Coming to terms with my feelings. Long, sorry.
- Thread starter Tsing Tao
- Start date
.
Wanna know why they are still tribes, living in huts, suffering from disease and all the other ills of a primative society? `Cuz they didn't have liberty,self reliance, property rights and Capitialism. These are the source of American Exceptionalism, making the USA the greatest country in the world.
I'm sure some dolt would like to resond with "Yeah but they have x!" And if so, WTF don't you (or that dolt) go live with them? LOL.
But now we've traded all that in. We're big into punishing people who produce and make the country work, and rewarding people who do not. And we're extra big into borrowing from the future to buy all sorts of snazzy goodies today. Party on, dudes! `Cuz when this party is over, the capable and competent will do well relative to the rest of the losers. And the best and brightest will already be gone.
Let me guess you contracted kuru disease.
brain rot for a better term
It does explain your dementia.
Quote from Lucrum:
Who farted had sex with a monkey?
The truth may be even more disturbing.
Eating the brains of dead people see post above .
Quote from Lucrum:
Who farted had sex with a monkey?
Actually, that was my Dad.
My Gawd, brain eating, monkeys, is it any wonder why the GOP lost so badly? With supporters like this, who needs the Democrats to fight the battle. Sad and sick.
Even Meghan McCain is running away from the GOP today. Not sure if that's good or bad for the GOP. The Rush meltdown was incredible, Oreilly is a close, and Rove, well, the funniest of them all.
Even Meghan McCain is running away from the GOP today. Not sure if that's good or bad for the GOP. The Rush meltdown was incredible, Oreilly is a close, and Rove, well, the funniest of them all.
I very carefully read every post in this thread.
My response is long and I'll understand if folks don't want to slog through a diatribe like this. I've spent years in here throwing bombs so I guess my reputation isn't for deep thought or constructive ideas. I'll understand.
It is possible to literally sense Tsing Tao's sadness from his post. He is genuinely disappointed with our country and concerned for his children. He is disillusioned with the family members and friends who blindly voted for our destruction. He is questioning his relationships with those people. He is wondering if there is a better place to live. He is a little uncomfortable about taking money from the system. It was a tough read because Tsing Tao is a strong and frighteningly smart man and it made me feel awful to see him soul-searching like this. It really isn't about his own comfort or materialism, it seems to be all about his kids and their future IMHO.
I also saw a couple of people taking pleasure in TT's anguish. Ricter's posts were the most notable for this. I have mentioned that I like Ricter and I felt genuine concern for him when he had gone missing for a short time. He is interesting and I was fascinated when he was setting up his farm and thought I could get to know him. Lately is has become evident that he despises me personally and that he hates most of the people in P&R who harbor conservative political views. Ricter used to transcend those differences and was regarded as a constructive debater if somewhat cryptic. I think he has changed and I sincerely hope it isn't due to illness or anything bad going on in his life. People get older and sometimes they get mean. Or maybe he has just decided that it is futile to try to win hearts and minds in this place. I might be doing the same thing.
First, the People Problem. Over the last few years I've been confronted with some friends and family members who have so thoroughly screwed up their lives that my continued interaction with them became a threat to my happiness and economic stability. It was my father who had to clue me in as to what to do about these toxic people. Its simple, toxic people get thrown out of my life. There simply isn't room in my heart or my bankbook for them. I can tolerate someone being a liberal (my fiancée voted for Obama) but if they are in my face about it they are tossed out of my life. My fiancée offered to vote for Romney/Ryan when I made it clear how important it was to me but in the end I thought she should vote the way her heart told her to and she did. She is starting to ask the right questions though. The point is that she was interested in being a partner and was listening to me and not being a toxic person. There are others in my family that get in my face about being conservative and I'm simply no longer going to attend family functions. Toxic means that a person has become a financial burden or an emotional burden. It can mean that they are a bad influence on your family or yourself. Toxic can mean simply that a person is enthusiastically voting for ideas that threaten your lifestyle or threaten the future of your kids. I'm not saying that your mother is toxic because you send her a little money every month. But if, say, she was making constant large and unreasonable demands for money and that money was essential for you to pay your own bills and she obviously didn't care what effect it had on your family then she might be considered to be toxic. Toxic people have to go. Life is short.
