Search Results
Please enter search terms in the box below.   This search is site wide including Retiree Advocate issues from January 2025 forward for pre 2025 issues of the Advocate please go to the Advocate Archives

-5198757490226798476 IMG_0563 20230321_115056_edited -5198757490226798476 1/5 Meetings & Events IMG_0137 (1) IMG_6872 France Giddings Karen Richter, Jeff Johnson and Robby Stern IMG_0137 (1) 1/9 PSARA committee meetings and events will be virtual unless otherwise noted, to attend any of these meetings, email organizer@psara.org for the link. Non PSARA events on this calendar are identified as such and have link to the sponsoring agency in the description. Thursday Jun 4, 2026 10:30 AM Climate & Environmental Justice Comm. Unless otherwise specified all meetings are Zoom. Please contact Organizer@psara.org for Zoom link. Thursday Jun 4, 2026 12:30 PM PSARA Government Relations Comm. Unless otherwise specified all meetings are Zoom. Please contact Organizer@psara.org for Zoom link. Friday Jun 5, 2026 11:30 AM Federal Bldg. 909 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98104 Support our Federal Workforce Support our Federal workers and No Kings Rally. Every Friday at the Seattle Federal Building PLaza. For more information or to support contact: federalbuildingfridays@gmail.com Friday Jun 5, 2026 11:30 AM Federal Bldg. 909 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98104 Support our Federal Workforce Copy Support our Federal workers and No Kings Rally. Every Friday at the Seattle Federal Building PLaza. For more information or to support contact: federalbuildingfridays@gmail.com Wednesday Jun 10, 2026 12:00 PM 714 N Iron Bridge Way, Spokane WA 99202 Social Security Worker Visibility Day, Spokane Social Security Worker Visibility Day: We are asking Social Security workers across the country to make themselves visible — to their communities, to the public, to each other, and to their elected officials. This is our opportunity to put a hu-man face on the stories being reported, and remind the country who has been holding this agency together. These are nonpartisan actions. They are about the people we serve and the workers who show up for them every single day. June 10 is our chance to be heard again. Wednesday Jun 10, 2026 12:00 PM 3809 Broadway, Everett, WA 98201 Social Security Worker Visibility Day, Everett Social Security Worker Visibility Day: We are asking Social Security workers across the country to make themselves visible — to their communities, to the public, to each other, and to their elected officials. This is our opportunity to put a hu-man face on the stories being reported, and remind the country who has been holding this agency together. These are nonpartisan actions. They are about the people we serve and the workers who show up for them every single day. June 10 is our chance to be heard again. Wednesday Jun 10, 2026 4:30 PM 26088 S 47th St, Tacoma, WA 98409 Social Security Worker Visibility Day, Tacoma Social Security Worker Visibility Day: We are asking Social Security workers across the country to make themselves visible — to their communities, to the public, to each other, and to their elected officials. This is our opportunity to put a hu-man face on the stories being reported, and remind the country who has been holding this agency together. These are nonpartisan actions. They are about the people we serve and the workers who show up for them every single day. June 10 is our chance to be heard again. Wednesday Jun 10, 2026 5:00 PM 138 W 1st St, Port Angeles, WA 98362 Social Security Worker Visibility Day, Port Angeles Social Security Worker Visibility Day: We are asking Social Security workers across the country to make themselves visible — to their communities, to the public, to each other, and to their elected officials. This is our opportunity to put a hu-man face on the stories being reported, and remind the country who has been holding this agency together. These are nonpartisan actions. They are about the people we serve and the workers who show up for them every single day. June 10 is our chance to be heard again. Thursday Jun 11, 2026 11:00 AM Race and Gender Equity Comm. Unless otherwise specified all meetings are Zoom. Please contact Organizer@psara.org for Zoom link. Thursday Jun 11, 2026 5:30 PM Central Co-op 4502 N. Pearl St. Tacoma, WA PSARA Pierce County Organizing Committee You can attend this meeting either in person or via Zoom. Please contact Organizer@psara.org for Zoom link. Friday Jun 12, 2026 11:30 AM Federal Bldg. 909 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98104 Support our Federal Workforce Support our Federal workers and No Kings Rally. Every Friday at the Seattle Federal Building PLaza. For more information or to support contact: federalbuildingfridays@gmail.com Tuesday Jun 16, 2026 10:30 AM WA State Labor Council Office, 321 16th Ave. S, Seattle Fund Raising Comm. Unless otherwise specified all meetings are Zoom. Please contact Organizer@psara.org for Zoom link. Thursday Jun 18, 2026 12:30 PM PSARA Executive Board Unless otherwise specified all meetings are Zoom. Please contact Organizer@psara.org for Zoom link. Friday Jun 19, 2026 11:30 AM Federal Bldg. 909 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98104 