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

For more than a quarter century, Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action (PSARA) has been active in fighting for older Americans, retirees, their children and families through social justice activities. P uget S ound A dvocates for R etirement A ction Working across generations for social justice, economic security, dignity, and a healthy planet for all of us. WA Legislative Session Begins Monday Jan. 12 Click here for PSARA's Legislative Agenda & Talking Points Health Secretary Kennedy is Attacking Traditional Medicare in Washington State In January, the Trump administration will be rolling out a new control on Traditional Medicare in six states, including Washington State. This program is called WISeR. It will affect Medicare benefits by requiring a new prior authorization for a number of medical decisions. This means your doctor will need to receive prior authorization from the Federal government before you get some medical treatments. C lick Here for more on the WISeR Program and what you can do to stop it. On December 6th PSARA Board Members Robby Stern and Anne Watanabe (hosted by Dan Grey and Evegreen State College) discuss the attacks on Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Please listen to the interview and share with your friends: Click here to hear the interview. PSARA January Retiree Advocate Click here to read the Advocate online In this issue, we feature two important reprints: One from HEALTH CARE un-covered exposes the troubling list of contractors being hired to administer the WISeR program. The other, from the Jewish Coalition for Immigrant Justice teaches us how to build community power. Also in this issue: Jeff Johnson continues his writing on divestment from fossil fuels with an article titled "Fossil Fuels Have Put Us in an Existential Fix." Dan Grey reports on PSARA's second annual public discussion in Tacoma. Steve Kofahl analyzes the Trump administration's retreat from planned attacks on older disabled Americans. PSARA's Government Relations Committee debuts our 2026 Legislative Agenda. Lisa Dekker reviews the book The Trees are Speaking: Dispatches from the Salmon Forests. Anne Shields explains simple, do-it-yourself solar power technology. Mike Andrew reports on a US House resolution "condemning the horrors of socialism." And more! Upcoming PSARA Events/meetings Upcoming PSARA Committee Meetings All meetings are Zoom unless otherwise noted. Please contact organizer@pasara.org to attend. Jan. 8, Thursday: 10:30 a.m.- 11:30 a.m., Climate & Environmental Justice Comm. 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. PSARA Government Relations Committee Jan. 15, Thursday: 11:00 a.m. - Noon Race and Gender Equity Comm. 1:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. PSARA Executive Board Jan. 20, Tuesday: 10:30 a.m. Fumd Raising Committee Protecting our Assets Protecting our Asses In the last year PSARA’s Co-President, Jeff Johnson, wrote a series of articles for PSARA’s Retiree Advocate highlighting the need to move beyond fossil fuels and the responsibility of unions to insure that their retirement plans stop investing in fossil fuels not just because its good environmentally but also good economics. Unions can play a key role in jump starting our green future. These articles have been consolidated into a single publication: Protecting our Assets Protecting our Asses. Click here to download the pamphlet or read it online. DOWNLOAD JOIN PSARA in making a difference! Back to Top

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

Check back often to see upcoming PSARA events and meetings. -5198757490226798476 IMG_6872 20230321_115056_edited -5198757490226798476 1/6 Meetings & Events IMG_6872 IMG_9037 France Giddings Karen Richter, Jeff Johnson and Robby Stern IMG_6872 1/8 PSARA committee meetings and events will be virtual unless otherwise noted, to attend any of these meetings, email organizer@psara.org for the link. You are seconds away from getting this done. 🤩 
 ⚙️Google Calendar Connector and add your Google Calendar URL to connect. Open the

PSARA 2026 Legislative Agenda (01/08/26) Click here to download pdf Click here to download talking Points PSARA is a multi-generational grass roots organization advocating for all people, and seniors in particular, being able to live their lives with economic security, dignity, and respect. Healthcare 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 and food security (budget) Regulate the use of Prior Authorization in healthcare decisions, SB 5395/HB 1566 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 funds from fossil fuels, No Coal Act SB 5439 Increase environmental justice by improving government decisions, Curb Act HB 1303/ SB 5380 Create standards for Data Center operations 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. Millionaire Tax Support progressive revenue HB 2100 Well Washington Fund Housing and Homelessness PSARA supports keeping people housed, building more low-income housing, and preventing homelessness in the first place. Workers’ Rights and Economic Justice PSARA supports legislation that promotes healthy families and workplaces. Extend unemployment benefits to undocumented workers SB 5626/HB 1773 Expand Working Families Tax Credit HB 1214/SB 5768 Strengthen Paid Family & Medical Leave financing Promote Washington Future Fund pilot (Baby Bonds) SB 5541 Provide greater security to Washington workers against ICE practices on the job (Immigrant Worker Protection Act) SB 5852/HB 2105 Community Safety and Justice PSARA supports legislation that promotes community safety and justice for all of our community members. Ensure proper identification of law enforcement (No Secret Police Act) SB 5855/HB 2173