One philosophical question that is repeated through this thread is the notion of "taking". The idea is that if we are clearly a producer in the USA we're going to have our assets looted while people who aren't producers will take from our economy in the form of housing assistance, food EBT, non-food EBT, utility assistance, free access to communications (phone, internet), transportation assistance, disability pensions and a tax system that will put a heavy burden on the producers and give the takers a pass. My personal view is that if you are close to retirement and have tucked your assets away out of sight then there is no reason you shouldn't get some of the free stuff that is available.
An long time friend of mine is living in an absolutely free 2 bedroom condo that is about 10 years old and located in a nice neighborhood. She doesn't pay for electric power or water. She has a foster child that she cares for and receives a surprising amount of cash for his care. She does not pay any income tax. She receives an EBT card (foodstamps basically) for food and another EBT card for things like gasoline, clothing, non-food items. She gets food assistance from another program relating to the foster child that supplies milk, fruit, cereal and other specific food items. Her foster child is picked up daily by bus and taken to Head Start where he is fed twice and plays with other kids. She and her foster son both receive completely free medical care with no co-payment and free prescription drugs. She just received a free cellular phone (yep, an Obamaphone) and has 250 minutes free time per month. She has an internet connection for free that is reasonably fast. She seems to be a professional mom and I was stunned at how nice her place is. It is immaculate and spacious with park-like green spaces just out the back door and no gang-bangers or obvious drug dealers or lowlifes hanging around on the corner or anywhere that I saw.
continued...
My response is long and I'll understand if folks don't want to slog through a diatribe like this. I've spent years in here throwing bombs so I guess my reputation isn't for deep thought or constructive ideas. I'll understand.
It is possible to literally sense Tsing Tao's sadness from his post. He is genuinely disappointed with our country and concerned for his children. He is disillusioned with the family members and friends who blindly voted for our destruction. He is questioning his relationships with those people. He is wondering if there is a better place to live. He is a little uncomfortable about taking money from the system. It was a tough read because Tsing Tao is a strong and frighteningly smart man and it made me feel awful to see him soul-searching like this. It really isn't about his own comfort or materialism, it seems to be all about his kids and their future IMHO.
I also saw a couple of people taking pleasure in TT's anguish. Ricter's posts were the most notable for this. I have mentioned that I like Ricter and I felt genuine concern for him when he had gone missing for a short time. He is interesting and I was fascinated when he was setting up his farm and thought I could get to know him. Lately is has become evident that he despises me personally and that he hates most of the people in P&R who harbor conservative political views. Ricter used to transcend those differences and was regarded as a constructive debater if somewhat cryptic. I think he has changed and I sincerely hope it isn't due to illness or anything bad going on in his life. People get older and sometimes they get mean. Or maybe he has just decided that it is futile to try to win hearts and minds in this place. I might be doing the same thing.
First, the People Problem. Over the last few years I've been confronted with some friends and family members who have so thoroughly screwed up their lives that my continued interaction with them became a threat to my happiness and economic stability. It was my father who had to clue me in as to what to do about these toxic people. Its simple, toxic people get thrown out of my life. There simply isn't room in my heart or my bankbook for them. I can tolerate someone being a liberal (my fiancée voted for Obama) but if they are in my face about it they are tossed out of my life. My fiancée offered to vote for Romney/Ryan when I made it clear how important it was to me but in the end I thought she should vote the way her heart told her to and she did. She is starting to ask the right questions though. The point is that she was interested in being a partner and was listening to me and not being a toxic person. There are others in my family that get in my face about being conservative and I'm simply no longer going to attend family functions. Toxic means that a person has become a financial burden or an emotional burden. It can mean that they are a bad influence on your family or yourself. Toxic can mean simply that a person is enthusiastically voting for ideas that threaten your lifestyle or threaten the future of your kids. I'm not saying that your mother is toxic because you send her a little money every month. But if, say, she was making constant large and unreasonable demands for money and that money was essential for you to pay your own bills and she obviously didn't care what effect it had on your family then she might be considered to be toxic. Toxic people have to go. Life is short.
One philosophical question that is repeated through this thread is the notion of "taking". The idea is that if we are clearly a producer in the USA we're going to have our assets looted while people who aren't producers will take from our economy in the form of housing assistance, food EBT, non-food EBT, utility assistance, free access to communications (phone, internet), transportation assistance, disability pensions and a tax system that will put a heavy burden on the producers and give the takers a pass. My personal view is that if you are close to retirement and have tucked your assets away out of sight then there is no reason you shouldn't get some of the free stuff that is available.
