The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents August 2025 How To Make America Sick The Trump administration’s plan to “Make America Healthy Again” will make Americans’ health worse. Donald M. Berwick, MD. Reprinted from the Center for American Progress website. It might seem obvious that the United States, the wealthiest country on earth, would have the best health and health care. But we do not. Not even close. So when President Donald Trump, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and their allies in Congress propose to “Make America Healthy Again,” it’s easy to get on board. The trouble is that their plan won’t work. In fact, it will make Americans’ health worse. They are currently proposing to cut Medicaid and Medicare, decimate public health structures, withdraw support for food security and other basic needs, and harm the environment all of which is dead wrong from a scientific viewpoint. There is no disputing that America’s health care system needs a dramatic overhaul. U.S. life expectancy ranks 49th globally at more than four years lower than that of the world’s healthiest countries. Our children’s health ranks 36th among the 38 richest nations. Not a single U.S. state has an average life expectancy longer than that of comparably wealthy nations. If the goal is to make America as healthy as other wealthy nations, it would be hard to do worse than we are doing right now. And for that terrible performance, the United States spends twice as much per capita on health care as the average wealthy country—with more than 110 million Americans struggling with medical debt. So, yes, by all means, let’s “make America healthy.” However, unlike how the Trump administration and RFK Jr. are going about it, doing so requires following the science. In 2015, the revered British epidemiologist Michael Marmot wrote “The Health Gap,” arguably the best playbook for making any country healthier. The book summarizes decades of research on why health varies enormously among places with ostensibly similar conditions. The gap in health outcomes can be between nations, between sub- groups within nations, and even across the tracks in a single city. For example, Black Americans had a lifespan six years shorter than that of white Americans in 2021; residents of west Chicago live 14 years less than residents of the Chicago Loop; and across the city of Boston, lifespan varies by more than two decades. Marmot sorts known causes of health gaps into buckets including early childhood experiences, education, workplace conditions, supports to the elderly, and community “resilience”; he also looks at the impact of attributes such as food security, housing security, transportation systems, clean air, compassionate criminal justice systems, and recreational opportunities. Through that lens, a scientifically guided plan for “making America healthy” is simple to devise: Invest in what drives health. This is why what RFK Jr. and the Trump administration are doing makes no sense. Watch the administration, and it would be hard to find a better way to “make America sick.” It’s like “opposite day”: Every single component of the Marmot playbook is being not only neglected but controverted through the administration’s actions. Let’s run the list. Kids Healthy societies tend to place their bets on safe perinatal care, strong supports for the early years—say, from birth to age 3—and school readiness, which means not only helping children but also their parents. Contrast that with the House-passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act that instead cuts food stamps by nearly $300 billion and enacts a historic $793 billion cut to Medic- aid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which cover 50 percent of the children in America. Education People in countries and regions with strong educational systems, especially those that include girls and women, tend to live longer. Overall, the U.S. education system ranks 31st in the world, and it varies widely, with many schools performing poorly and many students underachieving. This is neither the teachers’ fault nor the students’. It boils down to ensuring that all children and youth, regardless of where they live or how wealthy their families are, have access to the highest quality education. The proper response would be to pour resources into delivering on that promise. On the contrary, the Trump administration’s plan calls for slashing funding for the Department of Education, cutting support to K-12 programs, and eliminating federal subsidies for student loans. Workers Job security is also foundational to national health. Unionization, which has been backwatered in the United States, is one straight shot to improving worker power. So is raising the federal minimum wage far above its embarrassingly low level of $7.25 per hour, instituting stronger legal protections for workers’ rights, and establishing more equity in tax and compensation policies. The Trump administration, meanwhile, seeks to abolish the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, hamstring the Department of Labor, reduce bargaining rights for federal workers, weaken worker protections, and cut the essential food assistance and health care programs that the working class relies on, all to give massive tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans. Seniors How a nation supports its aging and elderly population affects not only how long and well its older citizens live, but also the health and well-being of a country’s entire population. The Trump administration claims to want to protect Medicare—a mainstay of security for those age 65 and older in the country—but study the details of what the president and his congressional allies are doing so far, and you will find steadily weakening protections for coverage, reduced access to care, and thousands of dollars more in