Free Republic

America’s middle class is being systematically eviscerated. When the Federal Reserve pumped trillions of dollars into the financial system during the pandemic, most Americans didn’t realize what that would do to them. That money certainly made the wealthy a whole lot wealthier, but it also dramatically increased the cost of living for the rest of us. So now inflation has been rising much faster than paychecks have, and the cost of living has become exceedingly oppressive. In fact, last year we witnessed the largest decline in real median household income in more than a decade… "The official tally is in...

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday suggested that neither President Joe Biden nor former President Donald Trump were of an appropriate age to lead the nation. Appearing on CBS News, the governor fielded a question as to the ages of Biden, 80, and Trump, 77. Biden is the oldest president in U.S. history while Trump previously held that title. "I think that's absolutely a legitimate concern," the governor said. "The presidency's not a job for someone that's 80 years old, and there's nothing wrong with being 80 obviously. I'm the governor of Florida. I know a lot of people...

* New Jersey's nursing homes are battling COVID-19 once again as new variants spread through the US. *One in every four facilities has reported an outbreak over the past week, according to state data. *The surge comes with both hospitalizations and deaths from the virus steadily rising.

A Los Angeles city official wants to ban cashless businesses in the area, arguing they exclude low-income people and others who don't carry credit cards. "Cashless businesses create an economy in our City that is not inclusive and accessible for all people," Councilwoman Heather Hutt said in a press release introducing a motion on the topic. "There are many unbanked groups, including BIPOC and low-income communities, that rely on cash to pay for goods and services." It comes as more businesses in the area are opting for cashless payments like credit cards or digital payments through apps. Those options, businesses...

Seniors face more than $50 billion in unpaid medical bills, many of which they shouldn’t have to pay, according to a federal watchdog report. In an all-too-common scenario, medical providers charge elderly patients the full price of an expensive medical service rather than work with the insurer that is supposed to cover it. If the patient doesn’t pay, the provider sends the bill into collections, setting off a round of frightening letters, humiliating phone calls and damaging credit reports.

Welcome to my guide on how to navigate the oh so exciting world of AI with ChatGPT, an Artificial Intelligence created by OpenAI. Let's break down the basics in this easy-to-understand guide for some of us older Freepers who don't feel like slaying another dang dragon. ## Prompts A prompt is simply a question or statement that you give to ChatGPT. The AI then responds based on what you said. It's like starting a conversation with a friend. For example, you might ask, "What's the weather like today?" or tell it, "Tell me a joke." For some fun, try asking...

After a telemarketer swore at his son nearly 10 years ago, Roger Anderson set out to cause robocallers, telephone fraudsters and scammers as many problems as possible. His solution was to create an artificial intelligence call-deflection system that puts incoming spam calls on the line with a ChatGPT-powered personality, keeping fraudsters talking in circles as they attempt to extract financial information from a chatbot. "This is really an incredibly silly idea," Anderson, who founded the Jolly Roger Telephone Company, told Fox News. "But in a way, I think it's the only way to combat unsolicited telemarketing because we just can't...

Sierra Vista, AZ - On Friday, at least one pit bull critically injured a 53-year old man and killed an 84-year old woman and her small dog. The Sierra Vista Police Department (SVPD) responded to the 600 block of Calle Del Norte around 6:00 pm after reports of a dog attack in the alley between Del Norte and Meadowlark. When officers arrived, they found a dog attacking Sam Sanches Jr., 53, in the backyard of his home. Officers shot and killed that dog to render aid to Sanches. Officers then found Helene Jackson, 84, mortally wounded in the alley behind...

Pickleball, America’s fastest-growing sport, is taking a toll on players’ wrists, legs and shoulders. And it’s especially popular with injury-prone seniors, which is driving up the cost burden. Pickleball injuries may cost Americans $377 million in health care costs this year, accounting for 5% to 10% of total unexpected medical costs, UBS analysts estimated in a report Monday. “While we generally think of exercise as positively impacting health outcomes, the ‘can-do’ attitude of today’s seniors can pose greater risk in other areas such as sports injuries, leading to a greater number of orthopedic procedures,” the analysts said. Pickleball-related injuries occur...

