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The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents September 2025 Deceit, Resistance, on Social Security’s 90th Birthday Steve Kofahl Thursday, August 14, marked the 90th anniversary of the passage of the Social Security Act. At his Oval Office event, President Trump asserted that the Administration had eliminated the federal taxation of Social Security benefits and improved customer ser- vice at the Social Security Administration (SSA). Both claims are false. His “One Big Beautiful Bill” provides a tax deduction of as much as $6000 for some beneficiaries, but about half of them will still pay taxes on their benefits when the tax deduction offset is considered. The SSA Chief Actuary finds that the loss of Trust Fundincome resulting from this legislation advances the date when the Trust Funds will be depleted by six months, from early 2034 to late 2033. The deportation of undocumented workers may advance the date by another six months, according to some analysts. Trumplied when he previously asserted that undocumented workers receive benefits, and that 235,000 of them had been removedfrom the beneficiary rolls this year. Undocumented workers pay Social Security taxes on their earnings, but are ineligible to receive benefits under the Social Security Act. More deportations mean less income to the Trust Funds. The alleged service improvements are a ruse, a product of changes in both SSA field office procedures and the Agency’s displayof service data. Workers have been repeatedly redirected to address high-profile workloads and backlogs, at the expense oftheir regular assigned duties. Field Offices no longer take benefit applications on a walk- in basis. Instead, visitors are scheduled for a future telephone interview that will likely be several months later. The delay is not measured or reflected in public-facingperformance reports, nor is the public harm acknowledged. To make matters worse, SSA launched a flawed 800# chat-box in April. It too-often responds to a different question than the one asked by the caller, fails to route the call to a live agent when requested, and/or terminates the call. Absent a caller’s intent to file and date of contact being documented by SSA, there can be a permanent loss of benefits because there are strict limits on retroactivity. The National Academy of Social Insurance has released an initial report documenting the inherent problems in utilizing artificialintelligence (AI) at the SSA, and continues to study the subject, but SSA Commissioner Bisagnano is committed to expanding its use, no doubt to justify steeper future staff cuts. Increasing the use of AI in making disability determinations at the SSA is aparticular concern, because of accuracy and equity issues. A trained human, who is not pressured to deny an application or appeal, must always be the final disability decision-maker. The American Federation of Government Employees, National Council of Social Security Field Operations Employees (AFGE Council 220) led over 50 actions on August 14. It revealed that benefit applications increased 18% between January and May, that in 46 states over 10% of SSA staff was lost in the 12 months ending in March (9% in Washington State), and that more than 30% of offices lost more than 10% of their staff. SSA has shed 7,000 employees, with staffing at a 50-year low. Senators Cassidy (R-LA) and Kaine (D-VA) have proposed creation of a $1.5 Trillion private investment fund over five years that would be placed in escrow for 70 years to “save” Social Security. Treasury Secretary Scott Bes- sent (like Bisagnano, a Social Security Trustee by virtue of office, charged with protecting the Trust Funds), called Trump’s $1,000 tax-deferred accounts for newborns a “backdoor for privatizing Social Security.” We need to make it crystal clear to our elected representatives that we will not tolerate any privatization of our earned Social Security benefits, that Congress should “scrap the cap” on earnings subject to the payroll tax, and that SSA staffing and personalized service must be fully restored ASAP! Steve Kofahl is a former President of AFGE 3937, representing Social Security Administration workers, a member of PSARA's Executive Board, and a Co-Chair of PSARA's Social Security Task Force. < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents August 2025 The One Big Beautiful Billionaire Act: Tax Breaks for the Wealthy Paid for by the Rest of Us Rick Timmins The recently passed Republican budget plan is touted as a reduction in government spending and in taxes, and indeed it succeeds. It drastically reduces spending on social programs like Medicaid, Medicare, and Education and sets the stage for major cuts in Social Security. The tax reductions significantly benefit wealthy individuals and corporations. The bill is said to be the largest transfer of wealth from the poor to the wealthy in American history. So how exactly are we paying to increase the wealth of the American kakistocracy? The bill has hundreds of provisions, stretching over approximately 900 pages, but this article will focus on the most malevolent aspects that will have the greatest impact on healthcare, the environment, and the economy. Healthcare takes a big hit. Sixteen million people will lose their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act or Medicaid, according to the Congressional Budget Office. There will be an increase of 51,000 preventable deaths due to loss of insurance and other