out-of-pocket costs. For example, Medicaid, which has been torpedoed by the Trump-signed reconciliation bill, is the primary payer for 63 percent of people in nursing homes. Where are the elderly Americans who rely on that care supposed to go? Communities Healthy communities help ensure access to nutrition, housing, safety, mobility, and opportunity for everyone. The Trump administration is already weakening every one of those things and is poised to damage them further. The administration is hurting public transportation systems and rolling back environmental controls for particulate air pollution. It is also publicly in favor of coal and against wind power, against public housing expansion, against mental health supports to help reduce violence, and has backpedaled on criminal justice reform. Conclusion President Trump and Secretary Kennedy can preach all they want about making us healthy again, but their rhetoric is no substitute for facts. The right way to “Make America Healthy Again” is to invest in the infrastructure, programs, and priorities that we know, based on scientific evidence, will actually improve health—the very same ones that the Trump administration seems intent on destroying. Donald M. Berwick, MD, is President Emeritus and Senior Fellow at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, and a former Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents July 2026 Clallam Seniors: “Save Social Security Workers’ Jobs!” Tim Wheeler Port Angeles -- Senior citizens picketed the Federal Building here June 10 in opposition to the firing of 7,500 Social Security workers with thousands more targeted to lose their jobs in the coming days. The protesters held picket signs that proclaimed, “We Stand with Social Security Workers! Stop Trump Job Cuts!” and “Stop the CUTS to our Social Security Staff.” Passing motorists honked their car horns and gave thumbs-up salutes. Pedestrians stopped to thank the protesters. The picket line here was part of a nationwide protest against the job terminations called by American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Council 220. The action here was sponsored by Clallam County Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action (PSARA). It was joined by many members of the Clallam County Democratic Party. The organizer of the sign-wave was Clallam County PSARA leader, Lisa Dekker, who held overhead her handmade sign, “Social Security is a LIFELINE!” The job terminations were first proposed by trillionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). DOGE agents invaded the U.S. Treasury Department building and stole the protected Social Security numbers and ID from tens of millions of recipients in flagrant violation of Federal “identity theft” laws. Dekker is spearheading PSARA’s campaign urging Washington Governor Bob Ferguson and Attorney General Nick Brown to join in the drive to prosecute Musk and all the other thieves who engaged in this identity theft. Already, six of the ten regional offices of the Social Security Administration (SSA) have been closed due to the job cutbacks. The Trump Administration has ordered SSA to reduce by half the number of in-person visits serviced by SSA field representatives forcing claim-seekers to rely on phone service for their claims. Wait times for those seeking help from Social Security field representatives is now as long as two hours and getting worse. SSA is shifting over to AI (Artificial Intelligence) to service claims. AI is incapable of handling complicated issues, especially for disabled people. PSARA leader, Steve Kofahl, former President of AFGE Local 3937, representing Social Security field representatives, warns that the 1200 community field offices, key to the functioning of Social Security, are especially at risk of closing. Kofahl says the aim of Trump and the MAGAs, is to terminate at least half the Social Security workforce that numbered about 60,000 before the termination of 7,500 jobs. That means a total of 30,000 Social Security jobs are targeted for termination. The protesters warned that the termination of these jobs will be followed with sharp cuts in benefits---or privatization---of Social Security that serves 75 million people across the nation. One sign in the crowd read, “1st they CUT Soc.-Sec. Jobs. 2nd OUR BENEFITS!” As if to underline the menace, the Social Security Administration (SSA) released its annual audit yesterday warning that the Social Security Trust Fund will be exhausted by the year 2032 and benefits will be slashed 22%, an average cut of $500 monthly for each recipient. Republicans are already proclaiming that the answer is to raise the retirement age from 67 to 69 years. It means that millions of workers employed in dangerous and hazardous jobs will die before they collect a penny of the benefits they paid for from every pay-check. Other corporate ultra-rightists are advocating privatization or outright repeal of the Social Security program signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, August 14, 1935. One PSARA member was wearing his lapel pin that proclaims, “Strengthen Social Security: SCRAP THE CAP!” This PSARA pin promotes the simplest solution to shortfalls in the Trust Fund. Currently, income above $184,500 is exempt from the 6.2% Social Security payroll tax. If this cap was ended, all income would be subject to the Social Security tax, every dollar raked in by millionaires and billionaires would be taxed. It would bring in tens of billions in revenues, enough to end forever Social Security deficits, enough to cover a much needed increase in Social Security benefits for every one of those now receiving a monthly SS check. Tim Wheeler is a veteran activist and journalist and one of the leaders of PSARA's Clallam County organizing committee < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents June 2026 Danger! Republicans Want to Put Big Oil Above the Law On April 17th, 2026, Republicans in Congress introduced sweeping legislation in the House and Senate to give Big Oil immunity and effectively put the industry above the law. The Stop Climate Shakedowns Act of 2026: Prohibits retroactive climate liability lawsuits and other proceedings to implement or enforce an energy penalty law. Dismisses pending lawsuits and proceedings on the date of the bill’s enactment. Voids state energy penalty laws. Affirms that the Federal government maintains the exclusive authority and jurisdiction to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and other interstate environmental standards. https://hageman.