Support our Federal Workforce Support our Federal workers and No Kings Rally. Every Friday at the Seattle Federal Building PLaza. For more information or to support contact: federalbuildingfridays@gmail.com Saturday Jun 20, 2026 1:00 PM New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, 124 21st Ave., Seattle Juneteenth Celebration We invite you and your neighbors, family, friends, and fellow workers to a very special Juneteenth celebration. This year, PSARA is honored to feature Mr. Delbert Richardson. Mr. Richardson is a Community Scholar, Ethnomuseumologist, and Second-Generation Storyteller, of the “Unspoken Truths”: National Award-Winning American History Traveling Museum. Friday Jun 26, 2026 11:30 AM Federal Bldg. 909 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98104 Support our Federal Workforce Support our Federal workers and No Kings Rally. Every Friday at the Seattle Federal Building PLaza. For more information or to support contact: federalbuildingfridays@gmail.com Tuesday Sep 1, 2026 PSARA Cookout and Summer Membership Meeting Watch PSARA emails with details

For more than a quarter century, Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action (PSARA) has been active in fighting for older Americans, retirees, their children and families through social justice activities. P uget S ound A dvocates for R etirement A ction Working across generations for social justice, economic security, dignity, and a healthy planet for all of us. From Wins to What’s Next – A Recap of the 2026 Legislative Session was presented May 27th If you missed the presentation you can watch the recording here The Trump Administration is closing Social Security Offices across the country. Click Here for More Perfect Union's report on this Tragedy Upcoming PSARA Events/meetings (Click Here for a complete list of Events and Meetings) Support our Federal Workers Friday Federal Building Rallies When: Every Friday, @ 11:00 am (2 hours) Where: Federal Building Plaza on 2nd and Madison, Seattle Click here for more details PSARA June Retiree Advocate Click here to read the Advocate online In this month's Retiree Advocate, we feature a letter from the president of AFGE 220 on Social Security Workers Visibility Day, June 10. There are actions all over WA State that you can participate in. Also in this issue: An invitation to join us for Juneteenth. Anne Watanabe's analysis of the SCOTUS decision eviscerating the Voting Rights Act. A special article on WA Cares from the We Care For WA Cares Coalition. An article on potential changes to WA States electoral procedures by Robby Stern. Part 4 of Katie Harris's series on vertical integration in the health care industry. "No ICE in Our Cup" by Cindy Domingo. A resolution for the WA State Democratic Party Convention calling for divestment from fossil fuel stocks. And more! Health Secretary Kennedy is Attacking Traditional Medicare in Washington State In January, the Trump administration will be rolling out a new control on Traditional Medicare in six states, including Washington State. This program is called WISeR. It will affect Medicare benefits by requiring a new prior authorization for a number of medical decisions. This means your doctor will need to receive prior authorization from the Federal government before you get some medical treatments. C lick Here for more on the WISeR Program and what you can do to stop it. On December 6th PSARA Board Members Robby Stern and Anne Watanabe (hosted by Dan Grey and Evegreen State College) discuss the attacks on Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Please listen to the interview and share with your friends: Click here to hear the interview. Download and Read PSARA’s Primer on Leveling the Medicare Playing Field Protecting our Assets Protecting our Asses In the last year PSARA’s Co-President, Jeff Johnson, wrote a series of articles for PSARA’s Retiree Advocate highlighting the need to move beyond fossil fuels and the responsibility of unions to insure that their retirement plans stop investing in fossil fuels not just because its good environmentally but also good economics. Unions can play a key role in jump starting our green future. These articles have been consolidated into a single publication: Protecting our Assets Protecting our Asses. Click here to download the pamphlet or read it online. DOWNLOAD JOIN PSARA in making a difference! Back to Top

PSARA advocates on a range of issues. Our committees work in the areas of Social Equity, Environment, Medicare/Medicaid and Social Security. We also publish a monthly newsletter: The Advocate. We welcome New Members and Volunteers. PSARA Committees Meetings/Events Race and Gender Equity (RAGE) Committee Typically meets the 3rd Thursday of the month Contact: organizer@psara.org The Race and Gender Equity Committee works to highlight issues of racial and gender equity and to advocate for diverse and marginalized communities in the Puget Sound region and beyond. Current topics include Black Reparations, immigrant rights, and the impacts of environmental and land use decisions on communities of color. Government Relations Committee Typically meets the 1st Thursday of the month Contact: organizer@psara.org The Government Relations Committee is