aspects of the legislation. Those with the lowest incomes and the greatest needs will suffer the most. Medicaid spending will be reduced by $793 billion over 10 years, and there will be 10.3 million fewer enrollees. A total of 2.3 million Medicaid enrollees, including 1.3 million dual-eligible individuals (those with limited resources who qualify for both Medicaid and Medicare), will lose benefits due to delayed implementation of two Biden-era rules designed to reduce administrative barriers. The loss of coverage cascades into the loss of access to the Medical Savings Program and the Low Income Subsidy, which help pay for copays and drugs. Preventable deaths occur when healthcare and medication are inaccessible. Five and a half million people will suffer increased food insecurity by losing SNAP benefits due to reduction in spending for food aid by $300 billion, more stringent rules regarding work requirements, citizenship, and shifting program costs to states. Medicaid cuts of $465 million in 2026 will result in average yearly losses of 56 percent of hospitals’ net income which, in addition to the loss of Medicaid coverage by rural residents, will put 300-500 rural hospitals at risk of closure. The American Hospital Association (AHA) and state-level hospital groups have warned that the act could destabilize access to care in dozens of states, especially in regions already struggling with physician shortages. Medicare does not escape the Republican wrath. Legislative rules mandate that if a bill increases the budget deficit, it must be made up through automatic “sequestration” cuts. The budget increases the deficit by over $3.3 trillion. There is a limitation on Medicare cuts of four percent, amounting to $45 billion in 2026. The CBO estimates the total 10-year cuts would equal $490 billion, which will shorten the viability of the Trust Fund. Our health, of course, is interconnected with the environment, and this bill is dedicated to making it unhealthy. It repeals or phases out most clean energy tax credits introduced under the Inflation Reduction Act, including those for electric vehicles (EVs), solar panels, wind farms, and battery storage. It also introduces new taxes on renewable energy infrastructure, while expanding fossil fuel incentives, including credits for domestic coal and oil production. This undermines grid reliability and will increase electricity prices by 19% by 2030 and more than 60% by 2035. This disproportionately affects lower- income Americans. The Billionaire Bill will also result in more forest fires by eliminating $50 million for the management and protection of old-growth forests on National Forest System land. The intent is to cut the funding protecting the forests, open the areas for logging and development, and eliminate the environmental reviews. It is well-established that uncontrolled logging increases fire risk. This bill will reverse recent environmental progress, increase US carbon emissions by up to 574 million metric tons by 2035, potentially lead to the extensive destruction of carbon-sequestering forests, increase pollution from smoke and gas-powered vehicles, and contribute to atmospheric warming, all of which are devastating to health. The Billionaire Bill will also bring us an unhealthy economy. These provisions deliver substantial tax savings for high-income earners and corporations. Analyses show that 70% of the tax benefits flow to the top 20% of earners, with the top 1% alone receiving nearly 20% of the overall relief. Meanwhile, middle-class families see modest gains, and many lower-income households actually lose net benefits due to cuts to programs like Medicaid and SNAP. Increasing medical expenses due to loss of insurance or access to medicalcare will further decrease the economic resilience of the majority of Americans. The financial inequity in the country will expand. Because Trump’s budget will add between $3.3 trillion and $4.5 trillion to the national debt over the next decade, debt-to-GDP is now projected to reach 126% by 2034, raising concerns among fiscal conservatives and global investors. Job losses are expected in both the healthcare and clean energy sectors, with estimates suggesting up to one million jobs lost by 2030 due to program cuts and reduced investment. Only the greediest of the top 20% of earners (and the Trump cultists) will consider this bill “Beautiful.” Keep in mind that the crumbs tossed to the rest of us, like eliminating tax on tips or overtime pay, car loan interest deduction, “Trump accounts for kids,” the “bonus deduction” of $6,000 for those over 65 years, are all restricted and phase out in 2028. In conclusion, the Big Billionaire Bill increases the wealth of the richest Americans, takes away healthcare and other essential services from the rest of us, destroys the environment, increases pollution and global warming, and raises the national debt, thereby putting the national economy at risk of inflation and/or recession. Rick Timmins is a member of PSARA's Level the Playing Field Task Force. < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents January 2025 40 Years of the Retiree Advocate Advocate Editorial Board Readers might have noticed that with this January issue, we’ve made the transition to Volume XL of the Retiree Advocate. That’s not “XL” as in extra large – although we like to think PSARA has an extra large impact – it’s XL as in 40. That’s right, we’re beginning the fortieth year of the Retiree Advocate. That’s a remarkable achievement for any independent