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-hageman-introduces-bill-shield-american-energy-producers-leftist-climate If passed, the proposed law would stop actions by state and local jurisdictions from suing oil companies for costs incurred from climate disasters. Eleven U.S. states — California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai`i, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont — and the District of Columbia, along with dozens of city, county, and tribal governments in California, Colorado, Hawai`i, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Puerto Rico, have active lawsuits to hold major oil and gas companies accountable for deceiving the public about their products’ roles in climate change. These cases collectively represent more than 1 in 4 people living in the United States. https://climateintegrity.org/news/view/breaking-federal-bill-would-put-big-oil-above-the-law < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents May 2026 Saving our Elections Mike Withey On Wednesday, April 8, Standing for Democracy (SFD) and Free Washington Project sponsored a well-attended webinar addressing the pressing topic of how we can act NOW to save our elections from the ongoing and multi-faceted threats of the Trump regime. The online seminar addressed two topics: (1) What is the threat environment, and (2) How can we respond and resist? Attorney General of Washington Nick Brown spoke about the specific threats to our free elections posed by the Trump regime and how an alliance of Democratic Attorneys General is preparing to eliminate these attacks. The major threats included: declaring a national emergency to cancel the elections; outlawing use of voting machines; requiring DHS to create a “list” of approved absentee voters in each state; commanding the US Postal Service to not allow mail in ballots; and an expected Supreme Court ruling that all ballots must be counted on Election Day. AG Brown strongly urged voters not to count on the USPS but rather to personally deliver their ballots to the ballot boxes in their neighborhood. He pledged not to allow ICE or federal agents to interfere with this process. He also described court challenges to these threats. AG Brown’s office will continue to fight these authoritarian efforts, and strongly encourages the broader voter rights movements to join and support this battle. AG Brown was followed by SFD’s co-founder and long-time labor and civil rights advocate, Bill Fletcher Jr. Bill framed this struggle in the context of building the resistance to fascism and the powerful tech, fossil fuel, and finance industries, as well as Trump and MAGA. Bill emphasized how we need to build a broad alignment of forces, including labor, the immigrant rights movement, and civil rights and liberties organizations. He said not to rely solely on elected officials and the Democratic Party to save the day. Lawsuits alone will not be enough. Bill stressed that we cannot afford to wait until November to respond to these threats. Bill said that the labor movement has been slow to take up the anti-fascist fight and needs to be brought, front and center, into the resistance and, in fact, to lead it. Cindy Domingo, the moderator, then introduced the second panel, who spoke to how we can respond to these threats. The first speaker was Charles Douglas III, the Executive Director of Common Power. (See https://com-monpower.org/ to join and volunteer). Common Power brings voting rights activists and, particularly, people of color directly into the electoral process. Its strategy is based upon the voters’ rights and civil rights movement of the ‘60s. Charles pointed to data from the recent Georgia run-off election for the seat just vacated by Marjorie Taylor Greene; it demonstrates that their work speaking directly to Republicans and even Trump voters to talk about bread and butter issue of affordability, was very effective in allowing the Democratic Party candidate Shawn Harris to make significant inroads in Republican dominance, compared to the last cycle. Next, Stuart Holmes, the Director of Elections for the Washington Secretary of State, described the Supreme Court case from Mississippi that may radically change how Washington and 18 other states count ballots. It would outlaw any state from counting any ballots received by the registrar of voters after election day, even if postmarked on or before election day. Present Washington law allows the registrar to count ballots postmarked on election day for five days after the election. His office is preparing to meet this challenge with voter engagement strategies well before election day. His office seeks to organize volunteers to protect voters. Cherika Carter, Secretary-Treasurer of the Washington State Labor Council (WSLC), who also serves as the WSLC’s Political and Strategic Campaigns Director laid out the WSLC’s plans to engage in voter turnout and protection efforts to ensure that all union members have unfettered right to vote and participate fully in the electoral process. David Montes, the fourth speaker, a staff attorney for the ACLU of WA, focused on voting rights issues. He was a lead ACLU lawyer who successfully challenged