Fauci got the rights we didn't

I believe Dr. Fauci should have pled the 5th. And he did. He destroyed our Constitutional Rights but that's no reason to return the crime. It doesn't solve what we will do the next time the government and the media collude. And will our churches stand up and object the next time?

"What we do know, though, is that Anthony Fauci has finally come to see the value in the Bill of Rights, having spent the COVID years routinely trying to trample the First Amendment rights of those who would dare publicly disagree with him.

His ire was routinely on display whenever the Great Barrington Declaration reared its ugly head. The authors of that declaration simply asserted that “Adopting measures to protect the vulnerable should be the central aim of public health responses to COVID-19.” Fauci and his merry band, on the other hand, pushed for and got lockdowns. The healthy and the sick, the strong and the vulnerable, all fell into the same bucket, and that bucket was placed behind a locked door.

And anyone who disagreed was to be silenced, First Amendment be damned." 

Anthony Fauci (Finally) Discovers the Bill of Rights

Medicare increases for 2027

Notes from Kiplinger's on the 2027 Medicare increases

https://hwww.kiplinger.com/retirement/medicare/medicare-2027-how-much-premiums-are-set-to-rise

"Medicare premiums are set to rise again for 2027. The latest Social Security and Medicare Trustees Report (page 207) estimates that Part B premiums will climb 3.5% in 2027, reaching $209.50 per month, up $6.60 from 2026. While another price hike is never good news for retirees, the increase is a relief compared to the almost 10% spike experienced in 2026.

Unlike Part B, Medicare Part D is sold through private insurance companies, either as a standalone drug plan alongside traditional Medicare or as part of a Medicare Advantage policy.

Because individual plan costs vary, the average premium enrollees pay is typically lower than the base beneficiary premium. According to the latest Trustees Report, the Part D base premium is projected to reach $41.33 per month in 2027.

Medicare Part B pays for doctor visits, outpatient care and some home healthcare. When enrolled, you pay both a deductible and a monthly premium. For 2027, the premium is currently projected to rise 3.5% to $209.50, up $6.60 from $202.90 in 2025.

The Part B deductible is projected to reach $292 in 2027, a $9.00 increase from $283.00 in the previous year. On a percentage basis, it's an increase of 3.2%, in line with the estimated increase of the Part B premium.

The projected Part B increase impact on Social Security benefits

The 2027 Social Security COLA is projected to rise 3.8%, after accounting for the June CPI. In terms of dollars, if implemented now, that would translate into an increase of $79.14 per month or $949.68 per year, when using the average Social Security check amount for May 2026 ($2,082.76) as the base amount.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) automatically deducts the Part B premium cost from the Social Security benefits of most Medicare recipients. For 2027, the average Social Security check would fall from $79.14 to $72.54, subtracting the projected Part B increase ($6.60) from the projected COLA raise (79.14). In that scenario, the Part B increase would consume approximately 8.3% of the monthly increase.

Understanding Medicare Part D premiums

Unlike Part B, there isn't a single "standard" Part D premium, as it varies by plan. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) establishes a standardized base premium amount used to calculate late enrollment penalties and to determine Part D IRMAA surcharges. For 2027, the base premium is $41.33.

Most final premium and deductible amounts won't be announced until late October or early November; however, most of the Part D amounts have been finalized.

Annual deductible: The standard Part D deductible will increase to $700 in 2027, up from $615 in 2026. That's a steeper increase than in 2026, when the deductible rose to $615 from $590 in 2025, a $25 increase.

Out-of-pocket spending cap: On a positive note for 2027, Medicare Part D's annual out-of-pocket prescription cap will rise to $2,400, up $300 from the $2,100 limit in 2026. Once beneficiaries reach this cap, they no longer pay out-of-pocket costs for covered prescription drugs for the rest of the year.

Premium protections and stabilization: To shield enrollees from steep rate hikes, the premium stabilization provision of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) caps annual base beneficiary premium (BBP) growth at 6% yearly through 2029, while limiting how much extra cost plan sponsors can pass along.

While an IRA demonstration program previously stabilized average monthly premiums, CMS scaled back that support in 2026, stating in a memo that reducing federal subsidies is meant to help the Part D program "return to operating under regular market conditions."