publication, but even more remarkable for one like the Advocate that relies solely on subscriptions and doesn’t accept advertising of any kind. We owe our success primarily to you, our readers, who have supported us for 40 years. But we also need to acknowledge two outstanding working-class journalists who guided the Advocate through its formative years and shaped it into the publication we know today. Max Roffman (1910-2003) edited the Advocate even before it was the Advocate. He came to Seattle in 1984 from Hawaii, where he’d spent 21 years organizing the United Public Workers Union (UPW), and another 10 working for the Center for Labor Education and Research at the University of Hawaii. When he came to Seattle, Max became a leader of the Puget Sound Council of Senior Citizens (PSCSC) and was the first editor of Senior News – the predecessor of the Retiree Advocate. In 1994, Max retired as editor, although he continued to write for the publication, and Will Parry (1920-2013) took on his editorial responsibilities. Will had been a writer for The New World and People’s World, until 1956, when the McCarthy persecutions deprived him of his ability to make a living as a journalist. Will then went to work for a box-making company and became a leader of Western Pulp and Paper Workers (AWPPW) Local 817. Will went on to edit the AFT-WA newsletter, and when he retired, became involved in the PSCSC and Senior News. When he became editor in 1994, the publication was only a four-pager that came out every other month, and was written mainly by Max and Will. In 1998, the Senior News became a monthly and expanded to six pages. The National Council of Senior Citizens was relaunched as the Alliance for Retired Americans (ARA) in 2001, and Senior News became the Retiree Advocate in 2002. Will retired as editor in February 2013, and died the following May 13, having seen the Advocate through a period of sustained growth. The Advocate hasn’t come this far and had the extra large impact it’s had without the constant support of our as a journalist. Will then went to work for a box-making company and became a leader of Western Pulp and Paper Workers (AWPPW) Local 817. Will went on to edit the AFT-WA newsletter, and when he retired, be- came involved in the PSCSC and Senior News. When he became editor in 1994, the publication was only a four-pager that came out every other month, and was written mainly by Max and Will. In 1998, the Senior News became a monthly and expanded to six pages. The National Council of Senior Citizens was relaunched as the Alliance for Retired Americans (ARA) in 2001, and Senior News became the Retiree Advocate in 2002. Will retired as editor in February 2013, and died the following May 13, having seen the Advocate through a period of sustained growth. The Advocate hasn’t come this far and had the extra large impact it’s had without the constant support of our readers. Many of you have written for the publication, many have volunteered your time to help us mail the Advocate or to distribute it to friends and neighbors, and all of you have contributed dues to help keep us running. Thank you! As we begin 2025 with a second Trump administration in the “other Washington” we’ll need the Retiree Advocate more than ever. We'll keep bringing you hard-hitting analysis of the major issues, let you know what PSARA is doing about them, and how you can help. Together we’ll keep pushing for a positive vision of a future that benefits all of us. And we will resist the temptation to “moderate” our agenda in order to accommodate the Trump regime, or Elon Musk, or whoever. We know we can do it because we've been doing it for 40 years, and we look forward to continuing our run for as long as it takes. Advocate Editorial Board < 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's 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 2025 PSARA 2025 Legislative Agenda PSARA Board PSARA is a multi-generational grass roots organization advocating for all people, and seniors in particular, to be able to live their lives with economic security, dignity, and respect. Health Care PSARA believes that comprehensive, affordable, accessible, and culturally appropriate health care is a fundamental human right. Promote Leveling the Playing Field in Medicare SJM 8002 Protect against healthcare program cuts and advance immigrant health equity Support efforts to advance universal healthcare SJM 8004 Ensure quality affordable health care for nursing home workers (WA Essential Worker Healthcare Program) Strengthen and protect WA Cares Housing and Homelessness PSARA supports keeping people housed, building more low-income housing, and preventing homelessness in the first place. Ensure reasonable and more predictable rent increases by passing rent stabilization Invest $500 million in the Housing Trust Fund RA supports legislation that promotes healthy families and workplaces. Extend job protection in the Family & Medical Leave Program to ensure low wage earners can return to their jobs after leave to care for themselves or family members Extend unemployment benefits to striking workers and undocumented workers Build economic security for low-income families by creating the Washington Future Fund Program (Baby bonds) Climate and Environmental Justice PSARA supports the right of all people to live and work in a clean and healthy environment. Divest Washington State Investment Board (WSIB) funds from fossil fuels (No Coal Act) Add a Green Amendment to the Washington State Constitution