U.S. Air Force To The Rescue — Baby Formula Airlift To Needy Nations

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Breaking News! EXTRA EXTRA – Read All About It!

Gargantuan Globemaster C-17s
– Full Of Formula For Forlorn Foreigners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Never let it be said that The Reporter is a Gloomy Gus or Debbie Downer. At the slightest inkling of good news, you, good reader, will be informed. Today is such a day.

Our crackerjack squad of mild-mannered reporters were researching momentous issues of the day. By watching TV. One alert reporter (see photo) pointed out the newsworthiest item of the day. Details are still coming in, but clearly, the U.S. has stepped up to the rescue, yet again.

vintage family around television from smithsonian magazine
Our Crackerjack Team Gathering Essential Information Credit: Smithsonian Magazine

Apparently, somehow, some way, Ireland and Germany managed to botch production of baby formula. That’s the white powdery substance that you mix with water for infants to drink. Infants do not have teeth, so they need this liquid stuff. Also, they are infants and not good with silverware. Can you imagine such a thing? Modern countries unable to provide for their own baby citizens? Having to rely on the kindness of strangers to feed the most precious and vulnerable? It boggles the mind that any modern nation with a shred of self- respect could allow it. Red-faced embarrassment, indeed!

Anyway, our gaggle of reporters reported that the TV showed pictures of U.S. Air Force cargo planes just loaded with this highly nutritious, if not delicious, essential cargo. In Germany. And Ireland.

c-17 us air force
C-17 Globemaster Aircraft of the Foreign Country Charity Baby Formula Force
Credit: US Air Force

Lucky for them that the old ole US of A was ready, willing, and able to help out once again. Gosh we are just the best. Stay tuned as we bring you all the details…

And while we are waiting for those additional details, we must ask the question, “How could this have happened? To modern, well-governed, intelligent nation-states?”

Just guessing here, as we await further details, but the cause of this sad blunder is no doubt linked to their benighted nondemocratic, royalist histories.

It appears that two formula-drinking babies died of infection. So imperialistic, unthinking Irish and German bureaucrats, drunk with authority and power, ignorantly shut down the baby formula factory that produced some huge percentage of the national baby formula supply. Then, the factory proved scientifically and without question that the tragic deaths had nothing to do with the factory. Or the formula.

And this is where the superiority of the American Way blazes like a supernova beacon in the night! In America, kindly, competent public servants would have evaluated the evidence, made corrections where needed, and with a heartfelt concern for their fellow-citizens, reopened that factory lickety- split! That’s the can-do spirit! Let’s show the whole world how to get the job done!

Not so for those poor Europeans! Oh no, not so. Those folks puttered around for months while supplies ran out. Their second-string newspapers reported shortages last November 2021. Even their government-approved, Establishment-sanctioned, politically correct mouthpieces (the Euro- equivalent of the New York Times and Washington Post) reported impending doom in January 2022. And still their governments did nothing. Sad.

Stand By For Additional Up-To-The-Minute Reporting From Roving Reporters

Our A-Team of Reliable Sources continues to investigate Old Europe’s shameful tragi-comic failure of every government’s most basic duties. By intently watching more TV. This time in black and white because black and white is more serious.

Now reading our Truth Squad’s follow-up report… The Squad states that our initial reports were wrong… we were too optimistic. Situation far far worse than could be imagined. Oh, the Humanity! What have those Germans and Irish done? Uh oh…

It’s Howdy Doody Time!

Hmmm. Well, it appears that, as we have always said, because we are never to blame for any misstatements however gross or negligent, it is not our fault. Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates all agree: “Reporting means never having to say you’re sorry.”

Turns out those heroic Air Force cargo planes were loading infant formula from Germany and Ireland. For delivery to Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.A. It was American bureaucrats who shut down factories, ignored scientific evidence, sparked panic buying, and moved with the charming speed of an exhausted three-toed sloth. A drunk, debauched, exhausted three-toed sloth. With the shakes. Dismissed the warnings from months ago. Pooh-poohed the damage and suffering. Gosh darn those unelected, unfeeling nabobs!

plane flying over crowd department of defense
Grateful Americans Anxiously Awaiting Generous Germans. And Irish.
Credit: Department of Defense

At least our elected political leaders have the good grace to be embarrassed, apologetic, and eager to set things right. They need our votes, after all. Certainly, they would never exploit parents’ anxiety or babies’ hunger for political expedience. Our statesmen and stateswomen have far too much respect for the intelligence of the American People and their own sense of honor and class to try covering up their failures and attempting to spin this humiliating episode as some sort of victory. Or not.

biden baby formula tweet

Records Set For New Regulations Not Just Inflation, Mortgage Interest Rates, And Gas Prices Anymore

U.S. politicians and government bureaucrats continue to set records that are unlikely to ever be challenged, let alone surpassed. In the last year, 69 brand new, major regulations. 72,000 pages of executive orders, regulations, and legalese. One think tank (probably evil or Russian or both) says this new red tape will cost over $200 billion. Another tank claims that 131 million more hours will be spent bending the proverbial knee to our do-gooding busybody federal potentates. No wonder it is tough to get good help!

boxes of paperwork
New Paperwork Required to Operate a 7-11 Convenience Store
Credit: Raiders of the Lost Ark

Did you know some say every 15% increase in federal regulations leads to a 1% increase in inflation? Me neither. Thank goodness inflation is so low we do not have to worry about that sort of thing. Whew!

Oh yeah. And the stock market is crashing too. Cheers!

Traditional Planning Is Death Planning

Avoid Probate, Save Taxes, Get To Kids?
And When You Die Broke, Drained By Long-Term Care, Probate Is Irrelevant

Traditional estate planning is supposed to avoid probate, save taxes, and dump your leftover stuff on your beneficiaries. After you die. Nobody cares what happens to you while you are alive. How does that help anyone? Stupid.