In the Advocate May 2025: PSARA Position Paper on Immigration The US has failed to articulate a coherent and just immigration policy. Now, under the current administration, even the meager protections we have for those who come from outside US boundaries are being stripped away. The Trump administration has engaged in new levels of cruelty against immigrants – terrorizing people, shackling them in chains, deporting them to countries other than their own, and undertaking these acts regard- less of the person’s citizenship or paperwork status. The administration is threatening sanctuary cities and states with funding cuts, mobilizing the military and national guard to engage in the apprehension of migrants, and seeking millions more in funding for this war on immigrants. They have allies in our state among many county sheriffs who are flouting our “Keep Washington Working” law and using their local law enforcement officers to assist ICE. Everything else being equal, people don’t choose to migrate. Most of us prefer to remain with our families, on the land in which we’ve been raised, and in the culture with which we’re familiar. Yet, huge numbers are migrating for a number of reasons. They are forced to migrate because of brutal conflicts, rampant lawlessness and criminal violence in their home countries, a lack of safe, well-paying jobs, crop failures and food scarcity, and increasingly severe climate disasters. In our country we now have more than 200 jails and prisons for immigrants. Approximately 90% of detained immigrants are held in private detention centers. The current Trump regime has announced plans to build many more. PSARA, takes the following position on the attack on immigrants: We will follow the lead of immigrant rights groups locally, working to support their efforts toward defending and strengthening rights, protecting those being targeted, and securing sanctuary. We welcome all migrants and fight alongside them for housing, healthcare, living wage jobs, and public education, among other things. We emphatically oppose repression, detention, deportation, and the racist attacks to which migrants are being subjected. We act from a commitment to joining hands in respect and solidarity to build a new – and more just – Beloved Community. BACK TO THE ADVOCATE

PSARA Signs an Open Letter Rejecting the House Homeland Security Committee’s Unfounded Inquiries into 200+ Nonprofit Organizations In the Advocate August 2025: PSARA Signs an Open Letter Rejecting the House Homeland Security Committee’s Unfounded Inquiries into 200+ Nonprofit Organizations We, the undersigned more than [...] nonprofit and nonpartisan organizations and community leaders, stand united inopposition to the House Homeland Security Committee’s and Senator Josh Hawley’s unfounded demands for information from hundreds of nonprofit organizations. These charities and organizations have done nothing but carry out their work, including what is outlined in the federal grants some of them were awarded, and include religious organizations and groups working on advocacy and services for immigrants, workers, youth, and a vast array of other organizations serving their communities. These letters of inquiry target civic organizations that have provided services under valid federal contracts that were authorized and appropriated by Congress, filling a need the government cannot perform itself. No allegations of wrongdoing, or evidence is provided for these extraordinary and burdensome inquiries. This effort appears to be an attempt to weaponize Congressional power and create the appearance of wrongdoing against those who the signers believe disagree with their political agenda. The process these lawmakers intend to drag these law abiding, community serving organizations through is the punishment. As nonprofit and nonpartisan organizations and community leaders, we work in communities across the country to feed the hungry; house those without shelter; protect our air and water, our rights to vote, worship, and organize; we fight for consumers, workers, and our children; we advocate for civil and human rights at home and abroad; we have made it safer to drive on our roads, easier to start a business, and healthier to live in our cities. We span the full ideological spectrum. And today, we stand together for our democracy and in solidarity with those nonprofit organizations unjustly targeted by these Congressional letters. Let us be clear – this investigation is Congress weaponizing its powers to target and intimidate nonprofit organizations that are fulfilling the guidelines of federal grants, simply because they disagree with the policy those grants advance. This unfounded inquiry is not about protecting Americans, rooting out waste and fraud, or defending the public interest. It is about using un- checked power to chill constitutionally protected activity, community activism, and voices those sending the letters may disagree with. That is un-American and flies in the face of the Constitution. This specific attack on nonprofits is not happening in a vacuum. Rather, this attack exists in the context of a wholesale offensive against organizations and individuals the administration and its allies find objectionable. We are standing in solidarity with the organizations targeted in this unfounded investigation because nonprofits of all types, members of the clergy and religious groups, advocates, and community serving organizations should not be punished for their work – even if those in power find it threatening to their policy agenda. Our government is meant to serve the people, not those in office. Efforts by members of Congress to attack nonprofit groups they disagree with are reprehensible, dangerous, and a violation offundamental American freedoms. Speaking out for the voice- less is, and has always been, our collective mission. As such,we stand with those organizations wrongly targeted, and with one another. BACK TO THE ADVOCATE