An long time friend of mine is living in an absolutely free 2 bedroom condo that is about 10 years old and located in a nice neighborhood. She doesn't pay for electric power or water. She has a foster child that she cares for and receives a surprising amount of cash for his care. She does not pay any income tax. She receives an EBT card (foodstamps basically) for food and another EBT card for things like gasoline, clothing, non-food items. She gets food assistance from another program relating to the foster child that supplies milk, fruit, cereal and other specific food items. Her foster child is picked up daily by bus and taken to Head Start where he is fed twice and plays with other kids. She and her foster son both receive completely free medical care with no co-payment and free prescription drugs. She just received a free cellular phone (yep, an Obamaphone) and has 250 minutes free time per month. She has an internet connection for free that is reasonably fast. She seems to be a professional mom and I was stunned at how nice her place is. It is immaculate and spacious with park-like green spaces just out the back door and no gang-bangers or obvious drug dealers or lowlifes hanging around on the corner or anywhere that I saw.
continued...
continuation...
My fiancée and I talk about it a lot because she has an adopted son from India that is "developmentally disabled" who will become my stepson. He wasn't fed adequately as an infant and didn't get enough contact with people so he is behind about a year in school and sometimes has a small delay in processing information. I mention it because my fiancée is eligible for all kinds of different assistance that she does not apply for. She could receive thousands of dollars per month in assistance and would also qualify for many of the things I mentioned that my foster-mother friend receives just by making a few alterations in her accounting, applying and then staying compliant with the qualifying conditions.
We've had discussions about a hypothetical lifestyle where we would take advantage of every possible form of government assistance you've ever heard of and a few that you probably haven't heard of. Some involve me attending graduate school and becoming a grant recipient on a large scale (I got some research grants when I was in engineering school so I've been exposed to the process). Other features include she and I doing all kinds of free-lance work with income handled by foundations or non-profit organizations that pay us a salary or supply non-traditional compensation like access to vehicles, offices, homes etc. I am a world-ranked MATLAB author so that factor could be a component with consulting etc. If at this moment you shout out "bullshit!" to yourself I don't blame you as it sounds like it but I would just say that there has been a moderate amount of research and discussion and some of it leaves she and I looking at each other and shaking our heads in disbelief at the possibilities. We could literally become skilled and proficient "takers" on a professional scale. My previous income does not seem to preclude any of this.
We have already made the decision to continue to reside in North America.
It has become more difficult to get tax relief by being an ex-patriot resident of a foreign country and the US government is making it more difficult by the minute. Even if you renounce you are still liable for US income taxes for a period of time and it is very hard to get a passport and residency in a foreign country that you would actually want to live in. If you take Thailand as an example there are less than 300 foreign people per year who Thailand grants permanent residency or citizenship to. If you are over 50 you can get a retirement visa but you must periodically certify your income and eventually you have to leave Thailand to renew your visa so people have to make a trip to neighboring countries and they get very tired of it. Being married to a Thai national does not solve the problem. Additionally it is quite difficult to get a Work Permit and the Thai immigration people are completely anal about what is considered work. There is a constant stream of stories about guys who carry a case of soda into their wife's restaurant from their car and get busted for working without a permit. You cannot own land or real-estate (there is an exception, you can own a condominium that is not on the ground floor) so many guys marry a Thai girl and keep homes in the wifeâs name. Many professions are restricted by the Thai government so that only Thai citizens can do the work.
When I was considering moving to Thailand I was researching various aspects of the move and about living there and I learned a few things about foreign banking. Since Iâm just going on endlessly here Iâll share two things that were pretty interesting and practical.
First I learned that Schwab Bank is possibly the best bank in the world for people who travel or reside out of the country. There are absolutely no ATM fees *worldwide* and even if a bank charges you an ATM fee Schwab compensates you for that fee at the end of the month. This has proven to be very handy as it is nearly impossible these days to make a withdrawal from an ATM without paying a fee. Schwab also does not charge a fee for electronic transfers between banks and I have found it useful to have a brokerage account for securities that I intend to hold long term that has a checking account linked to it. Their customer service is amazing and a human being can be reached 24x7x365. I have their âbrokerage account with high interest checkingâ and there are no account fees or service charges, no minimum balances and they accept photographic deposits. There are no charges for checks and they have electronic bill payment with no associated fees. They only have one branch and that is in Reno so perhaps not suitable for people who like to visit the bank in-person.