Improve solid waste management outcomes by reducing use of plastic wrap and containers Fiscal Reform and Revenue PSARA supports a state budget that is transparent, pays a living wage to state workers, and provides services that help our people, economy, and environment thrive. Prevent devastating budget cuts by providing new progressive revenues such as a wealth tax that taxes extraordinary financial assets < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents November 2025 An Encounter with Prior Authorization Mike Andrew The story you’re about to read is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent. Tess Durberville is 83 years old. She’s been a resident in a Seattle senior living community for five and a half years. Tess is a cancer survivor and is living with diabetes and heart disease. Like many seniors on Original Medicare, Tess purchased Medicare Part D coverage to pay for her prescription drugs. More than 67 million Medicare beneficiaries have Part D plans. Tess is an AARP member, and selected a Part D plan from United Healthcare, the company that AARP promotes. It was a prudent buy, something that would give Tess some peace of mind and help her avoid huge out-of-pocket expenses for her prescriptions. Or so she thought. Tess had been prescribed Victoza to control her diabetes. Unlike some brandname drugs, Victoza is not available in any generic form, and therefore is very expensive for patients who lack Part D coverage. Tess took the Victoza shots once a day, and was satisfied with the results. Then, one day, she got a letter from United Healthcare informing her that Victoza was no longer on their approved list of medications. Tess was advised to look at a list of five medications that United Healthcare would pay for and choose one from there. “I was scheduled to have cancer surgery,” Tess told me, “and my doctor thought it would be best for me to continue on the Victoza till I’d gotten through that crisis. But United Healthcare said no. They wouldn’t budge on that. “It made me angry they were so hard-headed about changing from Victoza,” she added, but nevertheless Tess and her doctor decided that Ozempic would be a good fit for her. An added advantage was that Ozempic only requires one shot per week instead of a daily injection. “I was on Ozempic for eight – almost nine – months,” Tess said, “and then I got a letter telling me I need prior authorization for the Ozempic.” Even though it was on the list of approved meds that United Healthcare furnished? Yes, indeed! “They wouldn’t budge on that either.” “It took almost three months to get them to authorize the Ozempic,” Tess sighed. “And I had to pay out of my own pocket.” Was it expensive? “It was expensive. My pharmacy was very cooperative. They tried Good RX and all the coupons they could find to make it as cheap as possible. But it was still expensive. “And the thing that really makes me mad,” Tess added, “is that it’s only a one-year authorization. Now I have to go through it all again. It’s bad enough they make you jump through the hoops once, they want you to keep jumping!” Tess told me she didn’t feel so bad for herself, but for her doctor who had to navigate the prior authorization system. “All that expense,” she said. “All that time and effort!” Because Tess has pre-existing conditions – her diabetes and heart disease – it’s almost impossible for her to switch to another Part D plan. “I don’t think it’s going to matter anyway,” she told me. “They all do the same thing. And I take a lot of medicines. That’s a lot of prior authorizations.” Fortunately, Tess’ day-to-day health is good in spite of her chronic diseases. Unfortunately, her story is not unusual. It's the story of a health care system that centers private insurance companies' profits rather than patients' health. If you also have a story you want to share, email organizer@psara.org 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 March 2025 Trump Revives Gunboat Diplomacy Mike Andrew In a rambling inaugural address, Don- ald Trump denounced the US-Panama treaty that turned over the Panama Canal toPanamanian sovereignty. “We have been treated very badly from this foolish gift that should never have been made,” Trump said. “And Panama’s promiseto us has been broken. The purpose of our deal and the spirit of our treaty has been totally violated,” Trump claimed as he threatened to take backcontrol of the canal by force. "The United States will once again consider itself a growing nation,” he continued, “one that increases our wealth, expands our territory, builds our cities, raises our expectations, and carries our flag into new and beautiful horizons.” Earlier this month, Trump doubled down on his aggressive threats against Panama. “China is running the Panama Canal that was not given to China, that was given to Panama foolishly, but they violated theagreement, and we’re go- ing to take it back, or something very powerful is going to happen,” Trump told reporters on February2. Consciously or not, Trump’s remarks hark back to the era of Teddy Roosevelt, the granddaddy of US imperialism, and foundingfather of the Panama Canal. Roosevelt was a protégé of Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan, the theoretician of US naval power. Mahan envisioned a US strategicallyprotected by an enormous navy controlling the oceans that bordered it on east and west. Mahan and Roosevelt noticed that US warships took too long to sail from their bases on the east coast, around the southern tipof South America, to