Traditional estate planning fails because the overwhelming majority of us will need long-term skilled care. 70% of us. For an average of 3 years. And we will go broke paying for it.

Is it surprising that thousands of recreation properties: cottages, cabins, hunting land, are lost to pay for long-term care? Why is your estate planner hurting you and your family? It is evil intent? Or stupidity?

LifePlanning™ defeats Nursing Home Poverty. Keep your stuff. Get the care you have already paid for. Good for you. Good for your family. Good example for society.

When my mother suffered from the dementia which led to her death, over 10 years ago, their estate plan preserved their lifesavings. Mom’s months in the nursing home did not mean Dad’s impoverishment. Dad spent the last years with security and peace of mind.

Is Now A Bad Time For A Real Solution?

Perhaps you think you already have an answer to this problem. Maybe you do not see this as a problem at all. It is possible that you do not believe in the passage of time or its effects on you.

Peace of mind and financial security are waiting for everyone who practices LifePlanning™. You know that peace only begins with financial security. Are legal documents the most important? Is avoiding probate the best you can do for yourself or your loved ones? Is family about inheritance? Or are these things only significant to support the foundation of your family?

Do you think finding the best care is easy? Do you want to get lost in the overwhelming flood of claims and promises? Or would you like straight answers?

Well, here you are. Now you know. No excuses. Get the information, insight, inspiration. It is your turn. Ignore the message? Invite poverty? Or get the freely offered information. To make wise decisions. For you. For your loved ones.

The LifePlan™ Workshop has been the first step on the path to security and peace for thousands of families. Why not your family?

NO POVERTY. NO CHARITY. NO WASTE.
It is not chance. It is choice. Your choice.

Get Information Now. (800) 317-2812

Shocking Fact From Planet Earth: Magic Is Not Real

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Multi-Verse Of Madness? A Random Walk Through The Valley Of The Shadow Of Incompetence

The Original Three Stooges, At Least, Were Funny

Why is our world run by 3 old men with health issues and questionable mental capability? Three geezers with sufficient atomic and hydrogen bombs to erase humanity? Two of them with sugar plum visions of long-lost imperial splendor dancing in their heads. Willing to slaughter other folks wholesale. Two greedy, stuffed-up potentates. Dozens of minor characters in supporting roles have similar grandiose cloud cuckoo land delusions. Complete the picture with a cast of thousands eager to murder for earthly paradise.

Is it surprising that totalitarian tyrannies spew forth thieving tyrants? Isn’t that pretty much what they do? Murder, conquest, plunder, looting, and pillaging are part and parcel of the tyrannical deal. Successful crime proves that the “mandate of heaven” rests on the tyrant.

A couple hundred years ago, a few, very few, people decided to chart a different course. To depend on one another. And vigorous, unrestrained debate. Government based on the consent of the governed. A radical idea that regular folks had something to say. A nation free of tyrants. Composed of free people. Thinking, speaking, and acting freely. Naturally, “smart” people have been desperately fighting against this dangerous idea ever since.

The good and the wise know that too much talking is bad for the peasants. Commoners need a Ministry of Truth, Commission for the Public Good, Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, “Disinformation Governance Board.” Intellectual leading lights from Ivy League universities must ensure you do not think the wrong thoughts or say the wrong words. Or hear anyone who does.

Can the third decrepit old gentleman really be blamed for much of anything? As a two-bit grifting politician, he sold out for cheap long ago. Enabling family members’ dirty dealing with foreign countries and powerful corporations. Selling influence and access. Kickbacks to the “big guy”. Penniless politician to Bruce Wayne multimillionaire. His only surviving son condemned to a maelstrom of drugs and paid-for sex. Pitiful really. Charley McCarthy in the White House. Merely a marionette. Pathetic puppet, dancing to strange tunes.

Yet this superannuated reprobate has performed a valuable service. He proved the obvious: when America retreats, tyranny fills the void. Ask Finland. Ask Sweden. Two countries with centuries of neutrality. Comfortably secure under the American umbrella. Until now. Today they frantically clamor to join the NATO Neighborhood Watch.

Harry Potter Is To Blame!
Or Maybe It Is Doctor Strange’s Fault

Remember the Marvel superhero movie, Ironman? A science guy builds himself a metal suit that flies and blows bad guy stuff up. Cool. Remember Spiderman? Radioactive spider bite, science-science, teenager with spider powers.

Beats bad guys up. Even Superman had the whole red sun/yellow sun science explanation for superpowers. Not anymore. Today superheroes are all magic.

Remember the Harry Potter books and movies? How about the vampire and werewolf books and movies? Say or think the right thing and stuff just happens. All magic. All the time. Magical!

Have you noticed that magical thinking has taken over? Men become women by simply saying so. You don’t even need a fancy spell. Or surgery. Why tampons in the Mens Room? Because men now menstruate. And give birth. How does a man have ovaries and a uterus? Perhaps it helps to start as a woman. Astounding new world records in women’s sports? Perhaps starting as a man helps. Not even Supreme Court Justices can tell the difference. Abracadabra indeed!

Imagine an old, broken-down horse. Shabby. Weak. Shuffling. Re-living its days as a foal. Kept around from pity. Would you enter that horse in the Kentucky Derby? Or the county fair? You might if you believed in the power of magical thinking. You would just tell yourself, and everyone else, that your nag is really a thoroughbred racehorse at the peak of its powers. And if anyone disagreed, you and your friends could shout them down. Fairness requires hobbling all the other horses, since their actual talents and abilities are “unfair” to the nag. Who would enjoy such a race? What would the outcome be?