The second banking related thing I learned that is useful and practical sounds a little like money laundering but it isnât and is done very commonly by US expats in Thailand but it still surprised me.
You can open an account with Bangkok Bank (BKK) in New York City (the account must be established at the NYC branch) and deposit US funds in dollars. This is a US bank account. You can then open a Bangkok Bank account in Thailand that is a Thai bank account in Thai currency (baht). For a very reasonable transfer and currency conversion fee you can transfer funds from the NYC account to the local account in Thailand into baht which is available at local thai branches, ATMs etc. The local BKK branches in Thailand will cut you a cashierâs check upon request that you can use to buy big-ticket items in Thailand. You can also take a BKK cashierâs check across the street to Kasikorn (thai farmers bank lol), Siam Commercial or Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) International and open local thai bank accounts and *other* types of accounts as needed.
Getting back to the topic, I think Tsing Tao is simply making a few rational decisions to preserve capital by curtailing charitable contributions in the face of unreasonable taxation, removing a few people from his life who clearly donât have his interests or well-being in the their minds whatsoever and putting the future of his kids into the forefront of his thinking. It is admirable and respectable.
My fiancée and I talk about it a lot because she has an adopted son from India that is "developmentally disabled" who will become my stepson. He wasn't fed adequately as an infant and didn't get enough contact with people so he is behind about a year in school and sometimes has a small delay in processing information. I mention it because my fiancée is eligible for all kinds of different assistance that she does not apply for. She could receive thousands of dollars per month in assistance and would also qualify for many of the things I mentioned that my foster-mother friend receives just by making a few alterations in her accounting, applying and then staying compliant with the qualifying conditions.
We've had discussions about a hypothetical lifestyle where we would take advantage of every possible form of government assistance you've ever heard of and a few that you probably haven't heard of. Some involve me attending graduate school and becoming a grant recipient on a large scale (I got some research grants when I was in engineering school so I've been exposed to the process). Other features include she and I doing all kinds of free-lance work with income handled by foundations or non-profit organizations that pay us a salary or supply non-traditional compensation like access to vehicles, offices, homes etc. I am a world-ranked MATLAB author so that factor could be a component with consulting etc. If at this moment you shout out "bullshit!" to yourself I don't blame you as it sounds like it but I would just say that there has been a moderate amount of research and discussion and some of it leaves she and I looking at each other and shaking our heads in disbelief at the possibilities. We could literally become skilled and proficient "takers" on a professional scale. My previous income does not seem to preclude any of this.
We have already made the decision to continue to reside in North America.
It has become more difficult to get tax relief by being an ex-patriot resident of a foreign country and the US government is making it more difficult by the minute. Even if you renounce you are still liable for US income taxes for a period of time and it is very hard to get a passport and residency in a foreign country that you would actually want to live in. If you take Thailand as an example there are less than 300 foreign people per year who Thailand grants permanent residency or citizenship to. If you are over 50 you can get a retirement visa but you must periodically certify your income and eventually you have to leave Thailand to renew your visa so people have to make a trip to neighboring countries and they get very tired of it. Being married to a Thai national does not solve the problem. Additionally it is quite difficult to get a Work Permit and the Thai immigration people are completely anal about what is considered work. There is a constant stream of stories about guys who carry a case of soda into their wife's restaurant from their car and get busted for working without a permit. You cannot own land or real-estate (there is an exception, you can own a condominium that is not on the ground floor) so many guys marry a Thai girl and keep homes in the wifeâs name. Many professions are restricted by the Thai government so that only Thai citizens can do the work.
When I was considering moving to Thailand I was researching various aspects of the move and about living there and I learned a few things about foreign banking. Since Iâm just going on endlessly here Iâll share two things that were pretty interesting and practical.