an active and engaged committee of volunteers that believes PSARA’s advocacy will make a difference in forming our state’s policies and priorities. We meet year around and are open to all PSARA members. Our work helps to center PSARA’s advocacy priorities and lead our members to greater activism in making Washington a healthier and more equitable place to live and thrive. We advocate for the quality of life and well-being of all Washingtonians and particularly seniors emphasizing retirement security, economic and social justice, revenue reform, climate justice, healthcare and housing affordability. Click here for more information. Climate & Environmental Justice Committee Typically meets the 1st Thursday of the month Contact: tplux@comcast.net PSARA's Climate & Environmental Justice Committee was formed out of the urgency of the escalating global climate crisis. We engage with Labor, environmental organizations and indigenous allies to help build a political movement to transition to clean energy and keep the world livable for future generations. We demand a just transition and livable wages for workers displaced by the move to clean energy and we advocate for justice and compensation for low income, communities of color and other communities adversely affected by fossil fuels and inequality. The threat of climate change requires education, advocacy, and direct action now! Fund Raising Committee Typically meets the 2nd Monday of the month Contact: organizer@psara.org The Fundraising Committee raises funds to support the great work of PSARA. Members conduct two major fundraising campaigns annually including Give Big in the spring and an End of Year solicitation. It also sponsors events such as concerts, storytellers, book reading by local authors and more. We reach out to other organizations for annual donations and apply for grants as the opportunity presents itself. Members also support agency events such as organizing our general membership meetings and PSARA’s anniversary celebration. Our work results in significant resources for PSARA and the PSARA Education Fund. We welcome all who want to help and we have fun planning and organizing our events and activities.

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents November 2025 Trump Administration Takes Advantage of Government Shutdown Steve Kofahl On October 15, Susan Illston, Senior US District Judge for the Northern District of California, issued a temporary restraining order to block the Trump Administration from firing 4,000 furloughed employees at the Department of Education and other agencies. A 2019 law, signed by Trump, requires that furloughed employees receive pay that had been withheld when a shutdown ends. The Administration now questions the interpretation of that law. Judge Illston suggested that the Administration has “taken advantage of the lapse in government spending and government functioning to assume that all bets are off, that the laws don’t apply to them anymore and that they can impose the structures that they like on the government situation that they don’t like.” The next day, the Senate failed, for the tenth time, to reach the 60-vote threshold needed to pass a stop-gap spending bill that does not protect those who rely on the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The current shutdown is now the third longest in history, with no end in sight, surpassing the 16-day shutdown over the issue of ACA implementation. The record 35-day shutdown over border wall construction ended when Federal employee absences disrupted air travel during Trump’s first term, forcing Congress to resolve it. What’s happening at the Social Security Administration (SSA) this month, and what is not happening, illustrates how the Trump Administration is imposing structures and disregarding the laws. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent appointed SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), a made-up position not subject to Senate confirmation, to replace the IRS Commissioner forced out (as was the prior Acting SSA Commissioner) over data access issues. Bisignano now “leads” both agencies. His placement threatens the security and integrity of the largest and most sensitive databases and repositories of private information. Reportedly, these records, along with those possessed by the Department of Homeland Security, are being consolidated or cross-referenced in order to track, surveil, and deport undocumented immigrants. So, how is SSA under Bisignano doing with what it is actually supposed to be doing? During the shutdown, SSA is not providing benefit verification letters needed by low-income recipients to apply for, or continue eligibility for, a host of federal, state, and local government programs. Updates and corrections to the earnings records that SSA relies upon to calculate payment amounts are suspended. Lost Medicare cards cannot be replaced. The cost-of-living adjustment announcement is delayed, in part because nearly all Bureau of Labor Statistics personnel that provide the needed data have been furloughed. Most SSA employees continue to work, unpaid, at least for now. Those who need to use earned leave benefits to deal with issues caused by loss of income too often face excessive