Is it ridiculous to think that magical thinking in the real world leads to disaster across the board? Would you like to drive across a magical bridge? Live in a magical apartment house? Why not? It’s only fair.

Magical Thinking: Consequences

BASIC PRICE INFLATION. In April 2022, the United States failed to set a new 40-year record high for inflation. At least it stayed above 8%, though, so all of you buying groceries on your credit cards… keep it up, you will have to…

Ivy League Necromancers first blamed the magic inflation on too many people buying treadmills. Then Congressional Conjurers claimed it was temporary. Next Sorcerers Senatorial blamed it on Russia’s Mad Monk Rasputin. Now our trusted Thaumaturges assert something else, but frankly, we have lost track.

Good News! The Ginger Oracle’s Replacement says Inflation will be cured! By raising taxes. We swear we are not making this stuff up. Here is what the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics says:

cpi consumer price index chart

MORTGAGE INTEREST RATES. Mortgage rates continue to astonish, but the American Dream lives! “Homebuyers continue to show resilience even though rising mortgage rates are causing monthly payments to increase by about one-third as compared to a year ago,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s Chief Economist. Thank you, Sam! Great to see our public servants serving the public!

Hey Home Sellers! Interest rate increases caused monthly payments go up by ONE-THIRD… Could HOME PRICES be affected? What do YOU think? Can you pull a Homebuyer out of a hat? You may have to….

freddie mac mortgage rate chart

ONE MILLION DEAD FROM ELDER PLAGUE. Do you remember a politician who claimed he would stop COVID? Neither does the Washington Post. Or New York Times. Or the politician himself. He even forgot he was vaccinated. Oh well. Elections are supposed to be magic!

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than a MILLION AMERICANS have died from the virus of unknown origin. Widespread hysteria about the kids was manufactured by people who did not go to work, but still got paid. Fortunately for the children, the virus of unknown origin DOES NOT (hardly at all) KILL KIDS, but it is deadly to older folks. Almost exclusively.

From the very beginning the Reporter has described COVID as the “Elder Plague.” And that has NEVER changed. Here’s the current official CDC chart. Notice anything about deaths among kids ages 0-17? 0-29?

cdc covid death by age chart

NEW RUSSIAN BEACH FRONT RESORT. In Ukraine, on the Black Sea, is a steel plant. You may have heard of it. Bombed for months. Blasted to smithereens. Now your best Russian friend and mine, Crazy Vlad, is repurposing this fixer-upper opportunity as beach resort. Come for Time Share Presentation, leave with new set of steak knives! Wow! Magic solves everything, no?

TOP 10 AMERICAN THEME PARKS. Because inquiring minds want to know, USA Today, a “newspaper” asked regular folks which were the BEST THEME PARKS. #1 is an aquarium which used to have whales in a tank, but not anymore. Winners include a brewery-sponsored park, another that smells like chocolate, and two with country music themes. But the “Happiest Place on Earth” was shut out. Maybe normal folks have had enough of rich people insults. Maybe, finally, “Ladies and Gentlemen! Boys and Girls! Children of All Ages!” isn’t the only thing headed for the garbage dump. Did they think they could magically wish away their customers? Guess so!

Why Can’t You Live In The Magic Kingdom?

Why are the magical thinkers so unhappy? Why does everything they touch turn to crap? Why are they angry? Why are they unable to hear anyone but themselves?

Are you opposed to living in the real world? Are you against your actions having consequences? Do you live to blame other people for your own faults and failings? Do the real abilities and accomplishments of others fill you with jealousy and rage? Are you so special that the world owes you a living? Are you a precious snowflake that all must admire? Are you happy and secure in your own talents and abilities and appreciative of others? Does Magical Thinking work for you? Do you think it would work for your kids?

Is it ridiculous to think that primitive humans, whose lives were “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short,” were still more grounded in reality than the politicians, intellectuals, and other talking heads who insist on one absurd foolishness after another?

It is a blessing to be middle class. No one worships you. You do not inspire fear, anxiety, or dread. Others will tell you the truth. And demand truth from you. We have our challenges to be sure. And the good news is that we are not surrounded by toadies lying to us about those challenges. Lucky you! Lucky me.

 

Traditional Planning Is Death Planning

Avoid Probate, Save Taxes, Get To Kids? And When You Die Broke, Drained By Long-Term Care, Probate Is Irrelevant

Traditional estate planning is supposed to avoid probate, save taxes, and dump your leftover stuff on your beneficiaries. After you die. Nobody cares what happens to you while you are alive. How does that help anyone? Stupid.

Traditional estate planning fails because the overwhelming majority of us will need long-term skilled care. 70% of us. For an average of 3 years. And we will go broke paying for it.

Is it surprising that thousands of recreation properties: cottages, cabins, hunting land, are lost to pay for long-term care? Why is your estate planner hurting you and your family? It is evil intent? Or stupidity?

LifePlanning™ defeats Nursing Home Poverty. Keep your stuff. Get the care you have already paid for. Good for you. Good for your family. Good example for society.

When my mother suffered from the dementia which led to her death, over 10 years ago, their estate plan preserved their lifesavings. Mom’s months in the nursing home did not mean Dad’s impoverishment. Dad spent the last years with security and peace of mind.

Is Now A Bad Time For A Real Solution?

Perhaps you think you already have an answer to this problem. Maybe you do not see this as a problem at all. It is possible that you do not believe in the passage of time or its effects on you.

Peace of mind and financial security are waiting for everyone who practices LifePlanning™. You know that peace only begins with financial security. Are legal documents the most important? Is avoiding probate the best you can do for yourself or your loved ones? Is family about inheritance? Or are these things only significant to support the foundation of your family?

