panicking, but they can't tell you that.

 

Believe it or not, Thailand is in much better shape than the US. We really don't need to learn lessons from them, they are not a good teacher or role model for any country.

 

How many country's citizens owe the rest of the world half a million USD each? Every man, woman and child in the US owes that... Such is the US national debt.

 

That ship sunk a while back.

 

I would disagree somewhat with you. There are lessons to be learned from the USA. Both things to do and things not to do. You are correct that Thailand is different from the USA and I also agree that the USD will no longer be the global reserve currency - in the probably near (years) future. I do agree with the OP that checks and balances are important for a stable system.
 

Mention America and the Fox News lemmings chime in like clockwork. There are more right wing loons here than in Texas. 

 

 

I would not say America is a leading light to compare with, their politicians are bought and paid for by corporate America .If America was a company it would be bankrupt financially and morally.

The lessons to learn from America since its 2008 economic meltdown are much more basic and numerous:

 

(1) Democracy continued to survive without any violation of the Constitution or Bill of Rights 

(2) There was peaceful regime changes through elections in accordance with State and Federal Constitutions 

(3) All America's democratic institutions remained intact

(4) There was no military coup, no suspension of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights

(5) Through elected political leadership the economy has recovered to its 2007 levels with a vibrant stock market

(6) Despite its own economic problems the US aided in the economic recovery of many other nations

(7) Despite its own economic problems the US provided humantarian assistance to many other nations

(8) Despite its own economic problems the US continued to act as a peacebroker in conflicts throughout the world at the request of many nations.

(9) Despite its own economic problems the US continued to provide aid in the national security of other democratic nations 

 

What Gen. Prayuth should know about Thailand:

 

(1) Thai military holds absolute power over all the government's institutions

(2) Thailand never had a "true" democracy much less a Western-style democracy

(3) The Thai constitution is not inviolate and should be written more practically on an Etch-A-Sketch

(4) Obediance is not loyalty

(5) Gratitude is not loyalty

(6) Tolerance is not concession

(7) People want to control their own destiny 

 

As US President Obama said essentially during his visit to Thailand in a press conference, achieving democracy like that of the US can be a difficult and long process, full of challenges to change ... Change won't come overnight but people must presevere and accept the challenges as part of the growth of a nation to one that is governed for the People by the People. 

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The lessons to learn from America since its 2008 economic meltdown are much more basic and numerous:

 

(1) Democracy continued to survive without any violation of the Constitution or Bill of Rights 

(2) There was peaceful regime changes through elections in accordance with State and Federal Constitutions 

(3) All America's democratic institutions remained intact

(4) There was no military coup, no suspension of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights

(5) Through elected political leadership the economy has recovered to its 2007 levels with a vibrant stock market

(6) Despite its own economic problems the US aided in the economic recovery of many other nations

(7) Despite its own economic problems the US provided humantarian assistance to many other nations

(8) Despite its own economic problems the US continued to act as a peacebroker in conflicts throughout the world at the request of many nations.

(9) Despite its own economic problems the US continued to provide aid in the national security of other democratic nations 

 

What Gen. Prayuth should know about Thailand:

 

(1) Thai military holds absolute power over all the government's institutions

(2) Thailand never had a "true" democracy much less a Western-style democracy

(3) The Thai constitution is not inviolate and should be written more practically on an Etch-A-Sketch

(4) Obediance is not loyalty

(5) Gratitude is not loyalty

(6) Tolerance is not concession

(7) People want to control their own destiny 

 

As US President Obama said essentially during his visit to Thailand in a press conference, achieving democracy like that of the US can be a difficult and long process, full of challenges to change ... Change won't come overnight but people must presevere and accept the challenges as part of the growth of a nation to one that is governed for the People by the People. 

Not something that Thais would be able to comprehend or intellectualize.

I am wondering if the USA crashes like in the Great Depression, would social security payments still be safe, and what about peoples retirement from hospitals would that still be safe?  Some of us live on this alone without savings, and have to live outside of there own country in order to get by.