documentation requests, have requests denied, or are charged with Absence Without Leave (AWOL), while dealing with personal and family emergencies that are often caused or exacerbated by the shutdown. Those having trouble paying transportation costs are denied opportunities to work from home, even those whose duties are entirely portable, so can be fulfilled from home. On October 16, Reuters reported that email communications from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem reveal that the Administration intends to pay over 70,000 law enforcement personnel who have been working without pay by October 22. Back pay since October 1, plus payment for the next 2-week pay period, would be included. The Administration had already said it would pay military personnel and FBI agents. Excluded are the 50,000 Transportation Security Administration workers who staff airport security checkpoints. The laws, indeed, don’t apply to them anymore, and they can impose the structures that they like on this “government situation.” It’s high time for Congress to react to the Administration’s consolidation of power, and to do its job, and for all of us to demand it. Steve Kofahl is a retired President of AFGE 3937, representing Social Security workers, a member of PSARA's Executive Board, and Co-Chair of PSARA's < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents May 2025 GiveBig Challenge 2025 Karen Richter The Board members of PSARA and the PSARA Education Fund have issued a challenge to our membership for the 2025GiveBIG campaign. This is our most important and biggest fundraiser of the year. Our 2025 goal is $35,000. Our Board members have generously pledged $27,700 so we are asking our membership to donate $8,000 to reach ourgoal. If our members can donate more, we will be most grateful. Together, we can expand and finance our progressive work that is needed now as never before. Your donations support our educational and advocacy work on halting and pushing back the privatization of Medicare and SocialSecurity and devastating cuts to Medicaid. As a result of our work in 2024, PSARA expanded the geographic reach of oureducational and advocacy work, bringing in new members locally and nationally. PSARA is very active in the legislative process. This year we are the lead organization for legislation in the 2025 WashingtonState Legislature. Working with the support of Senator Bob Hasagawa, PSARA helped draft and is advocating for SenateJoint Memo- rial (SJM) 8002, which calls for leveling the playing field between Traditional Medicare and MedicareAdvantage to give retirees a financially viable choice. Right now, many low-income people are forced into MedicareAdvantage (MA) plans because they are cheaper to purchase up front. But delays and denials in MA plans are costly andin some cases have been deadly. Profit- driven corporate insurers stand in the way of doctor/patient healthcare decisions. SJM 8002 passed the Senate but it failed to get a House vote before the cut off. We will advocate for itspassage in the 2026 session. PSARA has been joined by large national organizations that have embraced the “level the playing field” strategy.You can read more about this and other issues PSARA is undertaking in past issues of The Retiree Advocate as well as innumerous national publications. And you can view many of our webinars on our YouTube station, www.youtube.com/@psaraWA . Additional advocacy and education continue on racial and climate justice issues, including support for reparations toAfrican Americans and a coalition campaign to influence the Washington State Investment Board to divest from fossilfuel corporations. Your donations will also assist in covering the costs of creating and distributing The Retiree Advocate. Every year,PSARA takes on the challenge to sustain a one-staff-person, volunteer- driven organization. With your support, PSARAhelps build a progressive movement with our partners while publishing a quality newsletter, which we’ve done for over40 years. Our Education Fund also supports cultural events. We are planning a Juneteenth, in-person celebration this year withthe theme With Hope We Unite, Resist, and Overcome. We are also planning a concert, a book release event,continuing our oral history project of PSARA members, and much more. GiveBIG days are May 6 and May 7. Early online giving for GiveBIG starts on April 22. Donations can be made from April22 through May 7 by going to https/ www.wagives.org/donate/ PSARA-Education-Fund. Or you can go to wagives.org/donate/ and enter the PSARA Education Fund in the search function. Once there you can donate beginning April 22. If you prefer not to donate online, or if you want the Education Fund to receive the full amount of your donation, you cansend a check to PSARA Education Fund anytime between now and May 7. Please mail your check to PSARA EducationFund, 321 16th Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98144 and write GiveBIG in the memo line. If you choose this option, the creditcard fee we pay for online processing is eliminated. Thank you for your generous donations. Continuing our work requires more revenue than our $20 membership dues. Wehope you can help to continue the production and distribution of the newsletter and