cardinalblue Posted September 23, 2006 Report Share Posted September 23, 2006 I guess you have never read Lincoln's work... CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gadfly Posted September 23, 2006 Report Share Posted September 23, 2006 Actually the US response - from what I can read here - has been relatively muted compared to the response from Australia, New Zealand and the UK. The US Embassy/AMCHAM advisory didn't even suggesting that Americans not visit Thailand; it only advised avoiding political demonstrations (commonsense) when in Thailand. By contrast, New Zealand issued an advisory telling its citizens not to visit Thailand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cardinalblue Posted September 23, 2006 Report Share Posted September 23, 2006 If your point is to fix domestic matters first, that is fine. The US waste way too much money in many areas across the board. Whatever the current gov in place is, they prioritize the issues. They elected not to guve enough aid to New Orleans?Florida diasters or solve the US health care problems. But if they wanted to they could. They just elected not to to the dismay of many americans... But to make broad, sweeping statements like LOS has more money than america or the Thai economy is better than California's is just ridiculous. The standard of living per capita is much higher in america than thailand even with the higher costs. Ths salaries and benefits and all the private and public safety nets that america has more than counter high the cost of living. It doesn't mean there isn't poverty, people having trouble having ends meet, etc. What Thailand lacks is a huge middle class. Thailand has not advanced from its newly industrizied nation label nor its developing econ status that both the World Bank and the World Health Organization deem it. If anything LOS had been passed up some of its comparable neigbors or lost ground in the last 10 years... America is so wealthy and the average american compared to the average Thai citizen, it is embarassing. It doesn't mean the US gov doesn't waste money or run up huge debt. But it goes in cycles... It sound like you bought into that social security or Medicare won't be around tomorrow. They have been saying that for the last 30 years. It will be there in 20 years when i retire or need it. It will probably be less in terms of percentage but a system of some sort will be there... I wouldn't be waving the 30 baht health scheme as a winner. It is already in trouble in its infancy stage. There is no effective quality control in place in Thai gov health care delivery systems. I had the chance to work two years at BGH and then two years at the Thai Ministry of Public Health. I will tell you there is an incredible gap between Thai private and public health care much more so than what is left of county hospitals in america and its private health care. The last year i worked there in 1999, public health care represented only 15% of the total health care costs excluding gov reimbursement. It has all been privatized or gov reimbursed. Public medicine started to die in the mid 1980's... For all the falangs living here, you need to ask yourself for 90% of them where does their income comes from; it ain't thailand because it isn't there to be made. They are living off the riches of their home country...... CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 23, 2006 Report Share Posted September 23, 2006 Adawes' date=' you are hilarious once again.[/quote'] Thank you. you only seem to comment when there is an item you have deemed anti-american. And you are a liar. You didn't even check my previous messages before lying. Once again facts don't get in the way of your emotions. You have zero credibility, and compounded that by a whacko conspiracy theory over my ID. I only have the one. Nice try at changing the subject, but it didn't work. And even if I did only comment on your America bashing rants, that doesn't make them any less true, nor am I required to post comments on messages that are of no interest to me. Typical hyperbole...and you accuse me of being contradictory! LOL Ok, this appears to be difficult for you to grasp, so i'll try to do it simply for you... The US president and his administration is not America. One is a small (relatively speaking) collection of people voted into power, albeit temporarily, by the people....that will be bush et al. The other is a large group of people who call America their homeland. Do you understand the difference? If one criticises bush et al. it does not mean the whole country is being criticised....i presume you are a republican? Please try to be accurate in your points, before you flame me or accuse me of things i don't think/feel/do. Thankyou. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texascity Posted September 23, 2006 Report Share Posted September 23, 2006 1st question is "how is rich defined" .. in america it is generally measured in assets possessed .. owned by a bank or the individual (or China) is not part of that measure. Can personal richness be measured in happiness? personal satisfaction? Anyone who has sat by a houch, without doors or plumbing, in Buri Ram surrounded by an incredable & wonderful happiness knows of the glorious personal richness to which I refer. or at a vacated vendors table under street lamps on a dirt soi deep in Thon Buri .. surrounded by smiles By those measures the average LOS resident (or american illegal for that matter) wins smiles down! & IMHO, that MAY BE the measure that really matters. & the relative happiness of farang sodom-ized BGs should be discounted. Walk down Sukhumvet & count farang smiles .. one hand per block might be all you need. & most of those are (pretend) 'mouth smiles' & not the real facial smile of a Thai .. Thais exhibit smiles flowing from the spitit / soul not directed by the brain. to contend that average Thais have more physical assets / possessions than Americans or Europeans is rather silly. Most of Thailand is far from fiscally rich but very physically rich. sickly (75% comical pom poo-e [sp] ) & miserable farangs striving solely for physical assets & talking down to a happy person is so (in secure) farang. a huge % of current radical American-ism is demonstrated by radical religious fanatics .. IMHO, America is as terribly radical as any non-biblical faction. "Ashcroft went on