Say whatever you like about George Soros, but his preferred analogy on the near-collapse of the US economy is spot on.

 

Bit like asking the devil what's wrong with God.

But he is still correct, when he says that the rules protecting against sloppy banking & another collapse, were deliberately removed.

 

The people who did that are long gone, but the world will be living with the consequences for years to come, and Soros is right to point this out.

 

 

 

But, the larger, and most shameful question is, how many of those responsible for this horrendous crime, are serving time in prison? When you consider the guilty parties, none have really paid any price. Was their crime any less heinous than that of Madoff? Jamie Dimon should be in prison. Blankenship should be in prison. 

 

Summers, Geithner, Corzine, Volker, Fischer, Phil Gramm, Bernanke, Hank Paulson, Rubin, ,not to mention Alan Greenspan and to some extent Paul Volcker, who put into effect some of the deregulation that led to this fiasco. 

 

Here is a promise Obama made during his 2008 campaign: 

 

“Tomorrow, you can turn the page on policies that put the greed and irresponsibility of Wall Street before the hard work and sacrifice of men and women all across Main Street. Tomorrow you can choose policies that invest in our middle class and create new jobs and grow this economy so that everybody has a chance to succeed, from the CEO to the secretary and the janitor, from the factory owner to the men and women who work on the factory floor.( Barack Obama, election campaign, November 3, 2008, emphasis added) 

 

There is no indication that Obama will break his ties to his Wall Street sponsors, who largely funded his election campaign. 

Goldman Sachs, J. P. Morgan Chase, Citigroup, Bill Gates’ Microsoft are among his main campaign contributors. 

Warren Buffett, among the the world’s richest individuals, not only supported Barak Obama’s election campaign, he is a member of his transition team, which plays a key role deciding the composition of Obama’s cabinet. 

 

 

More of Obamas promises during that campaign. Now many were fulfilled? This is from an article from the Weekly Standard:

 

Barack Obama has an accountability problem. It’s not simply that during the 2008 campaign he made extravagant promises to heal the planet, slow the rise of the oceans, end political divisions in America, and usher in an era of hope and change. It’s that as a candidate and in the early days of his presidency, Obama and his top aides made a series of very specific promises on a range of issues.

 

 

As a candidate, Obama promised to create five million new energy jobs alone, claimed that by the end of his first term his health care plan would “bring down premiums by $2,500 for the typical family,” and guaranteed that his financial rescue plan would help “stop foreclosures.” As president-elect, Obama informed us that he had asked two of his top economic advisers, Christina Romer and Jared Bernstein, to conduct a “rigorous analysis” of his economic recovery plan. The report that he released predicted unemployment would not rise above 8 percent if the stimulus plan was passed. And in the first year of his presidency, Obama pledged to “cut the deficit we inherited in half by the end of my first term in office,” “lift two million Americans from poverty,” and “jolt our economy back to life.”

 

The problem for Obama is that his predictions were not only wrong; they were terribly wide of the mark. For example, since the president was sworn in, America has suffered a net decline of roughly half a million jobs. According to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average annual premium for family health coverage through an employer reached $15,073 in 2011—an increase of 9 percent, or $1,303, over the previous year. The 9 percent increase in family premiums between 2010 and 2011 followed an increase of 3 percent between 2009 and 2010. Under Obama, the number of foreclosures was the worst in history. In addition, last year was the worst sales year on record for housing, while home values are nearly 35 percent lower than they were five years ago.

Meanwhile, the unemployment rate has been above 8 percent for 41 consecutive months. The deficit was around $1.3 trillion the day Obama took office in the midst of the financial crisis; according to the Congressional Budget Office, in the current 2012 budget year, the deficit will be around $1.25 trillion. And a record 46 million Americans are now living in poverty.

In addition, during the Obama years we’ve experienced the weakest economic recovery on record. America’s credit rating was downgraded for the first time in our history. The standard of living for Americans fell more steeply than at any time since the government began recording it five decades ago. Income for American families has actually declined more following the economic recession than it did during the official recession itself.