Medicare Advantage takes advantage of Seniors by limiting care and drains our Medicare Fund for private company profit. Hospitals dropping Medicare Advantage because of concerns with patient care Many of you who have followed the challenges faced by Medicare in the last few years are familiar with the reporting of Diane Archer and her Just Care website . Diane brings us this report on how hospital networks are refusing to admit patients who are in Medicare Advantage. These hospitals have concerns with the quality of care the Medicare Advantage insurance companies are willing to provide. Diane has suggested a helpful action would be to contact Senator Wyden’s office (202-224-5244), as chair of Senate Finance Committee, which oversees Medicare, as well as your representatives. Ask them to intervene to ensure that insurers offering Medicare Advantage do not endanger access to hospital care. Karen Richter Co President PSARA Diane Archer Just Care August 16, 2023 St. Charles Health System, a large hospital system in central Oregon likely will not continue to participate in Medicare Advantage, reports KTVZ.com. The hospital system’s leaders are concerned about patient care in Medicare Advantage. People with Medicare who want to know they have access to the best hospitals, including access to cancer centers of excellence, should switch to traditional Medicare. St. Charles is not alone; many hospital systems are not taking Medicare Advantage enrollees. St. Charles’ CEO says that the hospital system has considered dropping Medicare Advantage plans for some time because of mounting concerns. He reports that his hospital system is not alone. Hospital systems throughout the country are concerned about patient care in Medicare Advantage. The Mayo Clinic stopped taking Medicare Advantage enrollees at some sites last year. In the CEO’s words: “The reality of Medicare Advantage in Central Oregon is that it just hasn’t lived up to the promise. A program intended to promote seamless and higher-quality care has instead become a fragmented patchwork of administrative delays, denials, and frustrations. The sicker you are, the more hurdles you and your care teams face. Our insurance partners need to do better, especially when nurses, physicians and other caregivers are reporting high levels of burnout and job dissatisfaction.” The American Hospital Association (AHA), the trade association for most hospitals reports that it “is increasingly concerned about certain (Medicare Advantage) plan policies that restrict or delay patient access to care, which also add cost and burden to the health care system.” To make matters worse, it appears that some Medicare Advantage plans are engaged in fraud as well as inappropriate delays and denials of care and coverage. St. Charles hospital executives see higher rates of denials of care in Medicare Advantage and long arduous processes for getting Medicare Advantage plans to approve medically necessary care. St. Charles health system is considering whether it will renew Medicare Advantage contracts with PacificSource, Humana, HealthNet and WellCare. The bottom line: With traditional Medicare, your treating physicians call the shots, deciding what care is medically reasonable and necessary, and Medicare covers that care, without second-guessing and coming between you and your doctors. With Medicare Advantage, many insurance companies second guess treating physicians and deny care or delay care, endangering patient health. The Office of the Inspector General has reported widespread and persistent inappropriate delays and denials of care and coverage in Medicare Advantage. But, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has so far refused to identify the bad actors or sanction them appropriately, putting older adults and people with disabilities at serious risk. Healthy patients in Medicare Advantage should be fine. But, even if you are healthy today, you could need complex care tomorrow and your insurance should cover that care. That’s why we have health insurance. In some Medicare Advantage plans, you might not get needed care in a timely manner, if at all, regardless of whether you need it.

Vote Yes on Prop 1 to Keep Seattle’s Elections in the Hands of the People, Alice Woldt In the Advocate August 2025: Vote Yes on Prop 1 to Keep Seattle’s Elections in the Hands of the People Alice Woldt For more than a quarter-century, PSARA has fought to protect the security and dignity of older Americans and the generations that follow. That mission is deeply tied to the health of our democracy. If billionaires and corporate interests drown out our voices, we all pay the price – whether it’s in lost retirement security, unaffordable healthcare, or neglect of our most vulnerable neighbors. That’s why I’m urging PSARA members to vote Yes on Proposition 1 this August to renew funding for Seattle’s groundbreaking Democracy Voucher Program. Since voters first approved it nearly a decade ago, this program has transformed how our city elections work by putting real power back in the hands of everyday people. Seattle’s Democracy Voucher Program gives every resident four $25 vouchers to contribute to local candidates of their choice. It’s a simple idea that has had extraordinary