the City of Yakima’s system for City Council elections in federal court, as discriminatory against Latinos. The ACLU also provides community education and involvement opportunities, which, when combined with those of Common Power, the WSLC, the Secretary of State’s office, the Democratic Party, and campaigns will form a bulwark to defeat Trump’s agenda. Our take : The consensus of the panelists was clear: we must move forward to engage others in this effort and build a movement that can save our elections. Standing for Democracy and Free Washington Project call upon AG Brown and the Secretary of State to convene a “Community Election Engagement Board.” It might be comprised of their staffs and representatives selected by major organizations in civil society, actively engaged in voter protection work. It could include One America Votes, The League of Women Voters, the NAACP, and Indivisible Seattle. We must all be prepared and organized to go to the streets, precincts, and our neighborhoods to make sure our right to vote is protected. Standing for Democracy will formally make this proposal to AG Brown and Secretary Hobbs next week, with invitations to many other organizations to convene such a panel. Please feel free to make your views known to us. The April 8 webinar can be viewed on www.freewaproject.org . Mike Withey is a civil rights attorney, an activist with Standing For Democracy, and a member of PSARA < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents July 2026 PSARA's Juneteenth 2026 PSARA thanks Mr. Delbert Richardson, our special guest; our host, Rev. Robert Jeffrey, Sr., and his church, New Hope Missionary Baptist Church; Larry Gossett, who introduced Mr. Richardson; Anne Watanabe, Chair of PSARA's Race and Gender Equity (RaGE) Committee; Faith Action Network; the Abe Keller Peace Foundation; our PSARA members; and the community for a successful Juneteenth 2026 event. As people who attended the Juneteenth event were departing they commented that the presentation by Delbert Richardson and his exhibit were "fabulous", and "out-standing". Bob Barnes, who provided the audio system, commented that he was really glad that he had the opportunity to be present at this program. We are very grateful to Mr. Richardson for his well conceived and impactful exhibit and presentation. Special guest Delbert Richardson, RaGE Committee Chair Anne Watanabe, and PSARA Executive Committee member and former ML King County Council member Larry Gossett. < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents March 2025 Photo Spread < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents March 2025 I Vaahnt to…Organize Your Workers! Mike Andrew You may remember Bela Lugosi in his iconic title role in Dracula. Or you may remember him as the evil Russian commissar inNinotchka. Or in his roles as the villain in a series of B grade hor- ror films. If you’re a Tim Burton fan, you may think of him as theloopy character played by Martin Landau in Ed Wood. The real-life Bela Lugosi was born Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó in Lugos, Kingdom of Hungary, on October 20, 1882. As an actor, hetook the stage name “Lugosi” in honor of his birth- place. As part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Hungary entered World War I in 1914, and Lugosi, like other young men, volunteered forthe Hungarian army. Like other young men, he experienced the horror of war – at one point being an article praising the Soviet Union to the socialist magazine New Masses. Before long, Lugosi’s political activities caught the attention of J. Edgar Hoover. The FBI and CIA both opened files on theactor. The House Un-Amer- ican Activities Committee (HUAC) appointed the so-called “Dracula council” to keep tabs on Lugosi.INS even looked into deporting him, despite the fact that he had held American citizenship since 1931. Lugosi was not the only horror star to be targeted for their political activism. Fellow Hungarian refugee Peter Lorre, star of M, andVincent Price, who had appeared in the Invisible Man Returns, received scrutiny for participating in the anti-HUAC radiobroadcast “Hollywood Strikes Back.” The two spoke buried alive under the corpses of his fellow soldiers. And, like many other young men, he came out of the war as a firm supporter of socialism. The war led to the collapse of most` of the old European empires. The Bol- sheviks established the world’s first socialist state onthe ruins of the Russian Empire. The Kaiser fled Germany, and the new German government, with the help of right-wing militias,barely put down a communist-led insurrection. The Austro-Hungarian Empire broke up into its constituent parts. In Hungary, local communists attempted to replicate theRussian revolution, setting up the Hungarian Soviet Republic in 1919. Lugosi, by then already an activist in the Hungarian actor’sunion, supported the revolution. The Hungarian Soviet was short- lived. Britain and France encouraged Romania to invade Hungary and occupy a large part ofits territory. Admiral Miklós Horthy, a leftover from the old Austro-Hungarian Empire, set up a military dictatorship in the remainder of Hungary. Lugosi fled the country. He ended up in New York where he acted in Hungarian stage plays before being cast in the English language play The Red Poppy. In 1927, he was cast in the role that made him famous: Count Dracula. Lugosi’s charismatic stage performance and his persistent lobbying of Universal Studios got him the role in the 1931 film version. After his star-making film role in Dracula, Lugosi became a founding member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). Another founding member was Frankenstein star and frequent Lugosi costar Boris Karloff. The two actors worked to sign up the casts of their films, The Bride of Frankenstein, The Raven, and The Invisible Ray. Theirefforts paid off when SAG signed its