Adding salt to his self-inflicted wounds, Obama, in the heady early days of his presidency, invited accountability. In February 2009, for example, the president told NBC’s Matt Lauer that if he didn’t have the economy fixed in three years, then “there’s going to be a one-term proposition.”

Given that Obama’s key economic promises haven’t been kept, what possible excuse can the president offer? Easy. The president’s explanation goes something like this: By the time he took office, the economic situation was far worse than anyone, including Obama, imagined. The deficit was far larger than anyone predicted. The president therefore can’t be held accountable for his failed promises. He was operating on a false set of assumptions. The crisis was much deeper than he knew when he made those promises. “We didn’t know how bad it was,” is how Obama put it last year.

Here’s the problem: If you go back and examine the record, you’ll find that Obama was fully aware of the depth and severity of the recession. As a candidate, for example, he said we were facing “the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.” As president-elect, Obama said we faced “a crisis unlike any we have seen in our lifetime.”

Prior to being sworn in, Obama knew—in fact, he went out of his way to warn us—that we were shedding more than half a million jobs per month, the worst job loss in over three decades. That in 2008 we had lost more jobs than in any year since the Great Depression. That manufacturing had hit a 28-year low. That the stock market had fallen almost 40 percent in less than a year. That credit markets were nearly frozen. That businesses large and small couldn’t borrow the money they needed to meet payroll and create jobs. That home foreclosures were mounting. That credit card and auto loan delinquencies were rising. That the economy was “in a global crisis.” And that he was inheriting an “enormous budget deficit—you know, some estimates over a trillion dollars. That’s before we do anything.”

I am wondering if the USA crashes like in the Great Depression, would social security payments still be safe, and what about peoples retirement from hospitals would that still be safe?  Some of us live on this alone without savings, and have to live outside of there own country in order to get by.

It's not a matter of "if" but "when" will the US dollar crash. Remember this famous quote, "Something that is unsustainable won't last forever". I would imagine IMF/Federal Reserve will eventually downgrade the value of the dollar and we will be left with something with 1/2 the purchasing power. It will happen quickly and enexpectantly. Gold, land and foreign bank accounts are worth consideration prior to the inevitable crash.

Really Do some research on BOT Do you think they can be trusted? Do they back the accounts in Thailand? This rice scam thing comes to mind a country who is so puffed chest says rice on the world market at X a amount yet That rice at X amount better. now sitting with tons of rotten rice. like I got car market value 100 pounds But since I own it  and want to sell to you at 500 pounds true value tops 105 pounds  You going buy or shop around?

I always get a headache reading Tulsathit.
 
Thailand is in no way, shape or form anyway closely related to anything in the US.
 
Thailand does not have the global 'reserve currency' status that has allowed it to print off unlimited worthless cash to throw out all over the globe.
 
Without that nice little perk, the USA would have gone completely bankrupt by 2009.
 
That is soon going to change, and the USD will no longer hold that advantage, the world is changing fast. Obama and his administration are panicking, but they can't tell you that.
 
Believe it or not, Thailand is in much better shape than the US. We really don't need to learn lessons from them, they are not a good teacher or role model for any country.
 
How many country's citizens owe the rest of the world half a million USD each? Every man, woman and child in the US owes that... Such is the US national debt.
 
That ship sunk a while back.

Tulsathit is a infuriating journalist.

With this analogy he points out perfectly that there are analogies old and new for what Thailand is suffering.

And yet Thais refuse to draw on the experiences of others to solve their problems. If they do, by the time they have put their own unique Thai spice on the solution it bears no relation to the original.