Do you think finding the best care is easy? Do you want to get lost in the overwhelming flood of claims and promises? Or would you like straight answers?

Well, here you are. Now you know. No excuses. Get the information, insight, inspiration. It is your turn. Ignore the message? Invite poverty? Or get the freely offered information. To make wise decisions. For you. For your loved ones.

The LifePlan™ Workshop has been the first step on the path to security and peace for thousands of families. Why not your family?

NO POVERTY. NO CHARITY. NO WASTE.
It is not chance. It is choice. Your choice.

Get Information Now. (800) 317-2812

America Has A Shortage Of Baby Formula?

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Crippling Inflation, Food Shortages, Gas Lines

Would It Be A Problem If We Talked About A Few Things That Are Top Of Mind For Middle Class Folks Like Us?

You grew up in a country that had surpluses of everything. So much food, the government paid farmers not to grow it. Or bought it and gave it to other countries. Or piled it up somewhere. Now you live in a country that cannot provide for her babies. Go. Try to buy baby formula. Good luck.

American education was so good, foreign students fought to study here. Colleges and universities got fat and happy charging full fare to foreign students. It was value for the money. Now schools pretend rigorous standards are simple oppression. There is an engineering school in Boston, called the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT. You may have heard of it. MIT dropped its admission standards. No more standardized testing. MIT now has failing students. Lots of failing students. So many failing students that it just reinstated standardized testing. How oppressive! How obvious. How inevitable. Perhaps MIT should have learned from Harvard, another Boston school. “The median grade in Harvard College is indeed an A-. The most frequently awarded grade in Harvard College is actually a straight A.” says the Dean. That was in 2013. A more recent survey says that Harvard grades have gone up. By an additional half-grade! How is that even possible? Who knows? Who cares? Everybody feels better so it’s OK!

Do you remember the anti-war folks? People who were opposed to war on principle? “Dissent is the highest form of patriotism!” they said. They say a lot of things. What happened to those guys? Seems like now there is a war they can support. With billions of your money. Hmmm. Turns out they were never really anti-war. They were just on the other side. Feels strange to hear them agree with you now, doesn’t it? Makes you wonder what they’re up to…

Regular folks are drowning in higher prices. 40-year highs. Why all the newspaper, TV news happy talk? Inflation at the store went from an ungodly 8.5% to an excruciating 8.3%. Wholesale inflation from 11.5% to 11%. They think this is progress. When you are drowning, does it matter whether the water is 8½ feet over your head or only 8⅓ feet? Why are they trying to deceive you? Why won’t they tell the truth?

Don’t look now, but your retirement savings are tanking, too. Thank you, Wall Street. Look on the bright side! With skyrocketing interest rates, someday soon you might see a worthwhile CD. Even the New York Times and Washington Post admit the infant formula shortage. According to the Post, “The shortage ‘has been compounded by supply chain challenges, product recalls and historic inflation’.” “As of last week, formula stockpiles were 43 percent lower than normal”. You are not asleep, this is not a nightmare. You are wide awake. This is real: In America, American reporters force feed corporate-speak to explain why American babies do not have food. In America. Some people think this is just great. You deserve it. But why is that OK with you? According to the Associated Press: “The Biden administration is canceling three oil and gas lease sales scheduled in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Alaska, removing millions of acres from possible drilling as U.S. gas prices reach record highs.” No comment. Nuff said. Is reality biting hard enough yet?

What about violent crime wave, Supreme Court leaks, employment woes, tax increases, student loan cancellations, border issues, COVID, and other unpleasant topics? No room.

There Is Nothing Wrong With America That Cannot Be Fixed, Quickly, If Americans Will Start Acting Like Americans

You know there are millions of ways out of this mess. The tried-and-true American way. You. Your friends and neighbors. Folks you go to church with. All part of the solution. Hopeful signs are there. School board elections. Growing recognition that something has gone horribly wrong. And now is time to fix it.

Pendulums swing back and forth, good and bad. When things are going your way, it is hard to remember the negatives. When things are going the other way, it is hard to remember the positives. Americans do not wait for magical changes. Americans make the changes happen. It is truly up to you. And you have to act.

Can You Be A Force For Good If You Die Broke?
Does Death Planning Champion Your Values?
Do You Want Government Bureaucrats Deciding Your Care?
Should You Throw Your Lifesavings Out The Window?

Conventional estate planning supposedly avoids probate and dumps your leftover stuff on the kids. After you die. Don’t they care what happens to you while you are still alive? Stupid.

Is it ridiculous to see that most estate planning fails? Do you reject the facts: the overwhelming majority of us will need long-term skilled care? 70% of us. Three years on average. More for some. Do you doubt we will go broke paying for it? Are you surprised that thousands of properties are lost to pay for long-term care? Cottage – poof! Centennial Farm – whsssht! Hunting property – flussssh! Homestead – pffft! Why is your estate planner hurting you and your family? Evil intent? Stupidity? Just does not know? LifePlanning™ defeats Nursing Home Poverty. Keep your stuff. Get the care you have already paid for. Good for you. Good for your family. Good example for society, When my mother suffered from the dementia which led to her death, over 10 years ago, my parents’ estate plan preserved their home and lifesavings. Mom’s months in the nursing home did not mean Dad’s impoverishment. Dad lived his last years without anxiety, enjoying security and peace of mind.

Is Now A Bad Time For A Real Solution?