results. Instead of local campaigns relying on a handful of wealthy donors and corporate PACs, they’re fueled by small contributions from people like us – retirees, renters, working families. And the proof is overwhelming: Since the program began, small donor participation has increased fivefold, with more than 105,000 Seattle residents using Democracy Vouchers. The vast majority were first-time donors, many from lower-income house- holds and communities of color who previously had little voice in our local politics. The candidate pool is more diverse than ever. There’s been an 86% jump in the number of candidates per race, opening the door for more women, younger candidates, and people of color to run competitive campaigns. And it’s made our elections more fair. Contributions under $100 have surged by 156%, while large contributions over $250 have dropped by 93%. Big out-of-city money has plummeted by up to 84%, making local campaigns truly local again. This is precisely the kind of change many of us dreamed of when we first took up the fight to reduce the influence of big money in politics. And it’s working. A study even found that Seattle’s Democracy Voucher Program boosted voter turnout by nearly 5 percentage points – an enormous shift in local elections that typically struggle to bring people to the polls. Right now, we have a chance to protect all of this progress. Prop 1 would renew the small property tax levy that funds the Democracy Voucher Program for another 10 years. For the average Seattle homeowner, it’s a modest investment – about $13 a year – to keep our democracy strong, fair, and accountable. Without renewal, the program’s dedicated funding will disappear. Seattle would either have to drastically cut back or eliminate the program, or raid the city’s general fund – already under strain from other vital needs. Worse, letting it lapse would send a terrible message: that we’re willing to let billionaires and special interests reclaim their grip on our elections, right when so much is at stake. Our country is at a crossroads. Across the nation, we’re seeing voting rights rolled back, dark money unleashed, and attempts to silence the voices of working people. Here in Seattle, we can show there’s another way. We can stand up for a democracy that works for retirees on fixed incomes, young families starting out, and everyone in between – not just the wealthy few. So here’s what you can do: Mark your calendar and return your ballot by August 5th. Talk to your friends, family, and neighbors – especially younger voters – about why voting Yes on Prop 1 matters for the future of our city and our democracy. And if you have questions or want more resources, visit www.YesOn Prop1Seattle.org. As a long-time advocate for democracy reforms, I’ve seen countless efforts come and go. Seattle’s Democracy Voucher Program is different. It’s a proven success, built by voters, supported by voters, and now ready to be protected by voters once again. Let’s make sure we keep our elections of, by, and for the people. Vote Yes on Prop 1 this August. Alice Woldt is the former Executive Director of Fix Democracy First and Washington Public Campaigns and a member of PSARA. PSARA has endorsed a Yes vote on Prop 1. BACK TO THE ADVOCATE

PSARA Board Members PSARA BOARD Steve Bauck has served as an officer of PSARA and is a co-chair of the Social Security Fiscal Commission Task Force. Claude Burfect is on the Executive Board of MLK Labor, representing the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU); the Executive Committee of Seattle King County NAACP; the Board of RPEC (Retired Public Employees Council); and the Heath Care is a Human Right (HCHR) Steering Committee. Claude is a veteran activist, a former member of SNCC and CORE, and participated in the historic 1963 March on Washington. Maureen Bo has served as the Administrative Vice President of PSARA and is a retired member of Office Workers Union Local. Tim Burns Retired from Northwest Airlines after 39+ years.Served as Grievance Committee rep 26 years (12+ years as Chair), also as auditor and trustee (IAM LL 1040) and IAM DL 143 Vice President and contract negotiator. Currently on LL 2202 Legislative Committee and retiree rep and delegate to the State Machininsts Council, MLKCLC and WSLC. Former(6 years) Chair of the 30th Legislative District Democrats. Former Co-President of PSARA and former Chair of the Government Relations Committee (GRC). Current active member of GRC. Pamela Crone is a lawyer and PSARA’s former lobbyist. She represented clients in Olympia for 20 years. Her lobbying portfolio included advocating for the legal rights of women, LGBTQ persons, workers, people with disabilities, and people experiencing homelessness. Pamela developed a legislative and policy externship at the Seattle University School of Law where she was a Distinguished Policy Advocate in Residence. Prior to lobbying, Pam was the Attorney Director of the Unemployment Law Project where she mentored many new lawyers and law students. In retirement, Pam is active with PSARA and serves on the Board of Directors of the Cedar River Clinics. She loves spending time with her family, traveling and reading. Carlos de la Torre Originally from Southern California, Carlos has been a member of the Teamsters, Meat Cutters and United Cement, Gypsum & Lime Workers unions. After leaving the blue-collar world, Carlos returned to school and earned an accounting degree from California State University, San Bernardino. Upon graduation and relocation to the beautiful Pacific Northwest, Carlos worked in the private-sector financial arena spending more than 20 years in the chemical