First I learned that Schwab Bank is possibly the best bank in the world for people who travel or reside out of the country. There are absolutely no ATM fees *worldwide* and even if a bank charges you an ATM fee Schwab compensates you for that fee at the end of the month. This has proven to be very handy as it is nearly impossible these days to make a withdrawal from an ATM without paying a fee. Schwab also does not charge a fee for electronic transfers between banks and I have found it useful to have a brokerage account for securities that I intend to hold long term that has a checking account linked to it. Their customer service is amazing and a human being can be reached 24x7x365. I have their âbrokerage account with high interest checkingâ and there are no account fees or service charges, no minimum balances and they accept photographic deposits. There are no charges for checks and they have electronic bill payment with no associated fees. They only have one branch and that is in Reno so perhaps not suitable for people who like to visit the bank in-person.
The second banking related thing I learned that is useful and practical sounds a little like money laundering but it isnât and is done very commonly by US expats in Thailand but it still surprised me.
You can open an account with Bangkok Bank (BKK) in New York City (the account must be established at the NYC branch) and deposit US funds in dollars. This is a US bank account. You can then open a Bangkok Bank account in Thailand that is a Thai bank account in Thai currency (baht). For a very reasonable transfer and currency conversion fee you can transfer funds from the NYC account to the local account in Thailand into baht which is available at local thai branches, ATMs etc. The local BKK branches in Thailand will cut you a cashierâs check upon request that you can use to buy big-ticket items in Thailand. You can also take a BKK cashierâs check across the street to Kasikorn (thai farmers bank lol), Siam Commercial or Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) International and open local thai bank accounts and *other* types of accounts as needed.
Getting back to the topic, I think Tsing Tao is simply making a few rational decisions to preserve capital by curtailing charitable contributions in the face of unreasonable taxation, removing a few people from his life who clearly donât have his interests or well-being in the their minds whatsoever and putting the future of his kids into the forefront of his thinking. It is admirable and respectable.
Tsing Tao, is this you? http://www.libertarianrepublican.net/2012/11/the-end-of-liberty-in-america-only.html
an excerpt:
"However, for me, I'm choosing another rather unique path; a personal boycott, if you will. Starting early this morning, I am going to un-friend every single individual on Facebook who voted for Obama, or I even suspect may have Democrat leanings. I will do the same in person. All family and friends, even close family and friends, who I know to be Democrats are hereby dead to me. I vow never to speak to them again for the rest of my life, or have any communications with them. They are in short, the enemies of liberty. They deserve nothing less than hatred and utter contempt.
I strongly urge all other libertarians to do the same. Are you married to someone who voted for Obama, have a girlfriend who voted 'O'. Divorce them. Break up with them without haste. Vow not to attend family functions, Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas for example, if there will be any family members in attendance who are Democrats.
Do you work for someone who voted for Obama? Quit your job. Co-workers who voted for Obama. Simply don't talk to them in the workplace, unless your boss instructs you too for work-related only purposes. Have clients who voted Democrat? Call them up this morning and tell them to take their business elsewhere.
Have a neighbor who votes for Obama? You could take a crap on their lawn. Then again, probably not a good idea since it would be technically illegal to do this. But you could have your dog take care of business. Not your fault if he just happens to choose that particular spot.
And start your boycott of your Democrat friends and family today. Like this morning. First thing you can do, very easy, is to un-friend all Democrats from your Facebook account."
an excerpt:
"However, for me, I'm choosing another rather unique path; a personal boycott, if you will. Starting early this morning, I am going to un-friend every single individual on Facebook who voted for Obama, or I even suspect may have Democrat leanings. I will do the same in person. All family and friends, even close family and friends, who I know to be Democrats are hereby dead to me. I vow never to speak to them again for the rest of my life, or have any communications with them. They are in short, the enemies of liberty. They deserve nothing less than hatred and utter contempt.
I strongly urge all other libertarians to do the same. Are you married to someone who voted for Obama, have a girlfriend who voted 'O'. Divorce them. Break up with them without haste. Vow not to attend family functions, Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas for example, if there will be any family members in attendance who are Democrats.
Do you work for someone who voted for Obama? Quit your job. Co-workers who voted for Obama. Simply don't talk to them in the workplace, unless your boss instructs you too for work-related only purposes. Have clients who voted Democrat? Call them up this morning and tell them to take their business elsewhere.
Have a neighbor who votes for Obama? You could take a crap on their lawn. Then again, probably not a good idea since it would be technically illegal to do this. But you could have your dog take care of business. Not your fault if he just happens to choose that particular spot.
And start your boycott of your Democrat friends and family today. Like this morning. First thing you can do, very easy, is to un-friend all Democrats from your Facebook account."