SUFFERING SOME DIZZINESS, BAD HEART, TYPE II DIABETES, NEUROPATHY. WORKING WITH DOCTORS TO FIGURE THINGS OUT. WANT AN ALARM FOR USE, WHEN I AM ALONE AT HOME A FEW HOURS A DAY OR AWAY FROM HOME.

Cases have been reported of teenagers dressing in dark clothing and sneaking through residential areas to eliminate assigned "targets" for the game.

As many as 80% of aging adults in America lack the financial resources to pay for two years of nursing home care or four years of an assisted living community. That’s according to a new study from the National Council on Aging (NCOA) and the LeadingAge LTSS Center at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Additionally, 60% of older adults — or 24 million households — would not have the funds to pay for in-home long-term care, despite the fact that they would prefer to “age in place,” per a report from NCOA. Researchers analyzed 2018 data from the Health and...

It was the free soft drink at Whataburger that got Melvin Schwartz hooked. Then he learned Chick-fil-A does it, too. “I hate spending $2 or $3 on a Coke,” said the 75-year-old retired IRS agent, whose senior discount also earns him 10 percent off his usual Hungr-Buster combo at Dairy Queen and nacho salad at Taco Bueno near his Dallas home. Senior discounts have been around for decades. Now, they’re having a moment. Reviewer mentions of “senior discount” soared 36 percent from 2021 to 2022, according to data from crowdsourced review site Yelp. And AARP says a growing number of...

The debt ceiling limit is back in the news. In the past, political leaders have responded to concerns about this issue by suggesting that Social Security checks might not go out on time should Congress not agree on another debt ceiling extension. This begs the obvious question: Why a program with a $2.8 trillion reserve cannot pay benefits on time? Pundits have weighed in on the subject, as have the fact checkers who largely agree that checks should not be at risk -- at least in theory. It is time for the Treasury Department to explain why Social Security checks...

Bridget Fonda hit headlines on Wednesday after she was photographed out in public for the first time in more than a decade. The 58-year-old former actress — who quit Hollywood in 2002 and hasn’t walked a red carpet since 2010 — looked unrecognizable as she ran errands in Los Angeles. (snip) Fonda has proven that even the most glamorous stars change over the years, and she joins a growing number of former pinups who are defiantly owning their age and prioritizing personal comfort over public expectations. Other ’80s and ’90s heartthrobs, however, have taken a different route — sparking speculation...

CDC is investigating a potential link between COVID mRNA injections and ischemic strokes

Pfizer's bivalent Covid booster could increase the risk of a stroke in recipients over age 65, officials report. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officials cited vaccine safety database data that showed an increased risk of ischemic stroke in the elderly within three weeks of getting the shot. An ischemic stroke, also known as brain ischemia, is caused by blockages in arteries that carry blood to the brain. The safety concern requires more investigation and 'the totality of the data currently suggests that it is very unlikely that the signal … represents a true clinical risk', CDC wrote in...

The number of seniors visiting emergency rooms in California for cannabis-related issues is growing, according to new research. From 2005 to 2019, the state’s emergency departments saw a 1,808 percent relative increase in the rate of cannabis-related trips among those aged 65 and older. Cannabis is currently legal for both medicinal and recreational use in California. The state became the first in the country to legalize medical marijuana in 1996, while the substance was not approved for recreational use there until November 2016. The study found that cannabis-related emergency department visits in California rose sharply among seniors from 2013 to...

Scene: With a patient in my medical exam room Me: How old are your kids? Patient: Forty-four and 39 from my wife who passed away, and from my second wife, 15 and 13. Me: That’s quite the age difference! Patient: Well, the older ones didn’t give me any grandkids, so I made my own. —Mria Murillo I tried having my mother’s phone disconnected, but the customer-service rep told me that since the account was in my dad’s name, he’d have to be the one to put in the request. The fact that he’d been dead for 40 years didn’t sway...

Lynne Ingersoll and her cat, Jesse, spent a quiet Thanksgiving Day together in her small bungalow in Blue Island, Ill. A retired librarian, Ms. Ingersoll never married or had children. At 77, she has outlived her parents, three partners, her two closest friends, five dogs and eight cats. When her sister died three years ago, Ms. Ingersoll joined the ranks of older Americans considered “kinless”: without partners or spouses, children or siblings. Covid-19 has largely suspended her occasional get-togethers with friends, too. Now, she said, “my social life consists of doctors and store clerks — that’s a joke, but it’s...