The lessons to learn from America since its 2008 economic meltdown are much more basic and numerous:
 
(1) Democracy continued to survive without any violation of the Constitution or Bill of Rights 
(2) There was peaceful regime changes through elections in accordance with State and Federal Constitutions 
(3) All America's democratic institutions remained intact
(4) There was no military coup, no suspension of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights
(5) Through elected political leadership the economy has recovered to its 2007 levels with a vibrant stock market
(6) Despite its own economic problems the US aided in the economic recovery of many other nations
(7) Despite its own economic problems the US provided humantarian assistance to many other nations
(8) Despite its own economic problems the US continued to act as a peacebroker in conflicts throughout the world at the request of many nations.
(9) Despite its own economic problems the US continued to provide aid in the national security of other democratic nations 
 

For brevity I'll randomly address a few of your 1950s based statements:

1. What America now has can hardly be called democracy, indeed, why should it? Any enlightened mind knows democracy degrades to mob rule; certainly the Athenians new this. What survived in America is a soft tyranny made obscure by the smoke and power of the petrol dollar and USD as world reserve. In this manner the US doles out other people's money, redistributes wealth, and slowly turns into some banker-corporatacracy hybrid; this is not democracy. America is designed by constitution as a representative republic. Perhaps you meant this hasn't survived.

2. The massive voter fraud can hardly be called an example to emulate. Multiple locations have recently been gang ran by black militants, countless anecdotal reports of voter fraud have slowly resulted in numerous charges throughout the US. Not the 3rd world. Perhaps you meant the US voter mechanism is hijacked and the concentration of the ballot box now contracted to dubious overseas software company means citizens have no meaningful control over their ballot any longer.

3. America's institutions are hardly enact. Numerous warnings from the military declare we cannot now fight one high intensity conflict let alone the two mid intensity conflicts which has been the standard. Christians are hiding in all instructions. Justice department the most corrupt in history, indeed the Attorney General has been held in contempt. Health human services rolled out the most ghastly healthcare product laden with lies, treachery, deceit, back room deals, etc. the IRS persecuted it's citizens. Homeland security, an internal security sector, has amassed enough products of war to launch and sustain two Iraq type wars simultaneously for ten years! ie; against citizens. The executive branch is wholly morally bankrupt and lies as status quo.

I won't comment further. Wanting to inflict this standard on Thailand reveals how blind subservience can be just as destructive as willful evil- such as Thailand rebuffed from Western powers meddling previously. Thailand is right to look to the mechanics of what formed America, and her source documents. However, Thailand should not emulate America until it notes what went wrong. America is not and will never again be what this post nostalgically muses.

 

The lessons to learn from America since its 2008 economic meltdown are much more basic and numerous:
 
(1) Democracy continued to survive without any violation of the Constitution or Bill of Rights 
(2) There was peaceful regime changes through elections in accordance with State and Federal Constitutions 
(3) All America's democratic institutions remained intact
(4) There was no military coup, no suspension of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights
(5) Through elected political leadership the economy has recovered to its 2007 levels with a vibrant stock market
(6) Despite its own economic problems the US aided in the economic recovery of many other nations
(7) Despite its own economic problems the US provided humantarian assistance to many other nations
(8) Despite its own economic problems the US continued to act as a peacebroker in conflicts throughout the world at the request of many nations.
(9) Despite its own economic problems the US continued to provide aid in the national security of other democratic nations 
 

For brevity I'll randomly address a few of your 1950s based statements:

1. What America now has can hardly be called democracy, indeed, why should it? Any enlightened mind knows democracy degrades to mob rule; certainly the Athenians new this. What survived in America is a soft tyranny made obscure by the smoke and power of the petrol dollar and USD as world reserve. In this manner the US doles out other people's money, redistributes wealth, and slowly turns into some banker-corporatacracy hybrid; this is not democracy. America is designed by constitution as a representative republic. Perhaps you meant this hasn't survived.

2. The massive voter fraud can hardly be called an example to emulate. Multiple locations have recently been gang ran by black militants, countless anecdotal reports of voter fraud have slowly resulted in numerous charges throughout the US. Not the 3rd world. Perhaps you meant the US voter mechanism is hijacked and the concentration of the ballot box now contracted to dubious overseas software company means citizens have no meaningful control over their ballot any longer.