our educational programs andadvocacy work. Thank you for being a PSARA member. Karen Richter is Co-President of PSARA and Vice President of the PSARA Education Fund. < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents April 2026 Big Data, Administrative Subpoenas, and Free Speech Anne Watanabe Twenty-eight Congressional Democrats, led by US Representatives Pramila Jayapal and Robin Kelly, sent a letter on March 2 to 10 major tech companies – including Meta, Google, Apple, Microsoft, X, and Tik Tok – requesting “detailed information regarding your company’s receipt of, response to, and compliance with administrative subpoenas issued by the Department of Homeland Security[.]” The letter referenced Homeland Security’s use of administrative subpoenas to identify persons “based on protest, political advocacy, or criticism of federal immigration policy.” Administrative subpoenas are issued directly by the agency seeking the information, rather than by a judge. According to sources reported by the New York Times , Homeland Security has issued hundreds of subpoenas in recent months to Google, Reddit, Meta, and Discord. The subpoenas seek names, email addresses, telephone numbers, and other identifiers to learn who is tracking or criticizing the agency. (Homeland Security’s subpoena authority is found in 8 USC Sec. 1225(d)(4)). Administrative subpoena power has long been a part of criminal investigations. But it has recently drawn attention and concern as a tool used by Homeland Security to identify individuals who participate in protests or criticize the agency, including ICE and Border Patrol. The tech companies receiving these subpoenas also have varying and opaque policies or guidelines about how they respond to subpoenas, or how/whether they will notify customers that their records have been subpoenaed. A troubling account was reported in February by the Washington Post . Last fall, a retired insurance agent (who is a US citizen) saw a news report about an Afghan immigrant who faced deportation. The citizen sent an email to the federal prosecutor named in the news report, asking for “common sense and decency” for the immigrant. Several hours later, the citizen received a notice from Google telling him that an enforcement process had begun, compelling the release of information related to his account. Within two weeks, Homeland Security agents appeared at his home to question him. His efforts to get information from Google and from Homeland Security about the subpoena were truly dystopian. The ACLU ultimately stepped in, moving to quash the subpoena. The agency withdrew it before a ruling. But the experience left him anxious about expressing his political opinions or traveling outside the country. A chilling of free speech, indeed. Surveillance of activists by the government is not new (e.g., the infamous FBI surveillance of Black civil rights leaders during the 60s). But the scale and omnipresence of the current data ecosystem are new. Automatic license plate readers on public streets, private Ring cameras, facial recognition technology, our phones, our computers – all capture so much data continuously, which, in turn, can be used to identify who we are, where we go, and whom we communicate with. Because the information is collected (and typically owned) by private companies, the companies can disclose it in response to an administrative subpoena. And when the subpoenas are used to identify and possibly intimidate people who criticize the federal government, their use constitutes a dangerous threat to our First Amendment rights. Homeland Security is not the only federal agency that wants the ability to surveil citizens. The recent court battle between technology company Anthropic and the Department of Defense (DoD) hinges on the company’s refusal to allow its AI technology to surveil people in the US, or to run fully autonomous weapons systems. DoD apparently finds that an unacceptable limitation. DoD responded by designating the company a “supply chain risk,” which, Anthropic claims, will cause it to lose billions in revenue. As of this writing, the dispute was still in court. It is disquieting to know that heightened surveillance of citizens, not to mention fully automated weapons systems, are apparently DoD contracting must-haves. The March 2 Congressional letter asked for a response from the companies no later than March 26. Don’t hold your breath. No Republicans signed onto the letter, although free speech is a bipartisan matter. Nevertheless, the letter represents an important starting point to impose guardrails on administrative subpoena power so that we can protect our democracy. More information about protecting your privacy is available from the Electronic Frontier Foundation at www.eff.org , or the ACLU at aclu.org . Anne Watanabe is Chair of PSARA's Race and Gender Equity (RaGE) Commit- tee and a member of PSARA's Executive Board. < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents January 2026 Balcony Solar: Simple, Do-It-Yourself Solar Power Anne Shields Why is Residential Solar So Expensive in the US ? The costs of permitting and fees for rooftop solar are much higher in the US than in Europe or Australia due to fragmented, varying local requirements that create inefficiencies and delays. The difference is dramatic: a technical report from Tesla’s think tank outlines why US rooftop installation costs are three times higher than costs in Germany. Several studies report that inflated costs in the US are primarily due to the ”soft costs” in rooftop solar, which account for around 60 percent of total installation costs. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) identifies numerous categories of soft costs, including permitting, inspection and utility interconnection, installation labor, sales tax, overhead, net profit margins, and marketing. The US residential solar industry has entered a new era as federal tax credits for rooftop solar will expire on December 31, 2025. With the federal Investment phasing out at the end of 2025, most industry analysts anticipate a short-term decline, but it is far from a death knell for the industry. After all, while incentives may fade, energy demand is projected to rise sharply over the next few years and decades. McKinsey Consulting projects that total US electricity demand will rise by nearly 25 percent by 2030. That growth cannot be met without expanding solar energy generation through smaller, localized systems. What is “Balcony” Plug-in, Portable Solar? Balcony solar is a simple, do-it- yourself, “plug-and-play” solar panel and device that can be installed easily without an electrician. Plug-in is a more accurate term than balcony for these portable systems because they can be installed on a deck, a carport, an RV, or almost any stable surface. In a plug-in system, the solar panel is connected to a device that converts solar power to electricity and is plugged into a standard 120V outlet. The system can provide up to 800 watts, enough to run a small fridge or a laptop. A plug-in system is affordable because it avoids almost all the costs associated with rooftop solar installation. Renters can purchase, install, and take the portable panels and system along if they move. In March 2025, Utah became the first state to pass legislation allowing plug- in solar systems. Utah’s Solar Power Amendment passed with overwhelm- ing bipartisan support, allowing Utah residents to connect their systems directly to 120V outlets without permits, inspections, interconnection applications, or utility fees. Utah requires that plug-in systems meet nationally recognized electrical code standards and safety certification standards. At least six states are following Utah’s lead with new regulations allowing plug-in solar. Legislators in Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Vermont will review bills allowing plug-in solar during their respective legislative sessions. At the time of this writing, it has not been established whether Washington State legislators might pursue legislation allowing plug-in solar during the 2026 short session, but it is clear that state legislation will be necessary. Construction and solar permitting websites for numerous counties and cities explicitly state that “balcony solar is illegal in Washington State,” referring the reader to state building codes. Anne Shields is a member of PSARA's Climate and Environmental Justice Committee. < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents November 2025 Meet Jean Ross, the Real Sally Bowles Mike Andrew If you’re a fan of musicals, you probably remember Liza Minelli’s Oscar-winning performance as Sally Bowles in Cabaret . Liza Minelli Cabaret ’s screenplay is based on Christopher Isherwood’s novella Sally Bowles , now usually published with other Isherwood stories in Goodbye to Berlin . Isherwood was one of several young writers who fled the stodgy, conservative atmosphere of post-World War I Britain to seek adventures in Weimar Republic Germany. Others included W.H. Auden, Stephen Spender, and an American, Paul Bowles. The Sally Bowles character is supposed to be one of these British expats. But there was a real Sally Bowles. Her name was Jean Ross, and she was nothing like the Sally Bowles in Cabaret . Jean Ross In Isherwood’s 1937 novella, Sally is a flapper who moonlights as a singer in a Berlin cabaret during the twilight of the Weimar Republic, which was also the waning years of the Jazz Age. As Isherwood portrays her, she’s ditzy, promiscuous, and looking for a sugar daddy to support her. Although Nazis prowl through Isherwood’s storyline, Sally remains apolitical, scarcely aware that the high times of the permissive Weimar Republic are coming to an end. Christopher Isherwood After a series of failed romances, Sally becomes pregnant, has a botched abortion, and then flees Berlin, only to disappear for good in Rome. Jean Ross, on the other hand, was an intellectual – a journalist, film critic, and committed communist. During a youthful sojourn in the Weimar Republic, Ross did work as a cabaret singer in Berlin, just like Sally. In 1931, she briefly shared a flat with Isherwood, but the two did not get along. Isherwood subsequently elaborated on some of the incidents of Ross’s life in Berlin to create the Sally Bowles character. Although Isherwood never publicly claimed that Ross inspired Sally Bowles until after her death, Ross’s former partner Claud Cockburn – who previously abandoned Ross and their daughter, Sarah Caudwell – leaked to the