Perhaps you think you already have all the answers. Maybe you deny there’s any problem. Do you even believe in the passage of time or its effects on you? Peace of mind and financial security are waiting for everyone who practices LifePlanning™. You know that peace only begins with financial security. Are legal documents the most important? Is avoiding probate the best you can do for yourself or your loved ones? Is family about inheritance? Or are these things only significant to support the foundation of your family? Do you think finding the best care is easy? Do you want to get lost in the overwhelming flood of claims and promises? Or would you like straight answers? Well, here you are. Now you know. No excuses. Get the information, insight, inspiration. It is your turn. Ignore the message? Invite poverty? Or get the freely offered information. To make wise decisions. For you. For your loved ones. The LifePlan™ Workshop has been the first step on the path to security and peace for thousands of families. Why not your family?

NO POVERTY. NO CHARITY. NO WASTE.
It is not chance. It is choice. Your choice.

Get Information Now. (800) 317-2812

Message In A Bottle

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D-Liver, D-Letter, D-Sooner, D-Better

(Not Edited For Spelling Or Punctuation Or Anything Else) (Warning: Not Legal Advice!)

Question:

How do I evict my mother-in-law who lives in my home and it’s causing problems between my wife and I?

My mother-in-law is 86 years old and only brings in under $2,000 a month Social Security she has become very belligerent and mean argumentative and causing trouble between my wife and I she needs to move.

Short Answer: How does your blushing bride feel about this? Not as a domestic relations matter, but strictly from the Perry Mason perspective. Do you lovebirds own the nest together (“tenants by the entirety”)? If so, your helpmeet can give Mommy Dearest permission to remain. Forever. You wish to stab yourself with the nearest sharp implement (like Juliet)? We do not advise it, but we understand. You are stuck.

What if your Till-Death-Do-Us-Part’ner agrees: her sainted forbear must seek a happier haven? Face facts: Legally, mother-in-law is a tenant. You are a landlord. Meaning you will have to go through the usual eviction process. Begin by serving her with a 30-day Notice to Quit, Termination of Tenancy. If she does not vacate, move on to a Summary Proceeding in District Court. Now it is strictly by-the-numbers.

Longer Answer: On the other hand, what if the sweetest, kindest, gentlest, nicest person in the world became “very belligerent and mean argumentative and causing trouble” due to a disease process? Radical personality shifts are common in persons suffering from various forms of dementia. Dementia is often accompanied by depression. Depression frequently manifests as anger, paranoia, vindictiveness. Vascular dementia victims can be especially cruel. Even without dementia, for many older people, aging itself triggers disagreeable moods and behaviors. Is it foolish to consider all possibilities before reaching a conclusion? Would you think it a bad idea to explore various options before suing a family member? Or maybe your in-law simply is the most weak, cranky, crabby, argumentative, testy, provocative, petulant, grasping, grumpy, grouchy, irritable, ungrateful, bad-tempered wretch to ever urge its squat, thick, ungainly bulk across the surface of a complaining earth.

Question:

How do I remove a non-rent/non-bill paying adult child?

My friend (good friend of the homeowner) has durable power of attorney. We’re trying to empty the house and make extensive repairs to, then sell the home very soon. There is an alcoholic borderline psychotic adult son (42 years old and employed) that has been living there 5 years or more that has contributed zero dollars to the household. The mother has asked him several times to vacate and he has excuses why he’s just not going to do that right now. We’re looking for an immediate legal remedy.

Short Answer: “We’re looking for an immediate legal remedy.” There is no immediate legal remedy. The Law frowns on “self-help.” Putting Psycho Son’s stuff in the driveway feels great!

Then come the triple damages for anything you broke, lost, or threw away. More damages for his hotel room. And then he is back in the house! Once somebody has taken root in your home, it is darn tough to get them out. Except through the traditional legal process that applies to any other tenant.

If Psycho Son agrees to leave voluntarily, well and good, maybe mom can convince him to go. But it seems “he’s just not going to do that right now.” Don’t wait, get him served with a 30-Day Notice, Termination of Tenancy and get on with it.

Even Shorter Answer: The typical financial power of attorney will give you the necessary authority to evict this ungrateful child. However, you will save much in the way of blood, sweat, and tears to retain experienced counsel. A power of attorney is only as good as the words it contains. It is not inconceivable that the power of attorney may be insufficient. Get it checked out.

Possible Answer: Has the “alcoholic borderline psychotic adult son” threatened or carried out any physical or psychological abuse of mother? Threats? Actual abuse? If so, a Personal Protection Order may be sought from the Family Court Division of Circuit Court. A PPO, among other things, may prohibit the son from: “entering onto the property where [mother] live[s]” “entering onto [other] property” “assaulting, attacking, beating, molesting, or wounding [mother]” and “stalking as defined under MCL 750.411h and MCL 750.411i” among other things. SCAO Form CC375, Rev. 1/21.

The PPO can be obtained without notice to the “respondent” son. And it can be obtained quickly. Again, consult with counsel. Some folks have exaggerated the grounds for the PPO. Some folks have bitterly regretted the exaggeration.

NO POVERTY. NO CHARITY. NO WASTE.
It is not chance. It is choice. Your choice.

Get Information Now.
(800) 317-2812

You Never Call, You Never Write!

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Like Driving Past A Car Wreck… Glad It Did Not Happen To You (Not Edited For Spelling Or Punctuation Or Anything Else) (Warning: Not Legal Advice!)

QUESTION: Can our disabled brothers legal guardian (also a family member and remainderman) terminate disabled brothers life estate?

Disabled brother is now in nursing home and will not return to family home which he has life estate in and is also in an irrevocable trust. There are many remaindermen, (large family) and all are in agreement to sell family home including our disabled brothers guardian. Another family member/remainderman wants to buy us out and move into home, hoping that we can all just sign off of house/ trust and quitclaim the property to her. Not sure if this is “allowable” or advisable. We also have concerns about potential “Medicaid recovery” if life estate is terminated while life estate holder is still alive.