distribution industry. Evolving motivations and changing life perspectives have led Carlos to the non-profit world, where he has worked for an organization that addresses homelessness and formerly the accounting manager for WSLC. Carlos is on the Education Fund Board and is proud to be part of an organization that supports the struggle for fair wages and social justice. Barb Flye is a successful mosaic artist. Her art focuses on the beauty of the pacific northwest, and the issues facing our country and world. Prior to becoming a full time artist, Barb’s professional experience included over 30 years of community and coalition organizing on social, racial and economic justice. She is also the cartoonist for The Advocate. France Giddings was born in Canada and attended Reed College in Oregon where she lived for many years. She was on the board of Portland NOW and helped organize a large International Women's Day celebration and was a resource for women in crisis. She moved to Seattle in 1985 and joined the board of Seattle NOW until she adopted her daughter as a single parent. While her daughter was growing up she became active in the local Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) as the legislative liaison. She also worked with a coalition for years to get single payer health care in Washington. She also joined the Block Bork coalition and worked to protect the Supreme Court. France worked as an investigator for public defense. She spent time lobbying in Olympia for NOW, for the PTSA, for public defense, and more recently for the Washington Farms to Food Coalition. She currently serves on the Seattle NOW board and volunteers with Moms Demand Action and Save Shoreline Trees. Larry Gossett has been a civil rights activist in the Puget Sound region for more than 55 years. Larry served on the King County Council from 1994 to 2020. He was a long time member of the Seattle chapter of the Black Panther Party. The Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project describes him as having been one of Seattle’s best known black radicals. Larry served on the King County Council from 1994 to 2020. He is not only a voice for African Americans he continues to speak for civil rights, social and economic justice for all marginalized communities. Rhonda Gossett is a homemaker, caregiver, artist and a grandmother. She is blessed to be a cancer survivor and she researches cancer fighting foods, diabetic and kidney health nutrition to share useful information with family and friends to encourage good health and wellness. She serves as a medical advocate. For many years she volunteered to help with the local Food Bank and she continues to support the Food Bank. Jim Grayson Retired business owner. Previous boards: NW Regional VP of American Library Ass. Trustee Assn; King County Library System Trustee; President Washington State Library Trustee Association; Cities in Schools; Washington Women’s Employment and Education (WWEE). Steve Kofahl President of AFGE Local 3937, representing Social Security Administration employees throughout Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Also active with JWJ, WSLC and MLKCLC. Susan Levy came to Seattle in 1970 and taught Economics and Labor relations at Shoreline CC for 30 years. She was an Activist and leader in American Federation of Teachers and the Washington State Labor Movement for20 years. Susan retired in 2000 and has continued her involvement with senior, labor, and other progressive issues. David Loud has been a peace and social justice activist since his first Ban the Bomb vigil in 1960 at age 15. After graduating from Harvard in 1968, he fell quite by accident into a 46-year career in health care in Seattle: Swedish Hospital laundry (1969-71), Yesler Terrace Free Clinic (1971-72), Veterans Administration Hospital ward clerk (1972-77), US Public Health Service Hospital/Pacific Medical Center Patient Advocate (1978-98), SEIU 1199NW organizer (1998-2005), Congressman McDermott’s Community Liaison for health care and Veterans (2005-2015). Since retiring in 2015, David has continued his activism for universal health care and social justice, currently serving as a Co-Chair of Health Care Is a Human Right WA. He is married to Thu-Van Nguyen, 1975 refugee from Vietnam, and has four grown sons. Bobby Righi is a retired community college instructor and is a co-chair of the PSARA Climate and Environmental Justice Committee. She was a Peace Corps volunteer in the mid 1960's and worked as a teacher and an organizer in the south of the U.S. in the 1970's. She is a member of AFT retiree chapter in Washington. Ronnie Shure has been an active member of PSARA since 2012; and he has been involved in the grassroots movement for universal health care since 1972. He worked as a pharmacist providing care to underserved populations in public health, behavioral health, and substance abuse programs for 42 years. Instead of retirement, he has transitioned to become an advocate for social justice in health care. He is President of Health Care for All - Washington, one of the CoChairs of the Steering Committee of the Health Care as a Human Right coalition, and participates in the work of many healthcare advocacy groups across the state and nation. Most importantly, his retirement transition allows him the joy of spending time with his wife and daughters and grandchildren. Sarajane Siegfriedt is the former King County Democrats Platform Committee Chair. She worked in human services and became a committed low-income housing advocate. As a member of the Washington Low-Income Housing Alliance Public Policy Committee, she shares their legislative priorities with