first contract with the Hollywood studios in 1937. Lugosi’s solidarity extended beyond his fellow actors. During World War II, Bela Lugosi headed the Hungarian American Council for Democracy, an anti-fascist organization. In 1945 he signed a petition protesting the deportation proceedings against ILWU leader Harry Bridges. Lugosi also contributed out alongside Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, and other stars. Lorre was also investigated because of his long-standing friendship with Marxist playwright Bertolt Brecht. Price was unable to find work for a year due to his outspokenness, and under pressure from the FBI had to sign a secret oath that he was not a communist. Socialist Themes in Lugosi’s Horror Films No one would say Lugosi made great films, but many of his movies contain memorable political and social themes. The 1932 film White Zombie, in which Lugosi played voodoo master Murder Legendre, dramatizes the exploitation of Black Haitians. Legendre uses his zombie slaves to work his sugar mill and increase his wealth. He offers his zombie workers to a plantation owner saying “They are not worried about long hours.” When one of the zombies falls into the mill and is crushed, work continues as usual. Nothing is allowed to delay the productionof profits. This scene is in- tended as a critique of the forced labor system that was actually introduced in Haiti during what was then a US military occupation. Another 1932 horror film, Island of the Lost Souls, an adaptation of the Island of Doctor Moreau, contains similar anti-colonial themes. Lugosi has the small, but important role of the Sayer of the Law, the mouthpiece of Dr. Moreau’slaws for the Beast Men. At the climax of the film, the Beast Men attack Moreau, after the Doctor has ordered one ofthem to commit murder. The purpose of the oppressor’s laws are revealed to be total control over the masses, and he is free to break his own laws whenconvenient. Moreau defends him- self with a whip, the tool of the slaver. This climax was so shocking that the film was banned in many countries. Tellingly, in Australia it was forbidden from being shown to Aboriginal audiences, lest they get any ideas of how to deal withtheir colonial overlords. The 1934 film The Black Cat was a highpoint in Lugosi’s filmography. The film was the first to team him with Boris Karloff and both actors give stunning performances. The plot follows Werdegast (Lugosi) and Poelzig (Karloff), both veterans of the Eastern front during World War I. Poelzig betrayed Werdegast and the other soldiers to the enemy and left them for dead. Lugosi as Werdegast gives a powerful anti-war monologue saying, “Did we not both die here in Marmorus 15 years ago? Are we any the less victims of the war than those whose bodies were torn asunder? Are we not both the living dead?” Many of Lugosi's films are available on popular streaming services. They're worth a look. Mike Andrew is the Executive Director of PSARA and Editor of the Advocate < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents May 2026 PSARA Meets with Congressman Adam Smith to Talk About WISeR Anne Watanabe In April, Washington Congressman Adam Smith (9th District) invited PSARA to a roundtable to discuss WISeR and its impacts on the community. Representatives from AARP Washington and Kline Galland (a skilled nursing facility) also attended. PSARA Co-president Karen Richter and Board member Anne Watanabe told Rep. Smith about WISeR’s implementation. We described the concerns and fears we’ve heard from PSARA members and other seniors when they learn that WISeR expands the use of prior authorization in Traditional Medicare, and rewards third-party AI contractors who deny or delay care. Rep. Smith reiterated that he was with us in our fight to protect Medicare and that his office wants to hear stories about patients’ experiences. He has already signed HB 5940, the Seniors Deserve SMARTER Care Act, to halt WISeR, and signed onto a letter to the House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee to prohibit its implementation. PSARA looks forward to his continued support. PSARA will continue to monitor threats to Medicare. For now, here are recent developments that may be of interest to our members: WISeR WISeR continues to attract critical reporting and lawsuits. A Seattle Times article (March 18, 2026), "New Medicare Program Using AI Leaves WA Patients in Pain," described the real human cost of WISeR for patients waiting for or being denied needed pain treatments. The Washington Post (March 17, 2026) described the delays, confusions and frustrations by medical providers attempting to navigate "WISeR; Medicare’s AI Experiment Leads to Delayed Care for Some Seniors." The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed a lawsuit against the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in late March, based on CMS’s failure to respond to EFF’s Freedom of Information Act requests concerning its vendors and how they are using and training their AI. Two other lawsuits have been filed in Arizona (another of the impacted states) by providers and other affected parties. Making Medicare Advantage the Default Choice The Trump Administration has been busily implementing Project 2025, the far-right blueprint for our country. Project 2025 proclaims that Medicare and Medicaid “operate as runaway entitlements that stifle medical innovation, encourage fraud, and impede cost containment.” It includes a directive to “Make Medicare Advantage the default enrollment option” and includes “reforms” such as replacing the “bureaucrat-driven fee-for-service system with value-based payments.” As RA readers know, with private Medicare Advantage (MA), for-profit insurance companies have taken billions of dollars in overpayments from the government-funded Medicare system, an unsustainable drain of funding. MA plans now account for over