Notes from Newsweek

https://www.newsweek.com/medicare-update-new-estimate-of-how-much-premiums-will-increase-12256344

Five Star no longer exists; we are now part of Sinceri

https://www.mcknightsseniorliving.com/news/sinceri-discovery-tutera-among-operators-assuming-management-of-116-five-star-communities/

"AlerisLife/Five Star was one of the largest senior living community operators in the United States.

In the 2025 ASHA 50 list of largest operators, AlerisLife was listed in eighth place, with 132 properties and a total of 19,056 units as of June 1.

AlerisLife/Five Star also appeared in sixth place on Argentum’s 2025 list of largest senior providers. That list, released in July with data current as of June 30, 2023, reported that AlerisLife/Five Star had 9,836 employees and 19,492 total units across 138 communities, including 10,123 for independent living, 7,539 for assisted living and 1,830 for memory care.

AlerisLife filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notice with the state of Massachusetts on Sept. 3 [2025] indicating that 179 employees would be laid off between Nov. 3 and Dec. 31. In an updated notice filed Sept. 30, the company indicated that the layoffs would take place through March 31, 2026."

Senior Living REITs are hot.

Looking back a 2022 and Five Star/Aleris

"A news-filled 2022

News of the acquisition at the beginning of 2023 comes after a news-filled 2022 for AlerisLife:In January 2022, Five Star Senior Living announced a new name, AlerisLife, for a parent company under which the Five Star name would continue to be used for a senior living management services division and the Ageility name would continue to be used for its rehabilitation / fitness services division. AlerisLife also announced plans to expand into active adult management services and home care and concierge services.

In February 2022, AlerisLife announced that it had closed on a $95 million senior secured term loan to obtain “increased liquidity to use at our discretion and additional flexibility for the coming years as we execute on our strategic business plan,” then-President and CEO Katie Potter said at the time.
In May, AlerisLife announced that Potter had resigned and that Chief Financial Officer Jeff Leer had been appointed to succeed her on an interim basis as the company hired a consulting group to review operations.

Leer’s appointment was made permanent in June as the company announced plans to cut costs and make operational changes to try to increase occupancy. In August, Leer said that AlerisLife would reduce costs by approximately $14 million and invest approximately $4 million under recommendations made by the consulting firm it had hired, to “drive efficiencies and standardize processes that will enable us to better serve our residents and customers and stabilize our financial performance.”
In November, Leer said that continuing progress on the company’s restructuring plan had resulted in occupancy gains in the third quarter that were the largest in recent years.

Also in November, AlerisLife reported that it faced possible delisting by Nasdaq because the bid price for shares of the company’s common stock had closed at less than $1 for the past 30 consecutive business days. The company was given until May 8, 2023, to come into compliance with the minimum bid price continued listing standard.

AlerisLife was No. 6 on the 2022 American Seniors Housing Association’s ASHA 50 list of largest senior living operators, falling from No. 5 in 2021 and No. 4 in 2020. But the company moved from No. 5 in 2021 to No. 4 in 2022 on Argentum’s list of largest operators."

Trump's role in the Fauci downfall

Although I think Fauci is guilty of all they accuse him of, I also believe President Trump put him in power hoping to be the hero of a virus no one understood. Trump was right in the beginning calling it the Wuhan virus, but he appointed the man he thought would be best qualified to control it. He was wrong; his usual good instincts about people failed him and us. Fauci got rid the other advisors who would contradict him.

 
Trump was also the godfather of PPP which was to replace incomes during the shutdowns, which was ripe for fraud and even compromised churches and non-profits. Fauci was then a gift to the Democrats from Trump. Children have lost years of schooling, the elderly died alone, people lost jobs and careers for refusing unsafe "vaccines," and millions of people learned the government should take care of them.

Democrats may be dysfunctional, insane and suckers for falling for Communism, but the Republicans during a crisis were just sloppy and disorganized, terrorized by social media and the traditional media and fractured by their own internal problems.

I also think Fauci should continue to rely on the 5th Amendment. Let that remind us that the "Democratic Socialists" aka Communists, want to dump the Constitution.

Growth in senior living communities real estate--demographics and demad

"By 2035, the U.S. population aged 80+ is projected to grow by 56%, adding nearly 8 million seniors, reshaping long-term housing needs. In the first quarter of 2026, construction on new senior living units fell to its lowest level since 2012, and year-over-year inventory growth hit a record low of 0.4% in the first quarter, down from 0.5% in the fourth quarter of 2025. 2026 first-quarter senior living occupancy increased to 89.5% — up from 89.1% in the fourth quarter — with independent living occupancy higher than 91% and assisted living reaching 87.9%. A rapidly expanding cohort of higher-income seniors is driving demand for premium living environments featuring autonomy, wellness and lifestyle amenities, especially within continuum-of-care campuses." . . 