the Philippine theater of the Spanish American War. This observation led them to take an interest in aFrench project to build a canal through Central America, linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Wouldn’t it be great, theysaid to themselves, if US warships took only half as long to sail to newly acquired US colonies in the Pacific! When Roosevelt unexpectedly became President in 1901 after the assassination of William McKinley, he decided to buy out theFrench company that had been working – with very little success – on the canal. After that, the only remaining hurdle was theapproval of the local government. Panama was then a province of Colombia, so the US began negotiations for rights to build a canal and install troops to occupy landon both sides of the project. Roosevelt deemed this necessary because his primary interest in the canal was military. The canal was intended to be the US Navy’s primary communications link between its Atlantic and Pacific fleets, and therefore the USmilitary had to control it. Colombia, however, had other ideas. The Colombian government showed little enthusiasm for foreign troops permanentlyoccupying part of its sovereign territory. The canal negotiations stalled on this point. Roosevelt was not deterred by petty problems like national sovereignty. The US made contacts with Panamanian secessionists and, with the intervention of US warships and marines, sponsored a new, independent Panama. Needless to say, the new Panamaniangovernment signed the desired treaty giving the US rights to the canal and the so-called “Canal Zone.” Fast forward 75 years to 1977.Panama, now a long-established independent country, resented the contin- ued presence of UStroops bisecting its territory. At the same time, technological advances – especially the introduction of aircraft – made the canalroute far less important militarily than it had been in 1903. Therefore, Jimmy Carter saw a political benefit in returning the Canal Zone to Panama, with no corresponding militarydownside. The two countries concluded a treaty to transfer the canal to Panama that took effect in 1999. What does Donald Trump hope to gain by threatening to take back the canal? Maybe he just wants to look like a tough guy inhopes of pleasing his MAGA audience. Maybe he hopes to intimidate other countries into falling in line with his foreign policy.Maybe he wants to provoke a small scale war to justify suppressing domestic dissent. In any case, Trump's reversion to the gunboat diplomacy of a bygone era benefits no one, certainly not the Panamanian people,and not the people of the US either. 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 January 2025 We Remember Norma Kelsey Contributions from Maureen Bo, Cindy Schu, Nancy Greenup, and David Kelsey The Puget Sound area labor and social justice movements lost a fierce activist with the passing of Norma Kelsey on September 21, 2024, at age 89. Norma was a leader of the Office and Professional Employees Union Local 8 (Secretary-Treasurer 1985-1989, President 1989-2001) and worked for Plumbers Local 32 and Laborers Local 440 for many years. Norma also held various leadership positions with El Centro de la Raza, Mothers for Police Accountability, Coalition of Labor Union Women, and the Martin Luther King County Labor Council. Norma served on a citizens’ panel of the Seattle City Council’s World Trade Organization Accountability Review Committee and was a member of Puget Sound Alliance for Retired Americans (now PSARA). Norma was a true trade unionist and believed in the movement with her heart and soul. Norma was born September 19, 1935, in Independence, Kansas. Her grandparents settled there years before, having arrived in a covered wagon. In her youth she was a member of the Salvation Army Church where she was taught that her role in life should be to help others. Later, when she began to work for unions, she recognized a familiar belief system of helping and giving to others. She brought those values full strength to her work for unions and the community. Norma was married at age 16, but this brutal first marriage ended in divorce. She later married Bob Kelsey and moved to California and eventually to Washington, where they raised four children and several adopted and foster children. Norma and Bob, usually with their son Jack, traveled extensively to Nicaragua, Venezuela, the Philippines, Haiti, and throughout Europe and Central America. The travel often involved reconnecting with former refugees who had fled violence in their home countries and who had been aided by Bob and Norma when seeking housing and assistance in the United States. Norma provided a key leadership role in the mid-1980’s, when a group of women, led by former Local 8 Board Member Maureen Bo (who after the revolution was elected Business Manager), decided their union was headed in the wrong direction. Norma’s kindness, vision, and belief in social justice and creating a humane community helped to provide a focus for their shared work. Maureen, Norma, Nancy Greenup, and Janet Graham, along with others, ousted Local 8’s leadership at the time. They fought off a hard push for an ill-advised merger with another union, which would have stripped Local 8 of its own direction. Instead, they reshaped their local into the vibrant, progressive labor union it is today. These founding mothers focused on building a transparent, fiscally responsible, and democratically run local with organizing made a top priority. Norma’s labor friends remember