half of the country’s Medicare plans, and, as PSARA members may have sadly experienced, MA plans can leave enrollees trapped in a shrinking network of providers and benefits, while being subjected to MA companies’ aggressive use of prior authorization. But now, the Center for Medicare Advocacy reports that CMS is actively exploring models to automatically enroll beneficiaries in MA plans, rather than Traditional Medicare. (Medicare already allows certain employers and unions to automatically place beneficiaries in MA plans). This could greatly expand the MA system and the abuses that accompany the MA system. PSARA led passage of a bill in our Washington State legislature this year calling on Congress to “level the playing field” between MA and Traditional Medicare systems. We will continue to advocate for the right to choose Traditional Medicare over private MA plans. Using AI to Guide Your Medicare Choices CMS recently issued a Request for Information (RFI) asking for AI and machine-learning tools to improve navigation related to the Medicare website, the Plan Finder Tool, and the 1-800 MEDICARE call center. But in the context of WISeR and its reliance on AI, the RFI may indicate a step towards using AI “agents” to replace human advisors. Indeed, at his keynote address in March at a healthcare conference, CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz declared, “Why couldn’t we start to introduce agentic AI for every beneficiary of Medicare?” He noted that “if you can buy a mortgage with agentic AI giving you advice, you should be able to use that same technology to help you pick which [Medicare Advantage] plan to use or which doctor to go to." (At HIMSS26, Dr. Oz, "CMS Officials Push Agentic AI Adoption. Are Medicare Beneficiaries Ready?", Fierce Healthcare, March 12, 2026.) Why not indeed…stay tuned. Anne Watanabe is the Chair of PSARA's Race and Gender Equity (RaGE) Committee, and a member of the Retiree Advocate Editorial Board. < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents April 2026 Trump Escalates War Against Cuba Cindy Domingo Mass rally in Havana, Cuba (Photo: michaelharrison.org.uk ) On March 21, convoys of US citizens traveled to Cuba to meet an international flotilla at Havana’s Malecon, in protest of the Trump-Rubio policy of stopping all oil shipments to Cuba. This policy, announced on January 29, has resulted in a devastating oil shortage, impacting every facet of the Cuban peoples’ lives. Days before, the New York Times revealed that the US and Cuba were engaged in discussions. Cuba’s Deputy Prime Minister, Oscar Perez-Oliva Fraga, stated that Cuba is open to foreign investment: “Cuba is open to having a fluid commercial relationship with US companies, also with Cubans residing in the United States and their descendants.” The Trump administration has been successful in implementing a policy that has cut Cuba’s sources of oil and hard currency income. The kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, and the US takeover of Venezuelan oil, were the first volleys in upping the ante to try to topple Cuba’s government. Since Cuba only produces a little over 30 percent of what the island needs, Cuba has relied heavily on Venezuelan oil, stemming back to the presidency of Hugo Chávez. Mexico is the second biggest provider of oil to Cuba and, although Mexico’s President, Claudia Sheinbaum, has stated that Mexico, as a sovereign nation, can send humanitarian aid to any country, including oil, it has not sent any oil shipments to Cuba since January. The waters surrounding Cuba are also being actively patrolled by US ships to ensure that no oil tankers, small or large, enter into Cuba’s harbors. Without the availability of oil, tourism, the number one source of income for Cuba, has declined significantly, by up to 75 percent. Airlines have cancelled flights into Cuba because arriving jets would have no way to refuel. Tourists have been scared off by long electricity black-outs and electrical grid breakdowns, even though many larger hotels have their own generators. And the ability to travel within the island has been greatly restricted due to lack of gasoline. Cuba’s second source of income that the US has actively sabotaged is the contracts Cuba has with countries where Cuban healthcare teams serve. The US propaganda war, waged against Cuba’s healthcare teams, started during the first Trump administration. The US charges that Cuba’s use of these healthcare teams is akin to human trafficking because host countries pay the Cuban government for these medical teams and their services. Cuba has responded that the healthcare professionals are paid a salary, and that additional monies the government receives from contract payments go to fund Cuba’s educational system, including medical schools, to produce more doctors and other services for the Cuban people. Over the past year, US pressure has resulted in healthcare contracts ending in Paraguay, the Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda, Guatemala, and Guyana. Honduras, alone, severed a contract that paid for more than 150 doctors. In response to pressure by the US to end the employment of 500 Cuban doctors in Calabria, Italy, the governor of the region said, “Cuban doctors, who are allowing us to keep hospitals and emergency rooms open, are still a necessity for our region.” During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Calabria received Cuban healthcare professionals to manage the devastating epidemic that hit the region. Overall, the US war against Cuba has resulted in the deprivation of medical care to poor and working class people in many regions of the world. The oil crisis has only exacerbated the economic crisis Cuba has been facing under the 65-year-old US blockade of Cuba. In 2025, the sanctions cost Cuba $7.5 billion, or an average of $20 million per day. That money could guarantee the