3. America's institutions are hardly enact. Numerous warnings from the military declare we cannot now fight one high intensity conflict let alone the two mid intensity conflicts which has been the standard. Christians are hiding in all instructions. Justice department the most corrupt in history, indeed the Attorney General has been held in contempt. Health human services rolled out the most ghastly healthcare product laden with lies, treachery, deceit, back room deals, etc. the IRS persecuted it's citizens. Homeland security, an internal security sector, has amassed enough products of war to launch and sustain two Iraq type wars simultaneously for ten years! ie; against citizens. The executive branch is wholly morally bankrupt and lies as status quo.

I won't comment further. Wanting to inflict this standard on Thailand reveals how blind subservience can be just as destructive as willful evil- such as Thailand rebuffed from Western powers meddling previously. Thailand is right to look to the mechanics of what formed America, and her source documents. However, Thailand should not emulate America until it notes what went wrong. America is not and will never again be what this post nostalgically muses.

 

 

Good thing going until the Federal Reserve in 1913.

Edited August 13, 201411 yr by gemini81

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The lessons to learn from America since its 2008 economic meltdown are much more basic and numerous:

 

(1) Democracy continued to survive without any violation of the Constitution or Bill of Rights 

(2) There was peaceful regime changes through elections in accordance with State and Federal Constitutions 

(3) All America's democratic institutions remained intact

(4) There was no military coup, no suspension of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights

(5) Through elected political leadership the economy has recovered to its 2007 levels with a vibrant stock market

(6) Despite its own economic problems the US aided in the economic recovery of many other nations

(7) Despite its own economic problems the US provided humantarian assistance to many other nations

(8) Despite its own economic problems the US continued to act as a peacebroker in conflicts throughout the world at the request of many nations.

(9) Despite its own economic problems the US continued to provide aid in the national security of other democratic nations 

 

What Gen. Prayuth should know about Thailand:

 

(1) Thai military holds absolute power over all the government's institutions

(2) Thailand never had a "true" democracy much less a Western-style democracy

(3) The Thai constitution is not inviolate and should be written more practically on an Etch-A-Sketch

(4) Obediance is not loyalty

(5) Gratitude is not loyalty

(6) Tolerance is not concession

(7) People want to control their own destiny 

 

As US President Obama said essentially during his visit to Thailand in a press conference, achieving democracy like that of the US can be a difficult and long process, full of challenges to change ... Change won't come overnight but people must presevere and accept the challenges as part of the growth of a nation to one that is governed for the People by the People. 

 

You left out Australian Channel banned,thought i'd just show not only US where victimized on day two of the coup.

I have re read this post again and it's too thoughtful to be a troll, and too dangerous to be unanswered:
"(4) There was no military coup, no suspension of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights
(5) Through elected political leadership the economy has recovered to its 2007 levels with a vibrant stock market
(6) Despite its own economic problems the US aided in the economic recovery of many other nations
(7) Despite its own economic problems the US provided humantarian assistance to many other nations
(8) Despite its own economic problems the US continued to act as a peacebroker in conflicts throughout the world at the request of many nations.
(9) Despite its own economic problems the US continued to provide aid in the national security of other democratic nations"

4. There is currently the suspension or power to suspend habeus corpus in the US. All Rights devolve from this. This is Magna Carta obvious rights, now dissolved under the Defense Auth bills. The 2nd Ammend is under consistent attacks. Like it or not your point is invalidated. The 1st Ammend is totally destroyed by the current NSA- an Uber-Orwellian spook tank. The militarization of LEA from the Heartland to the cities has effective dissolution of the 4th Ammendment. The inversion of the 10th Ammendment has the Federal insinuating into every aspect of US life. Thailand, do not emulate America.

5. The economy is not only so awful it's not been matched (some indicators are worse than Great Depression) but it's widely known all the market numbers are fudged, or generated to be politically expedient. Example: the US unemployment index keeps dropping. What they don't tell you is the number is based on those looking for work. It doesn't count those off unemployment or over one year out of work. Nearly 94,000,000.00 ppl are out of work that could be working. With unemployment so high, however, ironically disability has skyrocketed- you can only claim based on employment. There should be a corresponding drop in disability. More gov handouts to placate and make dependent the masses. Thailand: don't do this. You'll destroy the future.