Short Answer: Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice elder law without a firm grounding in the fundamentals. Imagine sorting out this fact pattern after the family house was sold, money distributed, Medicaid denied, recriminations on all sides, nursing home lawsuit against disabled brother, allegations of fraudulent transfer against siblings, and a family feud ripe with recriminations echoing through eternity. In other words, the usual case.
Is it crazy to think it is not too late? Is it impossible for sweet reason and angelic actions to save the day? Must this family suffer?
Long Answer: There are several threads here that need to be disentangled. Let us begin with brother’s life estate.

LIFE ESTATE
In Michigan, “life estate” means that the person can use and live on the property for their entire lifetime. A life estate is valuable. How valuable?

Back in the day, we used to have hearings with expert witnesses and do future value projections based on life expectancy and then present value regression analyses. But in today’s modern world, Michigan makes it easy to figure out how much a life estate is worth. Get a copy of the Bridges Eligibility Manual 400, Exhibit II – Life Estate and Life Lease Factor Table (BPB 2022-07) (available online!). This Table lists ages from birth to 109 years old. For each age, there is a 5-digit life estate factor. You look up the factor that corresponds to the age of the person. Multiply the factor by the value of the real estate. Voila! That is the value of the person’s life estate.

IMPORTANT POINT: Life Estate values have nothing to do with the actual health of the Life Estate holder. Life Estate Value is all about chronological age. Birth certificate and calendar. Healthy or on hospice? Irrelevant.

A few examples. Let us suppose the family home is worth $100,000.

At age 2, the life estate factor is .99017. So, a two- year old’s life estate is worth $99,017. ($100,000 X .99017)

At age 109, the life estate factor is .04545. That means that the 109-year-old’s life estate is worth $4,545. ($100,000 X .04545)

At age 70, the life estate factor is .60522. How much is a 70-year-old person’s life estate worth? Correct! $60,522. ($100,000 X .60522)

What this means is that “if life estate is terminated while life estate holder is still alive” the life estate holder must be paid the value of the life estate as determined by the BEM 400 Life Estate Factor Table. Easy!

Let’s consider the flip side… the remaindermen.

If 70-year-old disabled brother’s life estate is worth $60,522, what are all the remaindermen’s interests worth, collectively? Correct again! $39,478. ($100,000 – $60,522) Divided by the “many remaindermen” of a “large family.” Betcha didn’t see that coming!

DISABLED BROTHER’S GUARDIAN
Disabled brother has a guardian. Does that mea we are in probate court? Yes! Does that mean that any sale of the property must be approved by probate court? Yes! Does that mean that we will have to pay an attorney to help us ask the probate court for permission to sell? No! Like plumbing and electrical work on your home, probate can be a “Do-It-Yourself” adventure. Emphasis on “adventure.” Can you steer your automobile with your feet? Sure! But that does not make it a good idea. Like do-it-yourself electrical work, plumbing, or probate. Jes’ sayin’.

Probate is required even if disabled brother also has a conservator for management of his assets.

MEDICAID RECOVERY
Remember how disabled brother got the money from the sale of the family home? If disabled brother was already on Medicaid, getting the money will boot him off. Until the money is all “spent down.” Or until the money is stashed in a Medicaid payback trust. Or a charitable pooled income fund. Or somewhere else where the other family members will not benefit.

Are there worse ideas than selling the family home before disabled brother’s death? Sure! You could invade Ukraine, expecting a liberator’s welcome. You could dump trillions of dollars into the economy, expecting no inflation. Spit into the wind. Tug the mask off the ole Lone Ranger. Mess around with Jim. Bad ideas.

When disabled brother dies, his life estate is over. No compensation. No estate or Medicaid recovery. The remaindermen get the remainder. All the remainder. Yay!

But in the meantime… You want to keep the family house occupied. Vacant houses have a way of burning down. Vacant house insurance is hugely expensive. Plus you still have to pay the taxes. And utilities. Mow the grass. Plow the snow. Paint it.

Why not let sister move in now, provided she pays all expenses? Subject to a written agreement? Give her a right of first refusal (not an option) so she may purchase the place after disabled brother’s death?

There are other possibilities. Leasing/subleasing.

Etcetera. But do not accept the assertion that it must be sold pronto. The family has options.

IRREVOCABLE TRUST

What’s going on with this?

Somehow there is an irrevocable trust blended into the mix. It is not obvious how that trust is being used, if at all. There are several possibilities. But a review of the trust would be essential to knowing what is going on.

Question: Can my father’s caretaker accept his entire estate? Can she be sued for selling everything? He is still alive. My dad signed over his house to his caretaker before she put him into an assisted living home. She then quickly sold it. He has 2 living children. Do I have any recourse now?

Short Answer: No, you do not “have any recourse now”. Sadly, a properly executed deed has consequences which cannot be undone. Even a deed that reverses the prior transfer has real world consequences that cannot be ignored. What consequences? [WARNING: LAWYER ANSWER TO FOLLOW] It depends.

Longer Answer: Is it possible that the caregiver may be sued or prosecuted for financial abuse of the elderly? Is it possible that Father was incapacitated or mentally incompetent at the time he signed the deed? Could those be grounds to throw it out? What if Father was coerced into signing by undue influence, would those be grounds as well? Perchance. Maybe. Possibly. Mayhap. Hmmmmm, tugs at goatee…

How can you prove that Father was consistently and continually mentally incompetent? Or coerced? Were you there the whole time? When he signed? These are difficult cases. Difficult to forget about apparent injustice. Difficult to remedy the injustice. Difficult to know if there was any injustice at all. Difficult to reconcile when the “bad actor” is a family member.