supply of basic necessities for the entire population for six years. Since the blockade's imposition in 1960, sanctions have cost Cuba a total of $170 billion. In reality, Cuba is in crisis because of US policy towards Cuba. Today, Cubans face blackouts of sometimes up to 30 hours. Food cannot be brought into the cities because there is no gasoline for delivery trucks. Many cannot go to work because buses and taxis cannot get fuel. Fumigation to rid neighbor-hoods of infectious mosquitoes carrying dengue and the more serious chikungunya disease cannot take place, because the machines need gas and the chemicals cannot be imported. People who need to go to hospitals or clinics have no way to get there, and life-saving surgeries often cannot take place because there is no electricity or because the medicines or equipment, needed to save lives or treat patients, cannot be obtained. In mid-March, Trump announced at a press conference that, “I do believe I’ll be having the honor of taking Cuba. That’d be a good honor. It’s a big honor….Taking Cuba. I mean, whether I free it, take it – I think I could do anything I want with it, if you want to know the truth.” Trump’s statement says it all. This administration believes that any country that Trump wants is up for the taking, even if it means starving the Cuban people and making their lives miserable until they bow down. But the Cuban people, whether they have criticisms of their government or not, believe, overall, in their right to self-determination. Today, now more than ever, Cuba needs our international solidarity. Thousands of people around the world are donating money, food, and equipment to send to Cuba to aid the people in their fight to survive. For more information on how you can help, please contact womenandcuba@gmail.com or go to www.us-cubanormalization.org . Cindy Domingo is a veteran activist with LELO (Legacy of Equality, Leader-ship & Organizing) and APALA (Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance). She is PSARA's Co-VP for Outreach. Cindy Domingo is a veteran activist with LELO (Legacy of Equality, Leader-ship & Organizing) and APALA (Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance). She is PSARA's Co-VP for Outreach. < Back to Table of Contents

Seattle’s 42nd Annual MLK Celebration: We Rise Against Project 2025 Seattle’s MLK Jr. Organizing Coalition invites PSARA members to Seattle’s 42nd Annual MLK Day Celebration. The election underscores the need to mobilize against broad and sustained assaults on human and civil rights under the incoming administration, as outlined in Project 2025. We expect a robust turnout for the Career and Opportunity Fair, Community Workshop Series, rally, and march on January 20, and the community discussions taking place in the preceding week. The day begins with the MLK Career and Opportunity Fair, where job seekers take steps toward exciting career opportunities and meaningful connections. Over 50 vendors include companies ready to hire, apprenticeship programs, and organizations focused on career exploration. Attendees can polish their resumes with coaching, attend career workshops, or simply explore opportunities. We’re creating an inclusive, welcoming space with multilingual support and accommodations for all attendees, plus snacks and hospitality. The Fair kicks off at 8 a.m. on January 20 at Garfield High School. We’ll build pathways to success while honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ’ s legacy of equity and economic justice. This year’s MLK Community Workshop Series builds bridges between movements and communities to build solidarity and resist threats to democracy and justice. We’ll offer 15 workshops on the morning of MLK Day (January 20 from 9:15 - 10:40 a.m.) at Garfield High School. We’ll also host standalone workshops on Thursday, January 16 and Saturday, January 18 to support deeper presentations and community discussions on critical topics. Workshop information will be posted on the MLK Coalition website. Please look for detailed information on the site starting in early January, and be sure to check back for any changes and additions. A printed workshop brochure will be available on site at Garfield. Our Monday workshops will focus on strategies and resources for effective movement building. Among the offerings are: Choosing Your Cause Well-Being for Activists Support for Immigrant Justice While the Movement Is Under Threat Keeping Us Safe in Seattle’s Surveillance City Creating Community-Centered Housing and Economic Systems Climate Justice Panel: People of Color on the Frontlines Strategies for Countering Right-Wing Movements Building Solidarity in Opposition to Project 2025 Healing Together: A Community Event for Violence Prevention Cultural Reconnection: Return to the African Homeland Building Support for African American Reparations Reclaiming Education: BIPOC Youth Leading the Way to Transformation For the past two years, we’ve piloted more extended community discussions on urgent community issues in the week preceding MLK Day. This year, we’ll hold two. JR to 25 : We Cannot Turn Back centers on the state’s troubling juvenile rehabilitation plan, including new facility construction, which doesn’t address the paucity of therapeutic services and staff’s inability to control violence at its facilities. Sponsored by Team Child and Kids Are Kids, the event begins at 5:30 with a community meal followed by discussion from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. The event takes place at Washington Hall on Thursday, January 16. A community discussion on youth gun violence will be held on Saturday, January 18 from 1 - 3 p.m. at the Northwest African American Museum. Please join community leaders, activists, and families as we learn about causes and dynamics of youth gun violence, who perpetrates it, how we are affected by it, and strategies