her passion and kindness, which will live on in so many of the hearts she touched. Her determination was unmatched. And she never lost sight of the important goals she had for a more just world. Norma taught us endless lessons in perseverance with dignity. She was truly one of a kind. The world is a better place because of her. < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents July 2025 Are You Considering Residential Solar? Resources and Tools to Help You Get Started Anne Shields Are There Still Financial Incentives for Installing Solar? Yes! State sales tax exemption: Washington provides a sales tax exemption for solar energy systems, including rooftop solar panels,other materials and their installation. The exemption is available through 2029 and is usually provided through your contractor. You can request a refund if you are charged sales tax on eligible materials. Residential renewable energy tax credit: The federal government first enacted a solar investment tax credit in 2006, which allows people who install solar panels on their homes or businesses to claim a reduction in the income taxes that they would normally pay to the IRS. The amount of this reduction is capped at 30% of the amount invested in the solar array. WA’s Community Solar Program Might Save You Money Olympia Community Solar’s non-profit group purchasing model might reduce your costs and help simplify the installation process. The Solarize program is currently open to enrollment by residents of Island, Mason, Lewis, East King, Skagit, Thurstonand Whatcom counties and the cities of Bellevue, Issaquah, Mercer Island, Redmond, Sammamish, Kirkland, and Kenmore. What about the Tariffs on Solar Panels? The Trump administration tariffs on solar imports are unlikely to slow the rollout of solar power in the US. Even if it becomes a little more expensive, solar remains one of the cheapest clean energy sources. The good news is that Washington State’s solar panel manufacturing industry is growing rapidly and now supplies many local installers. Where Can I Learn More? The Dept. of Energy online Homeowner’s Guide to Going Solar is a great resource for learning the basics of residential solar installation. Olympia Community Solar’s 11-minute video, Five Steps to Going Solar, might also be a useful starting point. These resources and tools will help you get started, but make sure to work with solar installers for custom estimates of how much power your own system would be likely togenerate. Getting Bids and Choosing a Contractor The non-profit Solar Washington recommends getting at least three bids and checking references on all contractors that you decide to consider. Solar WA also recommends finding vetted local installers through the Washington Solar Energy Industries Association (WASEIA). You will be able to find a wide range of reputable, local solar installers through the WASEIA online tool foridentifying installers in your region. Comparing Installation Bids Solar WA offers a detailed list of Questions for Solar Shoppers and advice on comparing bids that you may find useful. Many factors go into an installer’s bid and cost structure, including labor required, the equipment used, the amount of power generated, warranties, and financing options. Overhead costs: Some solar equipment suppliers have high overhead costs, resulting in higher bid amounts. However, homeowners should be wary of bids significantly lower than other bids, as this may signal that an installer is cutting corners. Equipment costs: The number, type and quality of panels installed can be a significant factor in the estimates you receive. Different types of solar panels produce varying amounts of electricity, and some panels last longer than others. Warranties and production guarantees : Many installers provide warranties, but what those warranties include and do not include will vary. Generally, higher solar bids may include better warranties that could save you money in the long run. Some companies provide additional guarantees, such as production guarantees and coverage for any potential damage to your roof. When reviewing your bids, you should always read through warranty information carefully and check if the information you receive is clear about its coverage, process, and coverage amounts. Permits and policies: Your bids should include state or local permit costs for solar panel installation or usage. Be sure to review and compare these costs across all your bids. Anne Shields is a member of PSARA's Climate and Environmental Justice Committee and Third Act Washington. < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents February 2025 Views from the Screen A Review of "A Real Pain" Randy Joseph Film Title: A Real Pain 2024, Directed by Jesse Eisenberg Cast: Jesse Eisenberg as David; Kieran Culkin, Golden Globe winner for his characterization of Benji. Also includes Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyiawan, Liza Sadovy and Daniel Oreskes. Spoiler alert. But it doesn’t matter – this review may help. A good reader is a re-reader, says author and teacher Vladimir Nabokov in his “Lectures on Literature.” I believe the same goes for film. In anticipation of writing a few notes on the movie “A Real Pain” I watched it a second time at home – slowly. I took notes and was able to pause, rewind, and revisit scenes multiple times. A second viewing gave me the ability to hear the tender plaintive piano music of Polish composer Frederic Chopin, which gently holds us throughout the film – mirroring