Is it crazy to think that it might just possibly be helpful to have had some professional assistance in this sort of situation? Maybe possibly a few bucks and hours now to avoid big bucks and years of woe in the future? Asking for a friend…

Father, it seems, was mentally competent and had the legal ability to sign. Adults can choose. Poorly. With disastrous consequences.

You may not believe it, but some folks with signs of developing dementia are propped up by gangs of greedy grasping gargoyles intending to gorge on ill-gotten gains. Despicable devils who deny demonstrable incoherence, impulsiveness, and inconsistency. For their own putrescent purposes. How can such evil exploiters exist? Trust the evidence of your own eyes if you doubt it.

Actions have consequences.

Question #1: Can my durable POA withdraw from my IRA and sell my home if I become incapacitated?

Question #2: Can I specify what accounts he can access?

I have two stepchildren. I will probably make one of them my durable POA—but I don’t want them to be able to access certain accounts that I have… if I become incapitated-nor do I want them to sell my home. Hopefully, I would have enough in my bank account to cover medical bills.

Question #3: Can I specify in my will what accounts the POA would have access to withdraw from? I am concerned about abuses as I have heard some horror stories and I have no children of my own or close friends. Question #4: Would I be better off getting a bank to manage my affairs?

Answer #1: Powers of Attorney always depend on the authority you write into them. You can limit the ability of the Agent under the POA however you choose. Generally, to be effective, you want your Agent to be able to access your Individual Retirement Account and to deal with your home.

Answer #2: Yes, you can limit the Agent’s access to specific accounts.

Answer #3: Horror stories are real. Financial abuse of older folks is also all too common. The good news is that there are professional trustees and fiduciaries who will not steal your money. So if you do have some question about the stepchildren, do not appoint them as your trustees or executors or agents or patient advocates or any other position of responsibility.

Answer #4: You may “be better off getting a bank to manage [your] affairs.” Professional trustees vary widely in their commitment to service and delivering value. Your friendly neighborhood elder law attorney (should) have plenty of experience with a range of professional trustees and banks. Why not ask? However, do not use an attorney as your trustee. The trustee function is fundamentally different than the lawyer function, in my opinion. A focused, professional trustee will do that job with much greater efficiency and at less cost than the typical attorney. But you still need to take care that you have the right trustee, and your attorney can be very helpful in that regard.

Is Now A Bad Time For A Real Solution?

Peace of mind and financial security are waiting for everyone who practices LifePlanning™. You know that peace only begins with financial security. Do you want to get lost in the overwhelming flood of claims and promises? Or would you like straight answers?

No excuses. Get the information, insight, inspiration. It is your turn. Ignore the message? Invite poverty? Or get the freely offered information. To make wise decisions. For you. For your loved ones.

The LifePlan™ Workshop has been the first step on the path to security and peace for thousands of families. Why not your family?

How Did It All Go So Wrong, So Quickly?

Read the Print Version

I’m As Mad As Hell And I’m Not Going To Take This Anymore!

—Howard Beale, Network, 1976

We’re Not Gonna Take It, No, We Ain’t Gonna Take It, We’re Not Gonna Take It Anymore!

—Dee Snider, Twisted Sister, 1984

USA! USA! USA!

It was not that long ago. A year or so? America was recovering from the COVID. Economic growth was rebounding. Interest rates continued at historic low levels. Minimal inflation. Energy affordable and secure. Americans doing what Americans do. Getting on with it. Making the best of the situation. Recovering.

Remember before-COVID? Best economy ever for working Americans of all ages and racial groups. Record employment. At the highest real wages in history.

COVID and the response to the pandemic was a body blow. Confronted with a virus of mysterious origin. COVID deaths were 90+% among older folks with other ailments but affected us all. Lockdowns, economic paralysis, “No gardening for you!”.

Yet there was some desperate pride in adversity. Frontline healthcare workers’ extraordinary courageous efforts. Army field hospitals established overnight in Central Park. Navy hospital ships designed to treat battle-wounded soldiers converted at incredible speed to COVID treatment. Car factories suddenly manufacturing complex ventilators. Personal Protection Equipment production ramped up. Scientific research and vaccine development at “warp speed”.

Some sought political advantage. Blame Game. Extraordinary stresses resulted from lockdowns, masking, different therapeutic and preventive approaches to dealing with the pandemic. Some violence was excused. Other violence exaggerated and hysterically condemned. Rules for thee, but not for me? Raise your hand if you are surprised by politicians’ hypocrisy. Me neither.

And yet. Despite all the blame-gaming. Whatever your personal politics. Whomever you think is at fault. Let’s look over the edge of this foxhole. Aren’t there are some undeniable realities, some inconvenient truths?

Inflation is at 40-year highs. And getting worse.

Interest rates doubling, tripling. Home ownership out of reach. What do you think higher interest rates will do to the deficit?
Energy dependence is our future. America pleads with oil potentates who refuse our President’s phone calls and verbally abuse his envoys. “Strategic Petroleum Reserve” is pumped out to temporarily mask reality.

Crime and murder rates are skyrocketing back to the bad old days. Carnage in the streets.

Economic gains erased. Recession talk is back. Recession reality about to bite. Stagnation looms.

No borders for the U.S. Millions already crossed over. Given a joke legal document. And a cell phone. And a ticket to your town. To compete with you and your neighbors.

America is on edge. Agitated and anxious. Withdrawn and passive. Contradictory emotions and impulses. Remember Jimmy Carter? Malaise? Anything feel familiar nowadays?

How did we get here? Where do we go now?