press that she had inspired the character. Consequently, when the Broadway production of Cabaret won critical acclaim in the 1960s, journalists hounded Ross with intrusive questions. Ross came to resent the Sally Bowles character – and Christopher Isherwood as well – because she believed the public association of herself with that naïve and apolitical character cheapened her lifelong work as a professional writer and political activist. And Ross had a distinguished career. As a lifelong member of the Communist Party of Great Britain, Ross worked as a film critic for the Daily Worker . During the Spanish Civil War (1936–39), she served as a war correspondent for the Daily Express and allegedly as a press agent for the Comintern. Throughout her lifetime, Ross wrote political criticism, anti-fascist polemics, and socialist manifestos for various progressive cultural organizations like the British Workers' Film and Photo League. As her daughter, Sarah Caudwell, wrote in a 1986 article “Reply to Berlin,” “[Ross] may well, at 19, have been less informed about politics than Isherwood, five or six years older; but, when the Spanish war came and the fascists were bombing Madrid, it was she, not Isherwood, who was there to report on it.” In fact, Caudwell says, Ross believed that Sally's political indifference more closely resembled Isherwood and some of his gay friends, who "fluttered around town exclaiming how sexy the storm troopers looked in their uniforms.” Even the poet W. H. Auden, who was a friend and occasional boyfriend of Isherwood, confessed that the young Isherwood "held no opinions whatever about anything.” According to Caudwell, "in the transformations of the novel for stage and cinema, the characterization of Sally has become progressively cruder and less subtle and the stories about 'the original' correspondingly more high-colored.” What was most galling to Ross was some antisemitic remarks Isherwood wrote for his Sally character. According to Caudwell, racial bigotry "would have been as alien to my mother's vocabulary as a sentence in Swahili; she had no more deeply rooted passion than a loathing of racialism and so, from the outset, of fascism." As a committed anti-fascist, Ross was incensed Isherwood had depicted her as thoughtlessly allied in her beliefs "with the attitudes which led to Dachau and Auschwitz". To the end of her life in 1961, Ross refused to discuss her sexual adventures in Berlin with reporters. "They asked if I was a feminist. Well, of course I am, darling. But they don't think feminism is about sex, do they? It's about economics," she said. Mike Andrew is the Editor of the Advocate and Executive Director of PSARA < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents February 2026 The Fight for Medicare in 2026 Robby Stern The attack by the Trump administration and their Republican sycophants on healthcare coverage will land with tragic consequences on a very large number of people in the US. With compassion for the suffering caused by the Trumpian attacks and determination based on belief in social and economic justice, the movement for Improved Medicare for All will grow and become more and more vocal. Meanwhile, our fight to preserve and expand original public Medicare will continue, as will our educational work exposing the consequences of for-profit Medicare Advantage (MA) and the introduction of the WISeR pilot program. We know the drive for increasing profits leads to abuse and fraud by the insurance companies. Requiring frequent prior authorizations (more than 50 million in 2024), upcoding, cherry picking and lemon dropping (i.e. offloading sicker patients), and offer-ing a limited network of providers are all about profit. The growing trend of large corporations like United Health Group owning subsidiaries like Optum that employ provider networks and/or pharmacy benefit managers create multiple opportunities to extract profit from the Medicare Trust Fund. Their practices will continue until we build a strong enough movement to stop them. The WISeR pilot program began on January 1, 2026 in Washington. That’s bad news. It expands the use of prior authorization in Original Medicare, adding 17 procedures. It also introduces the use of private, for-profit corporations to determine whether these 17 procedures will be covered by Medicare. These corporations are required to use AI to make the determination and will be paid a larger reimbursement for denials. The good news is that our education and advocacy work has been very effective, and our members have made a big difference. Most recently, Sen. Patty Murray introduced S. 3480, a bill prohibiting the Secretary of Health and Human Services from implementing the WISeR pilot program in Medicare. There are 18 Senators co-sponsoring the legislation including Sen. Cantwell. Sen. Murray’s bill is companion legislation to Rep. DelBene’s legislation in the House. HR 5940 also bars the Secretary of Health and Human Services from implementing WISeR. Introduced in November, HR 5940 has 38 co-sponsors, including all the Democratic representatives in Washington, except for Rep. Glusenkamp Perez. We will try to get her support in 2026. It is unlikely these bills will pass in 2026, but they are a good organizing tool. Our