6. The FED, a wholly evil, usury based cabal of private family bankers is NOT Federal! The fed refuses to allow it's employer- the USA- audit. Sever learned however, that the Fed has made illegal or non oversight loans in the countless billions of dollars to other foreign banks. This is not compassion of the Americans, this is theft. The Fed printed money that the US citizens pay for, loaned it abroad, made a profit and the return of the principle is untraceable. The Central Bank of the US provokes the various color and other wars around the world to initiate or leverage central banks to ingrained the petrol dollar and US backed reserve. This is what happened in Libya, Tunisia, others, and of course was a main goal of the leverage applied to Thailand. Thailand will of course have no part of this BS because the Thai people are actually more awake then Americans and realize what was happening. Also, the current leadership is having to navigate treacherous colonial waters as previous Kings have. They are well aware that the Fed, IMF, and World Bank or a Wolf in Sheep's clothing.

I'll wrap up all your other egregious points that you assert Thailand should seek to emulate by grouping them all together. America's overseas policy can best be summed up by a String of Pearls. A string of pearls is the agenda to encircle China's regional ambitions. A string of pearls to force Iran to retreat regionally, but again applying this perhaps effective strategy to Russia is a fools errand. This is the totality of this posters remaining points summed up in US meddling, instigation, passive support of genocide, duplicity, mad arrogance moving aggressively on Russia- a string of pearls player in Syria, attacked at home in Ukraine to exact concessions in Syria (See Which Path to Persia? China String of Pearls policy, etc). Thailand! Do not emulate this decaying empire.

The lessons to learn from America since its 2008 economic meltdown are much more basic and numerous:

 

(1) Democracy continued to survive without any violation of the Constitution or Bill of Rights 

(2) There was peaceful regime changes through elections in accordance with State and Federal Constitutions 

(3) All America's democratic institutions remained intact

(4) There was no military coup, no suspension of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights

(5) Through elected political leadership the economy has recovered to its 2007 levels with a vibrant stock market

(6) Despite its own economic problems the US aided in the economic recovery of many other nations

(7) Despite its own economic problems the US provided humantarian assistance to many other nations

(8) Despite its own economic problems the US continued to act as a peacebroker in conflicts throughout the world at the request of many nations.

(9) Despite its own economic problems the US continued to provide aid in the national security of other democratic nations 

 

What Gen. Prayuth should know about Thailand:

 

(1) Thai military holds absolute power over all the government's institutions

(2) Thailand never had a "true" democracy much less a Western-style democracy

(3) The Thai constitution is not inviolate and should be written more practically on an Etch-A-Sketch

(4) Obediance is not loyalty

(5) Gratitude is not loyalty

(6) Tolerance is not concession

(7) People want to control their own destiny 

 

As US President Obama said essentially during his visit to Thailand in a press conference, achieving democracy like that of the US can be a difficult and long process, full of challenges to change ... Change won't come overnight but people must presevere and accept the challenges as part of the growth of a nation to one that is governed for the People by the People. 

"and accept the challenges as part of the growth of a nation to one that is governed for the People by the People."   

 

USA  are you referring to, or Atlantis?

There's only 1 thing the general should learn from America.

Do not become the same as America, because there is not such thing as Democracy and a good economy in that English province.

They, are if they had to pay all there debts, the poorest country in the world, and they live and believe in hot air.

Learning lessons of history helps us not to make the same mistakes again. Forgive me if I am wrong but I am of the opinion that history is not taught in Thailand, well world history anyway, perhaps thats why the same mistakes contnue to be made possibly.

There are many lessons General Prayuth could learn, the trick is to pick the right ones.

Learning lessons of history helps us not to make the same mistakes again. Forgive me if I am wrong but I am of the opinion that history is not taught in Thailand, well world history anyway, perhaps thats why the same mistakes contnue to be made possibly.

There are many lessons General Prayuth could learn, the trick is to pick the right ones.