PSARA and helps us advocate in Olympia. Sarajane was a lobbyist for nonprofits in Olympia. She served on the boards of Solid Ground, the Unitarian Housing Group and the Lake City Neighborhood Alliance. She helped organize the Seattle Coalition for Affordability, Livability and Equity. She's currently on the boards of Seattle Fair Growth, the Lake City Neighborhood Alliance and Northaven Senior Living. Robby Stern retired from the staff of the WA State Labor Council in 2008. He has been an active member of PSARA serving as president for nine years. He presently serves as the president of the PSARA Education Fund, Chairs the Social Security Works WA coalition, and is active in PSARA's Fund Raising, RAGE, and Climate Justice Committees. Anne Watanabe is the co-chair of PSARA's Race, Gender and Equity Committee. Anne is an attorney with a background in land use and environmental law, and formerly served as a hearing examiner for the City of Seattle and King County. Anne is a Seattle native and a third-generation Japanese American, and is grateful to be part of PSARA's work to achieve equity and social justice. Mike Warren started working for the state in 1967 and in 1968 was singled out for shop steward training. I was a shop steward for the next 25 years, I also spent time as an elected officer in my local and my bargaining team. After I retired, I was asked to be president of the Seattle RPEC Chapter, which I held for 10 years, until I was able to find a successor. I was elected to the board of the Puget Sound Council of Senior Citizens, There I stood and marched with Will and Louise Parry. I helped found the Washington State Alliance for Retired Americans and served as secretary, treasurer, Vice President and President. I spent 30 years as chair of an advocacy organization foe people of disability. Tim Wheeler served as a reporter and editor for the Worker in New York and later in Washington D.C. He has written more than 10,000 news reports, exposés, and commentaries. He is also an activist and an organizer. He grew up on a dairy farm in Sequim and lives on the family farm near Sequim. His books News from Rain Shadow Country and News for the 99% are selections of his writings over the last 50 years. Katie Wilson is a co-founder and the general secretary of the Transit Riders Union, a grassroots democratic membership organization that fights for transit and economic justice in King County. She has been involved in leading local fights for progressive taxation, affordable housing, renter protections, and affordable and accessible public transit.

In the Advocate May 2025: Michael Righi Chaos Monkey Goes After the Federal Reserve Michael Righi Trump wants lower interest rates. Probably so he and his family can borrow cheap money to pump up the value of their crypto coins, then dump them and leave ordinary investors with the losses. Maybe he needs money to build a golf course in Dubai. Or wait, maybe that’s going to be a “gift.” So call me cynical. He is also worried that his tariff chaos is going to slow production and the economy. Lower interest rates might encourage more spending and support the economy he is effectively tanking. Trump the autocrat wants the same power over interest rates that he has over tariffs. So he is threatening the Federal Reserve and its chair, Jerome Powell. Firing Powell would be illegal; his term is not up, but this is Trump, right? And the Federal Reserve system was created to function independently of the president and Congress, on purpose, supposedly to insulate the Fed from political pressure. The Fed was initially created in 1913 to stop the financial crises private banks kept causing. Bankers would make riskier and riskier loans to pump up profit, some loans would go bad, banks would collapse and production and jobs would disappear. The Fed, once created, then lent money to bail the banks (and depositors) out, and prevent depressions. How to Make Money That is a crucial understanding – the Federal Reserve Bank creates money, out of thin air. You write a check, you draw down your account. The Fed writes a check by changing some numbers on a computer – only based on their authority as the country’s central bank. The Fed works through the private banking system. The Fed buys financial assets, Treasury bonds, or lately even mortgage-backed securities. That money winds up in the banking system, enabling banks to make loans. That’s more money in the economy. So the Fed enables banks to create our money supply. The Humphrey-Hawkins law passed by Congress mandates that the Fed keep both inflation and unemployment low. The Fed does this by controlling short-term interest rates. Those are often conflicting goals. Low interest rates (“easy money”) encourage borrowing and spending and so more jobs. But that also allows businesses to raise prices. High interest rates (“tight money”) have the opposite effect, slowing the economy. This all sounds technical and value- neutral. That’s what the Fed and Wall Street and financial elites want us to think, that Fed policy is apolitical and technocratic. Tell that to homeowners who lost their homes in the 2008 financial crisis while the Fed bailed out big insurance and bank corporations. Or to cardholders and small businesses now as the Powell Fed allows Capital One and Dis- cover to merge and raise their charges. The Fed Is Not Independent The Fed is run by bankers and Wall Street financiers, and influenced by what the corporate elite wants. High interest rates protect the assets of the financial elite from inflation, reducing their value. High rates also keep the economy from creating jobs, because then workers’ wages and willingness