the energy and mood of the story. I loved the film the first time. But the second slow time gut-punched me with dialogue and nuance I originally missed while gulping down the plot. Wikipedia calls it a buddy comedy-drama. Are they kidding? I mean, yes…but no. This is a story about pain and love and loss and the unending human struggle. And a sad story about love between cousins who were like brothers and are now quite different and apart. And a yearn- ing for how things used to be. It is dead wrong to think this is a holocaust film or, as one reviewer quipped, a holocaust comedy. Yes, there is a tour of the Majdanek concentration camp outside of Lublin, Poland. Yes, there is a visit to a Jewish cemetery and poignant views of the Jewish neighborhoods that were once so vibrant with Yiddish conversation, commerce, theatre, poetry, and music. But that is a backdrop – a heartbreaking backdrop to the melody of the love and loss story of two cousins who have been bequeathed a visit to Poland to visit the childhood home of their grandmother, Dory. David and Benji had been very close as children. That is gone now and Da- vid, a nervous, anxious rule follower – successful in outward appearance with career and family – has found it very difficult to be around the chaotic, rebellious, angry, and often miserable yet charming, generous, and loving Benji. He loves him but can no longer tolerate the craziness. Benji deeply misses the closeness and the purpose in life he used to have protecting and soothing David. Their childhood love fuels the conflict and the plot. Benji is hard to describe. He can immediately connect to people and not only charm them but get to their core and bond at a deep emotional level. David’s social skills are much weaker, and he is often awkward and alone. As charming as Benji is, he can turn on those same people in a second with aggression, anger, mocking, and generally horrible alienating behavior. The two moods seem to be tied together push- ing and pulling inside of him. Clearly Benji is damaged in some fundamental way. We don’t get a good understanding of why, and I wouldn’t presume to diagnose. But the film questions whether their collective anxiety and misery is generational trauma, individual psychological differences, and/or simply the human condition. You come to learn just how lost and suffering Benji is. He has recently lost his beloved grandmother (“She was the only person that stuck with me – every- one else left me when I needed them most”), and he lost David a long time ago. He feels abandoned by David and tells the tour people how it used to be. How important he used to be in David’s life. Benji tells the group, “This is the guy I used to have all to myself. David cried for a week at overnight camp, and I held him in my arms soothing him with tales of his sweet mother.” “What happened to you David? You used to cry all the time.” David’s retort, “How is crying all the time a good thing?” David, on the other hand, has man- aged to corral his anxiety and pull a life together, partly by distancing himself from the difficult Benji. We watch as Benji becomes increasingly more difficult, blaming David for his own lateness, berating David for being a wimp back in the day and now. Daring David – almost forcing him – to hide on the train without a ticket and to break through doors that say Don’t Enter. It’s torture for David, yet exhilarating too. It always was. Benji becomes almost impossible to be around. He is A Real Pain. Yet at the same time, through his loud and unbearable truth telling, he enriches everyone’s experience on the tour. On the train to the camp, he completely freaks out and lambasts everyone for calmly eating fancy food and happily sitting in first class on the very same train tracks where their ancestors were thrown onto the trains almost naked, sick, and miserable. The problem with Benji is that he doesn’t just pose the question. He makes a huge scene shaming everyone and dramatically throws himself into third class. But it isn’t a performance. He is a truth teller, and he can barely stand what he sees as the complacency of the others who don’t have his deep feelings. Admirable in so many ways – but destructive. He loses people but has no control over his behavior. In a pivotal scene in a restaurant, the cousins talk about their grandmother, Dory, who always said she survived the Holocaust due to "a thousand miracles." Benji breaks down with grief, lashes out at everyone, and walks out of the restaurant loudly and repeatedly burping so the whole restaurant can hear. It’s David’s turn to break down. In what should have been an award- winning scene, David lets loose when a tour member says, “He’s clearly in pain.” David whips, “Isn’t everybody in pain? Look where our families came from – isn’t everybody wrought??” Another tour colleague says, “Well YOU seem ok David.” David sobs, “I’m NOT! I take pills for obsessive compulsive disorder, I jog, I meditate. I move forward because I know my pain is not exceptional. I don’t want to burden everybody with it (like Benji). David continues sobbing, “I am exhausted by Benji. I love him I hate him I want to kill him I want to BE him. He is so fucking cool and doesn’t give a shit what people think.” He then reveals to the group that Benji is only six months away from having attempted suicide. David is livid with grief and anger at the thought. “How did the product of a thousand miracles overdose on a bottle of sleep- ing pills. (crying) I don’t want to lose him.” The next