"Our communities are located in high-growth markets where 75+ populations are expanding rapidly and household incomes exceed national medians, supporting both demand affordability. Our team specializes in the operational and financial intricacies of senior living, partnering directly with operators to enhance care delivery, optimize NOI and elevated resident experience. We collaborate with established regional providers who bring deep clinical expertise, strong reputations and a proven ability to tailor services to local market needs. We actively benchmark performance, oversee capital planning, evaluate repositioning or disposition opportunities and maintain a rigorous focus on financial outcomes."

RMR Senior Living | Communities for Long-Term Demand

Alternative asset management companies are investment firms that focus on non-traditional assets outside of conventional stocks, bonds, and cash. Their goal is to generate returns that are often less correlated with traditional markets, providing investors with diversification benefits and access to unique investment opportunities.  These firms typically work with institutional investors, high-net-worth individuals, and family offices, designing customized portfolios that align with clients’ risk tolerance and financial objectives CGAA.

What is an alternative asset manager and how do they work?

Trump's days at war against Obama's years

I keep hearing people (Democrats) complain about the number of days of Trump's war, but nothing about Obama's years--eight--a record for any President, seven wars or maybe more. Large-scale, sustained ground wars, or broader military operations including air campaigns, drone strikes, and special operations.

Afghanistan War (including later counterterrorism campaigns)

Iraq War (including 2014–2017 campaign against ISIS)
Libya intervention (2011 NATO-led bombing campaign)
Syrian Civil War (U.S. support for rebels, later direct strikes)
Counterterrorism operations in multiple countries (Yemen, Somalia, Pakistan, etc.)
Some tallies also include Yemen and Somalia as separate military engagements

https://www.warcosts.org/presidents/obama
Obama has a lot to say about everything but his foreign policy | Responsible Statecraft

Craft day at The Estates

I'm not very crafty, but today we made greeting cards with buttons and scraps of yarn and cloth. Mine is the yellow with heels and the green one with a basketball, So, if you have a birthday or a good day you might hear from me.

Trafficking and slavery and Kafala

Before Trump makes deals with Saudi Arabia, he needs some deals to free foreign domestics in that country who are enslaved by their kafala system. Particularly Kenyan and Filipino women. There are many more slaves today than in the 18th century Atlantic slave trade and yet some Americans seem more concerned about racial sneers and DEI than true slavery. It was Arab Muslims enslaving Africans and Asians in the 17th and 18th century and it still is.

  Saudi Arabia: Migrant domestic workers face severe exploitation, racism and exclusion from labour protections - Amnesty International

https://www.respicio.ph/commentaries/ofw-abuse-in-saudi-arabia?

https://www.cfr.org/backgrounders/what-kafala-system?

Global: Filipino domestic workers exploited and subjected to sexual abuse in Saudi Arabia - Amnesty International

Obama's key campaign promise to end the war

When I hear members of Congress grilling members of Trump's war advisory group it makes me wonder if they remember that Obama continued a war he promised to end for eight years. Getting out of the war in Iraq was his key campaign promise, and yet he gave them the ability to create the monster that Trump is trying to slay.

From L.A. Times: "U.S. military forces have been at war for all eight years of Obama’s tenure, the first two-term president with that distinction. He launched airstrikes or military raids in at least seven countries: Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Somalia and Pakistan.

Yet the U.S. faces more threats in more places than at any time since the Cold War, according to U.S. intelligence. For the first time in decades, there is at least the potential of an armed clash with America’s largest adversaries, Russia and China.

"Obama slashed the number of U.S. troops in war zones from 150,000 to 14,000, and stopped the flow of American soldiers coming home in body bags. He also used diplomacy, not war, to defuse a tense nuclear standoff with Iran.

But he vastly expanded the role of elite commando units and the use of new technology, including armed drones and cyber weapons."

https://www.latimes.com/projects/la-na-pol-obama-at-war/?

Obama’s Tarnished Legacy in the Middle East – The Cairo Review of Global Affairs

President Obama and the Middle East: a Mixed Legacy : IEMed