Russia Russia Russia

Early 2022. Russia’s main rival (that’s us!) dazed and confused. Some American politicians and partisans credit Russia with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. Russia chooses America’s president. Some believed this. Others said it for political advantage.

Russia riding high. Europe, with fresh America approval, agreed to new pipelines from Russian oil and gas fields. Europe cast away its independence. Europe invites the Russian boot upon its neck.

Russia’s Chief Crime Boss believed the American politicians. And the American newspapers. And his generals. Russian Chief Crime Boss thought he was really something. Also thought he had a real military.

Chief Crime Boss thought, “Now’s the time!” And invaded another country. Threatens others.

How’s that working out? Tens of thousands of dead or missing Russian soldiers. Thousands of dead Ukrainians. Billions of destroyed civilian and military property. Sunk ships. Millions of wrecked dreams. Years of effort demolished overnight with artillery shells, missiles, and bombs. Medieval brutality. Standard Operating Procedure for Russia, from czarist times to the time you read this. No surprise to anyone familiar with any ancient or modern Russian military adventure.

But Europe has had enough. Petroleum extortion blackmail is okay but killing people and breaking things… too much!

Henchmen of Chief Russian Crime Boss lied to him. Military was for show, not go. Crime Boss losing. But Crime Boss can never lose. Now Chief Russian Crime Boss threatens nuclear weapons.

How did this happen? What now?

USA vs Russia

There is no easy way out. No effortless solutions. We are past that now. Yet there is hope. America still has Americans. People who do not like being lied to. People who want to say what they want to say. We are a talkative bunch. We do not like to be shut up. We like to irritate our betters. We like to shake things up. That is what the First Amendment is all about.

Russia has the Russian system. Shut up or die. Shut up and die. No way out. No Exit. No solution when your country is run by a Chief Crime Boss and his henchmen. For as long as the Crime Boss lives. History provides countless examples. Napoleon: France. Hitler: Germany. Idi Amin: Uganda. Pol Pot: Cambodia. Franco: Spain.

Sadly, some Americans like the Russian Way. Some Americans are afraid of other people talking. So afraid that the government is setting up a “Disinformation Governance Board” staffed by political appointees. To govern “Disinformation”? Who decides which information is true blue, all-American, reliable, sanctified, and Government- Approved Information? Who decides which is evil, bad, horrible, no-good Disinformation? How can anything like this be consistent with the First Amendment? Can it be reconciled? Of course not.

Fortunately, many American immigrants seem to understand the importance of free discourse better than some of us born here. One immigrant, naturalized American has even spent some of his own money to buy a communications company. He promises to make it available to all. We shall see.

And that is the difference. We have our troubles, but the American Way of free speech, without fear or favor, will eventually enable us to solve our problems. If we continue to believe and act as Americans.

This is not a new issue with us. About a hundred years ago, in Whitney v. California, 274 U.S. 357 (1927), the Supreme Court upheld a conviction for dangerous speech. Forty years later, the Court, in Brandenburg v. Ohio, 395 U.S. 444 (1969), overruled that precedent and forcefully upheld free speech under the First Amendment.

Who wants to turn the clock back? Who wants to suppress, prosecute, and imprison their fellow Americans for speaking on political issues? Why do they fear talk? Are their ideas so weak? Do they have no confidence in their fellow citizens? Are they so smart that no one else need express any thought? Who are these people? Why do they reject the American Way and embrace the Russian Way?

Although it appears nowhere in his writings, Winston Churchill is often credited with saying:

You can always count on Americans to do the right thing – after they’ve tried everything else.

The Russian Way leads to death and destruction. The American Way leads to disagreement, discomfort, annoyance, and a better future and outcome for us all. We tried a mild variation on the Russian Way. And threw it out. Let’s stick to the American Way!

Is Now A Bad Time For A True Estate Planning Solution?

LifePlanning™ Is A Real Solution Traditional estate planning is concerned with avoiding probate, saving taxes, and dumping your leftover stuff on your beneficiaries.

After you die. Nobody cares what happens to you while you are alive. How does that help anyone? Stupid.

Traditional estate planning fails because the overwhelming majority of us will need long- term skilled care. 70% of us. For an average of 3 years. And we will go broke paying for it.

Is it surprising that thousands of recreation properties: cottages, cabins, hunting land, are lost to pay for long-term care? Why is your estate planner hurting you and your family? It is evil intent? Or stupidity?

LifePlanning™ defeats Nursing Home Poverty. Keep your stuff. Get the care you have already paid for. Good for you. Good for your family. Good example for society.

When my mother suffered from the dementia which led to her death, over 10 years ago, their estate plan preserved their lifesavings. Mom’s months in the nursing home did not mean Dad’s impoverishment. Dad spent the last years with security and peace of mind.

Perhaps you think you already have an answer to this problem. Maybe you do not see this as a problem at all. It is possible that you do not believe in the passage of time or its effects on you.

Peace of mind and financial security are waiting for everyone who practices LifePlanning™. You know that peace only begins with financial security. Are legal documents the most important? Is avoiding probate the best you can do for yourself or your loved ones? Is family about inheritance? Or are these things only significant to support the foundation of your family?

Do you think finding the best care is easy? Do you want to get lost in the overwhelming flood of claims and promises? Or would you like straight answers?

Well, here you are. Now you know. No excuses. Get the information, insight, inspiration. It is your turn. Ignore the message? Invite poverty? Or get the freely offered information. To make wise decisions. For you. For your loved ones.

The LifePlan™ Workshop has been the first step on the path to security and peace for thousands of families. Why not your family?

NO POVERTY. NO CHARITY. NO WASTE.
It is not chance. It is choice. Your choice.

Get Information Now. (800) 317-2812