day, alone with Benji, David tells him that he doesn’t want to lose him. He compares himself to Benji. “Do you see how people love you? When you walk into a room? I would give anything to know what that feels like. To have charm. You light up a room, and then you shit on everything inside it.” In the last scene we see the cousins in the New York airport at the end of their odyssey. They cling to each other. David leaves and reunites with his wife and child. Benji sits down in the crowd- ed airport alone. Isolated in his pain. The future for them is questionable. Watch this movie…Twice. Randy Joseph is a member of PSARA < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents December 2025 Federal Employees Shutdown Nightmare Steve Kofahl I write this article two days before Veterans Day, when we honor the service of our military veterans. Well over 300,000 of them, who serve their country again as civilian federal employees, have now gone a record 40 days without pay. That’s no way to show respect for their past and current contributions, or for the service of their co-workers. About two of every three federal workers, veterans included, have been going without pay,1.4 million out of a 2.1 million person workforce. Some 670,000 are furloughed and not working or receiving pay, while 730,000 excepted (essential) employees continue to work and are likewise unpaid. Some money has been moved around by the administration to temporarily pay some law enforcement personnel and active military members. On November 4, the Trump Administration sent a message to federal workers, threatening to deprive them of back pay when the shutdown ends, in contradiction of a 2019 bill, signed by Trump , that assures payment to these workers after future shutdowns end. This is just the latest show of disrespect in a year that’s been full of them. Like many other workers, too many federal employees live paycheck to paycheck. About 350,000 federal workers make less than the $62,000 median national salary. Federal employees have family members who may well be dependent on them -- children, partners, parents, and others. A lot of collateral damage is being done to family members, and also to local businesses in large and small communities across the nation. It’s been exceedingly difficult for federal employee unions to mitigate the harm to excepted employees, who are not eligible for unemployment benefits, or allowed to convert to temporary employment with their agencies. In severe hardship situations, requests for any adjustments are subject to approval by management. These include requests for leave without pay, requests for use of earned leave benefits, and requests for the ability to work at home “episodically” to limit transportation expenses and/or to be available to another household member. Union stewards are kept busy providing guidance, and filing grievances in response to unreasonable denials. We are hearing heartbreaking stories from the frontlines, where frustration and tears are all too common, and mental health breakdowns and suicides are growing concerns. Employees are visiting food banks in growing numbers, often for the first time in their lives. They are selling personal and household items, using credit to pay their bills, and taking out loans from their retirement accounts and financial institutions. Repaying student debt is a huge problem. Working a second job to pay the bills is officially discouraged and subject to management approval. The non-profit Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund offered $150 microgrants until their $1 million fund was tapped out a few weeks ago. Federal employee unions have suffered massive loss of membership, staff, and resources at the worst possible time, thanks to the anti-union attacks they and their members are enduring. Nonetheless, at all levels, organized labor is providing guidance, training, and information about available resources. The Washington State Labor Council (WSLC) stepped up by conducting a pair of virtual training events last month, with WorkSource and the Washington State Employment Security Department as partners in the presentations. They also posted a moving October 29 story in The Stand , entitled "It Feels Like I Can’t Stop the Bleed," in which State Department of Health employee Milo Nicholas tells what happened to him when the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) was included in the shutdown. He was temporarily laid off by the state, because his work was funded by WIC, and had to borrow from his mother to pay his rent. A Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) Local 443 Vice President and Shop Steward, Milo tells a compelling story. Had he been one of the Federal employees working on WIC, he might have been understandably afraid to tell his story. In the article, the WSLC recommends that donations to union families be made to the Foundation for Working Families, which can donate up to $500 per union member. With 45 million Americans losing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding, including 900,000 Washingtonians, there is a desperate need that can only be met by well-funded food banks. More and more, federal employees are among those in need of food. Please be generous, and show patience and compassion when dealing with federal workers who are under attack. Steve Kofahl is a retired President of AFGE 3937, representing Social Security Workers, and a member of PSARA's Executive Board < 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