still holding down the fort. it said 5deg when i got up, i think it was lying... and you?
Posted on 01/05/2017 7:15:12 PM PST by tcrlaf
He could get rid of Ruth (Bride of Nosferatu) Ginsberg just by opening a window and allowing daylight to hit her....
And that’s the TROOF! Thpbpbpbpbph!
I’ve tried to tell people that Old Man Kennedy was nothing but a robber baron, and almost got run out of town! But the Clintons have nothing on him. They just updated the methods.
How’s it going, you?
I was waiting to see that list, but I don’t know why. Anyway, thanks for satisfying my curiosity. ;o]
‘Face
I’ve hung around a couple of embassies and it seems the chargé d’affaires is the real brains of the outfit. They are the career State Department folk.
still holding down the fort. it said 5deg when i got up, i think it was lying... and you?
Cold for the desert — 32 right now, but at least the wind of the last three cold days has decided to stop blowing. For now, anyway. It has been icy for this place.
At least I’m alive to complain! LOL!
We all have to learn to knock it off when it’s time to hang it up...hard to do sometimes but necessary. I usually have a 9 pm checkout time for catching up on TV news or a favorite or two TV show and reading before turning out the lights!! 4 AM is WAY past time to get to bed. That’s the time I wake up and can’t get back to sleep - never the time I hit the hay.
and that's the main thing... 8^)
FWIW, political ambassadors are generally given plum assignments like Ottawa, London, Paris, Berlin and Tokyo. They get those assignments because they were mega donors and/or raised megabucks.
For relative pocket change, they can move out of the embassy and pay cash for their quarters and school tuition if they are so concerned about interrupting their kid's school year.
Going back in my life, I changed schools in K, 1st grade, 4th grade (twice) and 9th grade due to my father's moves. Yeah, it was a little bit of a shock. And, yeah, I got over it.
Having spent 28 years as a foreign service officer including 20 years overseas, I am well acquainted with how the system works. Yes, political appointees are awarded the plum assignments as a reward for their donations or other contributions to the party.
In the case of assignments to places like London and Paris, career diplomats would have a hard time affording all of the out of pocket expenses required to do the job.
About two thirds of the ambassadorial appointees are career diplomats, but the percentages can vary depending on who is in the WH. The American Foreign Service Association, our union, usually weighs in publicly if the number of political appointees is too high.
Seems a lot still gets billed to the American taxpayer. Like $5 mil for Orrefors crystal, IIRC...
No idea on the rents there, but the hotel where we caught the airport bus (wouldn't stay overnight there obviously) had a rack rate of US $500/night. Typical monthly rent in a city like New York is 6.5x to 7.5x the rent of a comparable size hotel, so I'd guess probably similar for Tokyo. A reason places like Air BnB thrive.
I am not familiar with that particular case, but there is a regular budget the State Department uses to furnish our Ambassadorial residences. If the crystal was purchased for the Ambassador's residence in London, it stays with the residence. For example, chinaware is purchased in bulk for ambassadorial residences. It has the great seal of the US on the plates.
It depends on the post as to whether government owned housing or rental allowances are provided to our diplomatic personal. In some cases, the rental allowance may or may not cover all the costs if the employee selects a residence that costs more than the rental allowance.
Yes, there are educational allowances for employees so that there children can attend quality schools in the country. If none are available, then allowances are provided for boarding schools.
The US has a government provided housing compound in Tokyo.
The land on which the embassy sits is about 13,000 m² (3.21 acres), and has been leased from the Japanese government since 1896. In 2005, it was reported that the US government had made no payments for the embassy's premises since 1998 after failing to agree on a renewal of the lease agreement. In 2007, the two governments agreed to renew the lease through 2027, following which the US government paid its unpaid rent. The annual rent for the underlying land was set at 7 million yen for 1998-2007, 10 million yen for 2008-12, and 15 million yen for 2013-27. The very low rent amount for the land is due to the age of the lease agreement, and the fact that it originally contained no escalation or adjustment provisions.
I have been to Tokyo a number of times, The cost of living is one of the highest in the world. The strengthening dollar helps, but it still very expensive to visit or live there.
Federal judges serve for life or good behavior. No hope, unless they’re caught accepting bribes.
Fire those czars can pay for our health care.
Similar story here. I think it helped me develop good interpersonal skills - when you frequently have to meet all new classmates, you learn how to meet strangers and make friends!
LOL.....after this, Trump can never win another election (smirk).
So you concur with my post?
And then threw in the sex thingie?
Ok
BTW sexual preverts are everywhere, it’s the new normal
Part of the dem plans to undermine the USA and Biblical morals.
Marathon training for winning....you got to get in shape people.....its going to be non-stop
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