to mobilize against it. The event will be followed by a community meal at 3 p.m. and a program organized by the MLK Coalition’s Young Leaders program at 4 p.m. Following the Monday morning workshops, the rally will begin at 11 a.m. in the Garfield gym. Our focus this year will be on Project 2025 and youth gun violence. We will honor the legacy of the late Dr. Maxine Mimms, the visionary founder of the Evergreen State College’s Tacoma campus. The Reverend Dr. Kelle Brown will be among our speakers. The march will leave Garfield High School at 12:30 p.m. Please dress warmly and come with your signs, banners, bullhorns, and whatever else you need to make your presence visible and powerful. Please check the MLK Coalition website for final details on transportation, food, and other details. This is the time to stand in solidarity for our rights! Let’s flex our political muscle. Please join us, and bring 10 of your friends and allies.

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 Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents May 2025 Autoworkers, the UAW, Trump, and Trade Tariffs and the Autoworkers Michael Righi Our orange king has put 25 percent tariffs on imported cars and trucks. Wait! They are suspended for a couple months, but not for all countries. Not for China, of course. And maybe special consideration for parts made in Canada and Mexico. By the time you read this, who knows what the situation will be? But a couple things are clear. While Trump and Miller and the rest of them blather on about bringing industry back to a bunkered USA, their broad and haphazard tariffs are leading straight to recession and job loss. Uncertainty will crash business investment. Intermediate goods that firms need will cost more, and they will cut back and lay workers off. Tariffs are a tax that falls most heavily on goods bought by working families. So they will feel both the inflation and the job loss. Trump says “we” will need to suffer a little pain in the short run. Except not Apple or purchasers of I- phones or computers, they are exempt. Blow Up Free Trade Fundamentalism We should not mourn the end of so- called “free trade." Neoliberal economists, corporate Democrats and many NY Times pundits are howling about the end of the postwar trading system. But we do not want the corporate trade model that is embodied in the North American Free Trade Agreement and the opening of trade with China. That has allowed multinational corporations to exploit foreign workers and environments, moving factories overseas and devastating working class communities in the US. NAFTA and trade with China have led to a loss of 70,000 manufacturing plants in the US and millions of jobs. To quote Shawn Fain, president of the United Auto Workers, “Our union is hell bent on ending the free trade disaster of the last 30 years.” It is workers who have borne the brunt of trade dislocations, not the auto companies. During the 1980’s the US Big Three – Ford, GM, and Chrysler (now Stellantis) – faced sharp competition from Japanese cars. Tariffs and quotas were enacted to stop imports and force foreign car companies to locate plants in the US. They built factories in non-union states. Then, with NAFTA in the 1990’s, the automobile corporations moved many parts and assembly factories to Mexico, and a little bit to Canada, setting up complex supply chains. A typical car sold in the US today has parts that have crossed borders several times. Most have 40 percent or more “foreign content.” The top 10 global automakers raked in $70 billion in profit in 2020. Now that has doubled, to $150 billion, as they raised prices 30 percent during the Covid crisis. Over the last 15 years, they have bought back $370 billion in stock from their wealthy investors. Meanwhile, workers’ wages were stagnating until the recent UAW con- tract made significant gains. But those wage increases apply only to union workers, and the majority are non-union. Now, 43 percent of car parts and assembly jobs are in Mexico, where workers average $3 an hour. That’s down from $6 an hour in 1993, before NAFTA. NAFTA opened up Mexican markets, especially corn, to US agribusiness, driving down prices and driving families off the land. Many headed north to maquiladora auto parts and assembly plants, pushing down wages. Moving jobs to Mexico, in this race to the bottom, is still going on. One example: Stellantis recently moved Ram truck production from Warren, Michigan, to Mexico. Instead of paying $37 an hour, the company pays $3. They don’t lower prices, they just send more profit to Wall Street. The UAW has calculated how much US factory capacity is sitting idle. Enough to build two million cars and hire 50,000 more workers. Every auto assembly job creates seven more in the supply chain. So Tariffs Would targeted tariffs on imported cars and trucks help bring autoworker jobs back? The UAW thinks so. (Just to be perfectly clear, Shawn Fain and the UAW, while in favor of auto tariffs, are opposed to 99 percent of the Trump agenda, including the detention of union members and protestors.). But tariffs are only a first step – the trade agreement with Mexico and Canada (formerly NAFTA) must be renegotiated. It must include provisions for a minimum manufacturing wage way above $3 an hour. It must have a labor board to enforce labor organizing and bargaining rights. In the long run, the UAW wants to be making the electric cars and batteries we need. That will require strong government action forbidding stock buybacks and excessive CEO compensation, and forcing the auto companies to invest and innovate. Trump wants trade chaos and scapegoats. Corporations want free trade and profit. We want fair trade, so that all workers can make a living on a living planet. Michael Righi is a retired economics professor and a member of the Retiree Advocate editorial board. < Back to Table of Contents