to organize might interfere with corporate profit. But financial crisis might call for extended periods of low interest rates, to keep Wall Street afloat, as after 2008. As wages have stagnated or fallen for decades, low rates also encouraged families to run up debt to maintain living standards. Whatever the capitalists in power need, the Fed tries to provide. Its power is relatively easy to access for the wealthy, easier than going through the somewhat more democratic legislative process. With Trump going after him, it is tempting to defend Powell and the Fed. That just puts us back into the space of bad choices. Neither represents what the working class needs. The Fed itself is soon likely to face both inflation and unemployment, a result of Trumpian chaos and uncertainty. If leaving it to the Fed is not the answer, then what is? That also should be up for discussion. There are ideas out there. Regional and local public banks could loan money for public infrastructure, such as transit and clean energy. Postal banking would enable those shut out of banks to borrow and make transactions. Put representatives of labor and communities on the decision-making bodies of the Fed. Use the Fed’s power to support states and cities and localities, to prevent the austerity budgets we are being battered with. It is important for us all to debate, popularly, monetary policy, and not leave it to so-called experts. Money and interest rates are political; they are determined by government policies. We don’t need to be defending Powell from Trump’s attacks. That’s a choice between autocracy and the status quo. Michael Righi is a retired economics professor and a member of the Retiree Advocate Editorial Board. BACK TO THE ADVOCATE

In the Advocate July 2025: 4,000 Attend No Kings Event at People’s Park, Tacoma! John Alessio Our Vote, Our Choice, Our Power, Our Voice!” “Power to the People, We Insist-Billionaires Should Not Exist!” “Say it Once,Say it Twice, We Will Not Put Up With ICE!” These are just a few of the chants heard at People’s Park Saturday, June 14th. PSARA joined Indivisible Tacoma and many other organizations to create an informative, riveting, and festive event on “No Kings Day”. Other participating groups were: 350 Tacoma; AF- SCME Council 28; Evergreen Resistance Tacoma; Black Panther Party, The TSM Shop; Jewish Voice for Peace Tacoma; La Resistencia; Rainbow Center; The Tacoma Urban League; LD27, LD28, and LD29 Democrats; Oscar’s Enemies; Pierce County Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO; Pierce County Immigration Alliance; Tacoma Democratic Socialists of America; Tacoma Fellowship of Reconciliation; Tacoma for All; Tacoma Veterans for Peace; The Conversation 253; Washington Wildlife First; and United Food & Commercial Workers Local 367. Careful planning included meetings and continuous communication between the leaders of many of these organizations to assure a safe and meaningful protest of the Trump administration’s immoral and unconstitutional activities. Preparation included de-escalation training sessions that resulted in a roaming Safety Team during the event. A First Aid Sation was created, with drinking water, snacks, and other relevant supplies. Various groups had their own information booths, plus a booth for sign-making, and even a face painting booth. People’s Park was humming with excitement and enthusiasm. Four thousand people, peacefully demonstrating, were completely rapt for two and a half hours listening to inspiring speeches about what is being done, and what still needs to be done, to stop Trump and his minions from destroying our democracy and inflicting more grievous harm on large segments of our population. The event started and ended with lively protest music, and there were clever chants interspersed throughout. The importance of local elections was emphasized, and people were encouraged to get involved by door-knocking, providing support to progressive candidates, and especially voting in the upcoming 2025 Primary on August 5 and again in the General on November 4th! Action events were announced, such as a June 18th “Door-Knocking for Introverts” to help people become effective doorknockers. On July 9th Indivisible Tacoma endorsed candidates will participate in a Candidate Forum at 6:30PM at Tahoma Unitarian Universalist Church, 1115 So. 56th, Tacoma. La Resistencia and others will continue to strategize and call for united actions against the activities of ICE and the Northwest Detention Center - a critical court hearing is set for September. Some people may want to attend the “Breakfast With the Sheriff” meetings to remind Pierce county Sheriff Keith Swank that Washington state laws protect people from unconstitutional harassment and arrest. The next scheduled breakfast is 7-9AM Saturday, June 21st. We know he would love to see us. A Facebook message to a friend read: “I was at People’s Park with my brother who is blind and paralyzed on his left side. We had the best day. He felt part of society.” That statement captures the mood and inclusive spirit of the Tacoma “No Kings Day”. Let’s keep it going! John Alessio is a member of PSARA and Indivisible Tacoma. BACK TO THE ADVOCATE