work in 2026 will include building momentum to end WISeR before the scheduled six-year termination date. PSARA is a member of the national Reclaim Medicare Coalescence, which includes a number of organizations that have a significant presence in Washington, DC, and wide national outreach. The coalescence has adopted as a goal the introduction of the Level the Play-ing Field legislation, hopefully in 2026. Members of the coalescence also play a major role in researching and exposing the abuses of the Medicare Advantage corporations, and they advocate for regulations and legislation to put an end to these abuses. We are all working to terminate WISeR, and many of the organizations in the Reclaim Medicare Coalescence support Rep. Jayapal’s Improved Medicare for All legislation (HR30069). Here are some things our members can do to help in the coming year: Help us find venues where we can educate and advocate about leveling the playing field, about achieving Improved Medicare for All, and ending the abuses and fraud of Medicare Advantage. If you or someone you know has a personal story of problems related to the healthcare being provided by a Medicare Advantage plan or if you are on Original Medicare and have a personal story related to the use of prior authorization in the WISeR program, please email organizer@psara.org to let us know. Personal stories are powerful. We will not use your name unless you give us permission. When you receive emails urging you to contact elected officials, please continue to respond with action. For example, we will be working to have legislation introduced in Congress to level the playing field related to benefits between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage. We are educating and advocating for the legislation to set an affordable cap on out-of-pocket costs in Original Medicare, making it unnecessary to purchase Medigap insurance. It will also include hearing, dental, and vision coverage. When the legislation is introduced, we will need assistance in getting co-sponsors from the Washington Congressional delegation. In the state legislature we will be educating and advocating for the passage of SJM 8002, which puts the state legislature on record calling for Congress to stop the fleecing of the Medicare Trust Fund by Medicare Advantage and level the play-ing field between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage. We want Medicare beneficiaries to have a real financial choice between the public plan and the private for-profit plans. We will also support efforts to restore the cuts to Medicaid. Will Parry, the former inspirational leader of PSARA, would frequently sing the song "Carry It On," made famous by Joan Baez. In 2026, we will resist attacks on Medicare and Medicaid and demonstrate there is a better way. We will carry it on. Robby Stern is President of the PSARA Education Fund and a member of PSARA's Executive Board. < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents March 2026 A brief excerpt from Major General Smedley D. Butler, USMC anti-imperialist book, War Is a Racket: “I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested. Looking back on it, I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents.” Click here for the Seattle Public Library's listing of General Smedley Butler's Book "War is a Racket" < Back to Table of Contents

The Retiree Advocate The Barbed Wire Barbara Flye Back to the Advocate Table of Contents

The Retiree ADVOCATE The Monthly Publication of PSARA EDUCATION FUND “Uniting Generations for a Secure Future” Advocate Print Version June 1, 2026 Join Us for Juneteenth! Saturday, June 20, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. An invitation to join PSARA for our Juneteenth event. Read More The Barbed Wire Barbara Flye Barb Flye’s cartoon for June looks at our voting challenge Read More Louisiana v. Callais: The Supreme Court, Jim Crow, and Voting Rights Anne Watanabe Anne Watanabe's analysis of the SCOTUS decision eviscerating the Voting Rights Act. Read More Washington State Bridging the Care Gap Special to the Retiree Advocate from We Care For WA Cares Coalition A special article on WA Cares from the We Care For WA Cares Coalition. Read More Elections in Washington Likely to Change Robby Stern An article on potential changes to WA States electoral procedures by Robby Stern. Read More Vertical Integration: How UnitedHealth Group Uses and Abuses Our Health Data Katie Harris Part 4 of Katie Harris's series on vertical integration in the health care industry. Read More FIFA Comes to Seattle No ICE in Our Cup! Cindy Domingo "No ICE in Our Cup" by Cindy Domingo. Read More Resolution to the WA Democratic Party Convention, June 21: Divest from Fossil Fuels to Mitigate Climate Change while Strengthening Pension Funds A resolution for the WA State Democratic Party Convention calling for divestment from fossil fuel stocks. Read More June 10: Social Security Worker Visibility Day Rally to support Social Security Workers on Social Security Worker Visibility Day Read More Danger! Republicans Want to Put Big Oil Above the Law New legislation has been introduced in the US Senate to limit state and local jurisdictions from suing oil companies for costs incurred from climate disasters Read More