to say that our way of life is being threatened by a group of radical religious fanatics who are armed and dangerous. And then he called for christian prayers in the schools and an end to gun control." - Jay Leno & the guys supported by Thai lasses are more Tom Cruise than I. & some might want the ask the people of east timor, chile or central america about how great a person kissinger is. I've refrained from posting here bouts for some time due to the beligerance & crony-ism on this forum, exhibited by both farang & nonfarang alike. any person who has an idea / belief differing from some of the dominate posters is flamed (often condoned flamage) .. & this is the 'small pond to dominate' for some of the posters. I came back around due to the coup & have had my opinion reinforced by all the pissing contests. present a position on a point without a definative answer ... & get personally attacked / flamed by a person with a special interest / opinion that contrasts with your equally nebula like opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cardinalblue Posted September 23, 2006 Report Share Posted September 23, 2006 TC, Not sure why you elected to take this thread another direction or broaden the definition of rich.. Sure, a country is can be judged in richness in other areas other than economically. But this thread is about economics, foreign aid and the wealth of two countries. One doeesn't start a term paper with a specific title and opening paragraph but then somewhere in the middle direct it towards other defintions of the term "rich"..That would be a poor example of direction, lack of focus, getting away from the central theme of economics and wealth, unable to argument specific points for or against, etc. We call that wandering aimlessly resulting in a very poor evaluation.. This is not about social or cultural richness but about statements made that can be supported or refuted by simple and/or complex facts. Some statements gravitate towards opinions and beliefs like current american foreign policies suck or damn those american imperialists, whatever. Social or political are ideal for this... But others statements can be much more factual in nature like geography, economics, health and safety concerns, environmental issues, etc where data, units of measurement, specific criteria can be cited... As my professors would have said, where are you going with your thread? You are all over the place; get specific; don't wander; stay focus on one theme and support, support, support; you have five different main topics yet haven't supported any of them. I guess professors do have an impact on students after all. By the way, TO won't last more than two years in Dallas! CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khun Hunter Posted September 23, 2006 Report Share Posted September 23, 2006 Very true, a single US state like California has the fifth largest economy in the world, and thus much more income. If you add in New York and Florida either state alone has a larger GNP than the LOS and offers much more stability for businesses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cardinalblue Posted September 23, 2006 Report Share Posted September 23, 2006 I haven't looked at those econ stats in a long time though it has always been well-known the strength of california It would be much more appropriate to compare industrilized countries to each other and dev ones to each other... Just curious, where does india and china stand on that list? Surely they have moved up in aggregate the last ten years. Per capitia i would assume would be much lower as huge populations with sizeable poor poulations would really hurt per capitia and sub-regional stats. People who live in BKK forget that this represents only 15% of their population and forget to factor in the huge rural poor into their equation. I remember incredible income and wealth disproportions when comparing bkk residents and wage earners and the rest of the country. People forget that 80% of the population and countryside is still rural. When looking at thailand as a country of 65 million, the average thai person is economically poor... CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texascity Posted September 23, 2006 Report Share Posted September 23, 2006 I apoligize for my ignorance. The only proper measure of richness is via bank account. & I concede the only proper measure of societal success is via GNP's measure of richness & I also agree that the society that is most successful is the one with the gratest GNP .. & all other societies are second class failures compared to the greatness of the Americans. I concede a life without TIVO is a life without meaning, a happy society / person without a plethora of measurable physical possessions is obviously a confused society / person who has failed in the eyes of the winning Americans. a society not focused on possessions is obviously wrong, backward & improperly focused & one that does not understand the true meaning of wealth. & the extension of my concessions is that Thai are obviously a failed society .. based on the criteria that I amiably concede too. I submit to your advanced schooling, wisdon & American criteria. & shall again fade into cyber space oh, the world view of American values was grandly demonstrated at the UN this week .. the level of acceptance demonstrated to the leader of the world's greatest & most admired society by the global community confirms the globe's misplaced measures of success / richness. Kinky for Gov., the last thing Texas needs is more preppie yell boys on Congress Ave. bye rich: Having an abundant supply: rich in ideas .. or rich in happiness. http://www.tfd.com/rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bangkoktraveler Posted September 23, 2006 Report Share Posted September 23, 2006 Nice posting Texascity. [color:red]"1st question is "how is rich defined" .. in america it is generally measured in assets possessed .. owned by a bank or the individual (or China) is not part of that measure. Can personal richness be measured in happiness? personal satisfaction?" [/color] How is rich defined? Beats the hell out of me. But if happiness is put in the equation as you mentioned, then I would say Thailand over a long shot over Thailand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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