In the Advocate July 2025: Tim Wheeler Tim Wheeler No Kings Day” Draws 2,600 in Sequim; 2,600 in Port Angeles! Tim Wheeler Holding a tally counter and click- ing away as fast as his finger could press the button, Jim Stoffer, one of the “NO KINGs DAY” organizers here, walked from one end to the other of the anti- Trump mass rally on Washington Ave. on the west sideof Sequim, Saturday, June 14. Even though the crowds were thick, I ran into him several times. “What’s the latest count, Jim?” “I just counted everyone from the traffic circle out there to the intersec- tion of Washington and Priest Road. Six hundred sixty-three.” He disappeared in the crowd walking east on the south side of Washington clicking away. Half an hour later I ran into him again, this time across the street. “Two thousand four hundred sixty-four,” he told me. “I’ve stopped counting, rounding it off at 2500 and more coming!” A marshall told us a drone outfitted with a camera would soon arrive to photo the crowd from the air to ensure an accurate count. Sure enough, a drone appeared hovering about 30 feet overhead. So the final estimate is 2,600 and an equal number at the County Court- house in Port Angeles. Well over 5000 folks in Clallam County and probably that many in Port Townsend as well. Probably the largest ever protest dem- onstrations in both Sequim and Port Angeles. CNN reported that “millions” joined vigils in more than 2,000 towns and cities across the U.S. We were waving thousands of signs like, “OVERTHROW- ING KINGS SINCE 1776,” and “DRAIN THE SWAMP.” The traffic was bumper-to-bumper with hundreds of motorists greeting us with honking horns, waves, and thumbs-up salutes. It was a deafening din. In the afternoon I spent there may- be one or two motorists scowled, gave us thumbs down or flicked a finger at us. I would estimate that well over 95% of motorists were with us and against the dictator. Many expressed out- rage against ICE (Im- migration & Customs Enforcement). “ICE IS AMERICA’S GESTAPO” read one sign. “MELT ICE,” read another handwritten by Clare Mannis Hatler, one of the eldest in the crowd at age 94. "WHO WILL PICK THE LETTUCE?" read a sign reminding us that immigrant workers are a vital part of our nation's workforce, putting food on the tables for our entire nation. "IMMIGRATION MAKES AMERICA GREAT," said a message on a scrap of cardboard. Others blasted Trump’s $45 mil- lion military parade in Washington D.C. celebrating his own birthday: “If There’s Money for a Parade, There’s Money for Medicaid,” said a sign car- ried by a woman. She linked Trump’s self-glorification with his drive to slash Medicaid by $715 billion, cuts so vicious it will strip 13.7 million people of health care and drive many rural and public hospitals---like OMC---into bankruptcy. He and his departed crony, Elon Musk, are inflicting over a TRILLION dollars in cuts to human needs programs to pay for $4.5 TRILLION in tax cuts mostly for themselves and their fellow billionaires over the coming decade. There were Army, Navy, and Coast Guard veterans in the crowd who face vicious cuts to the Veterans Administration by Trump and his MAGA minions in Congress. One sign proclaimed, “Hitler Threw Himself a Birthday Party Too.” One Special Forces vet was wearing his Green Beret. He told me he was there, in uniform, to defend the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and full funding for the VA and for veterans benefits. There was Steve Koehler who strolled along the sidewalk picking his banjo and singing the late Bob Marley song: “Get Up! Stand Up! Stand up For Your Rights!” And at the corner a very tall union electrician, IBEW retiree, Sam Woods, holding a sign he made, “NO WAY IN THE USA!” Sam told me I have been assigned to paint the signs on the side of his pickup for the Clallam County Democrats in time for the Old Time 4th of July Parade in Forks and later that same day in Port Angeles. His pickup will also lead us when we march in the Joyce Daze parade and the Makah Days celebration in Neah Bay. “Bring me the plywood and I will paint them,” I said. “But get them to me soon. July 4th will be here in no time. We need a message against Trump tyranny, against all the cuts in human need to feed billionaire greed! And also to get out the vote to defeat them!” There were also signs reminding us that "King Donald" does not have any of the pomp that conveys the majesty of a monarch. He scowls, smirks, sneers, rants and raves like the convicted crook he is, at best a mobster, a Godfather. "PUT THE CONVICTED FELON IN JAIL” said one sign. Instead, the MAGAs put him in the White House for a second time! Isn't this proof we are of an empire in sharp decline? Ninety million people eligible to vote did not cast a ballot when Trump stole his way into the Executive Mansion. That is our challenge. To awaken all those who are sleeping through the Trump dictatorship. Convince them to register and vote. I was holding one of three signs I made: “THIS YANK SAYS NO BILLION- AIRE KING!” read one. “REMEMBER VAL- LEY FORGE, BULL RUN, BATTLE OF THE BULGE…NO FASCIST TYRANNY!” And the third: “A REPUBLIC, IF WE CAN KEEP IT!” (A quote from Benjamin Franklin, a very wise founding father who understood we can take nothing for granted, that fascists are constantly scheming against democracy). As I mingled with all these “winter soldiers” fighting back against “sunshine patriots,” I was thinking of my friend, Macy, who put herself in harms way, flying to Cairo to join 10,000 people. Yesterday, she sent me a very short video of a night rally with 15,000 or 20,000 people gathered somewhere in Egypt in solidarity with the Palestinian people. By now, Macy must be across the Suez Canal, trekking in 120 degree heat across the Sinai in the “Freedom March to Gaza.” They seek to end the genocide that has killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians. Meanwhile, Netanyahu launched a drone blitz against Iran and Iran retaliated. We must all work to prevent escalation into a regional or even a world war. Warmonger Trump may drag us into all-out war in the Middle East. We must stop him! BACK TO THE ADVOCATE