 

No, Thailand is just simply copying what is invented in other countries without any reasons behind....  

The lessons to learn from America since its 2008 economic meltdown are much more basic and numerous:

 

(1) Democracy continued to survive without any violation of the Constitution or Bill of Rights 

(2) There was peaceful regime changes through elections in accordance with State and Federal Constitutions 

(3) All America's democratic institutions remained intact

(4) There was no military coup, no suspension of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights

(5) Through elected political leadership the economy has recovered to its 2007 levels with a vibrant stock market

(6) Despite its own economic problems the US aided in the economic recovery of many other nations

(7) Despite its own economic problems the US provided humantarian assistance to many other nations

(8) Despite its own economic problems the US continued to act as a peacebroker in conflicts throughout the world at the request of many nations.

(9) Despite its own economic problems the US continued to provide aid in the national security of other democratic nations 

Did you meant:

 

(1) Multinational Trading Corporation and banks gave the people the illusion that Democracy continued to survive without any violation of the Constitution or Bill of Rights 

 

(2) The above fully managed peaceful regime changes through elections in accordance with State and Federal Constitutions according to their own interests, having both parties in their hands

 

(3) All America's democratic institutions remained intact and focused on increasing revenue and return of investment of said companies, while the poor went poorer

 

(4) Their is no need for a  military coup, no suspension of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights as their interests are protected by point 1, 2 and 3.

 

(5) Through the illusion of autonomous elected political leadership the economy has recovered to its 2007 levels with a vibrant stock market that increased profit and ROI of those corporations

 

(6) Despite its own economic problems the US aided in the economic recovery of many other nations, which all have natural resource than the US need, or political strategy position or are potential markets to be opened (see profit and ROI)

 

(7) Despite its own economic problems the US provided humantarian assistance to many other nations; about the same list as point 6

 

(8) Despite its own economic problems the US continued to act as a peacebroker in conflicts throughout the world at the request of many nations; see point 6 again, commercial profits are rising; if point 6 doesn't apply; point 6 again: can we sell them some weapon?

 

(9) Despite its own economic problems the US continued to provide aid in the national security of other democratic nations, especially since the corporations listed in above points also have high commercial interest and investments in those countries.

 

 

Praise the US Multinational corporations for taking care of the people Shareholders.....

 

Should learn from America yes, and do things differently...

Might be too late already though....

What the General can learn from America is what NOT to do. America is a failing country and only Americans fail to see this. While never perfect, I believe we were trying, not anymore. Highest prison population in the world. Thanks to vouchers/charter schools, teaching to pass only tests, Americans are no longer educated. There is virtually no Middle/Working class left and if the koch (John Birch Society) brothers, their fellow traveler right wing plutocrats and corporations have their way there will be no jobs left but flipping burgers. Congress, the Executive branch and Supreme Court (gang of 5) are owned by the plutocrats. Bush started it, Obama is finishing the destruction of the Constitution while he supports the banksters and Wall Street criminals. While not quite completed, America is well on its way to a Corporate/Police/Surveilance State. The government has access to everything you do, tracks your movements, who you call, who you email, who you meet with etc. The militarized cops will shoot you in a heart beat, especially if you a person of color or obviously poor. The media is controled by 6 right wing corporations that act as a propaganda arm of the so-called government. Faux news spews its right wing hate propaganda message daily and some people even listen to it, worse yet, some believe it. War criminals are allowed to roam free and vomit their crap while those that told the truth sit in prison. Real reporters, few left, are harrassed and some even face jail. Whistle blowers are punished like never before. The infrastructure is crumbling and there are no plans to fix it. The military is overworked, overstressed and riddled with PTSD from fighting wars that should have never been fought. America is owned by the multi-national corporations, banksters, Wall Street criminals, plutocrats that destroyed the economy from which it will never recover unless there is a "revolution" and "too big to fail" banks are broken up and the "too big to jail" CEO's etc. are imprisoned. Keep GitMo open, for those that really belong there. Yes, the General can learn an awful lot from America, what NOT to do.