| EDITION 25 | May 2024 |
CONTENTS
- Chair's Corner
- from the Editor
- MEDICARE | SOCIAL SECURITY | WEP
- VOTING
- TAXATION
- TAKE ACTION
- STORIES
- Holidays in June
- EVENTS
- VOLUNTEERS
- Final Thoughts
Chair’s Corner
I’d like the memory of me to be a happy one.
I’d like to leave an afterglow of smiles when life is done.
I’d like to leave an echo whispering softly down the ways,
Of happy times and laughing times and bright and sunny days.
I’d like the tears of those who grieve, to dry before the sun;
Of happy memories that I leave when life is done.
- Helen Lowrie Marshall
This month we remember a dear member of our Seniors Caucus, Tilly Gaillard who passed on May 10, 2024. She was a founding member of the Global Seniors Caucus and an active member of our Steering Committee meetings which she attended when she was able. Tilly had a wonderful insight into all kinds of situations, and we benefitted from her knack of being so positive. She will be missed very much, and we remember her as a model volunteer in Democrats Abroad.
— Betsy Ettorre, Chair of the Seniors Caucus
from the Editor
It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we bring you the news of the passing of our dear friend Tilly Gaillard, a longstanding volunteer leader within DA France, the Secretary of the Veterans and Military Families Caucus, and Steering Committee member of the Seniors Caucus.
On May 10th, 2024, our dear friend and colleague passed away surrounded by her daughters. She was 87.
Growing up in San Francisco, Tilly started interpreting at age three for her grandparents who only spoke Dutch. She later attended the University of California, Berkeley where she studied French and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in journalism, followed by three years at Reed College, a private liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon. After moving to Europe she got a diploma in Social Welfare Policy in Developing Countries at the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague, Netherlands. Tilly also took language courses at the University of Hawaii and the University of Geneva.
Tilly started working as a professional interpreter and translator in 1963 at a journalism center in Strasbourg, France. After moving to Paris she went on to work for decades as a French/English conference interpreter/translator for the International Federation for Human Rights, Sahara and Sahel Observatory, Crisis Action, and the Center for International Forestry Research.
Since 2001, she took on managing translation and interpretation for the International Federation for Human Rights.
At age 21, alone, she circled the world. She spent a year in Vietnam, and lived in Africa (mainly Senegal and Cameroon) ten years with her husband, Phillip Gaillard, a French journalist. In 2008 she began volunteering with DA France on voter registration, sign making, and phone banking, calling French and U.S. numbers, (especially to Alaska where her nephew Ethan Berkowitz was mayor of Anchorage).
She was a true believer in good causes and helping people. We will miss our dear friend Tilly de Hes Gaillard. We send our sincere condolences to her family.
MEDICARE | SOCIAL SECURITY | WEP
As DA prepares for our Annual General Meeting next month in Costa Rica, our new Platform has being written with the input from many DA leaders, and it’s being sculpted into final form by many talented editors.
Brendan Read helped to craft the DA Platform section on Social Security, Medicare and continues to work with the U.S. WEP group. See what you think - you can read it now on the DA website.
Security Today and Tomorrow
Securing today and tomorrow starts with being informed. Learn more about Social Security Administration tools, online services, and how our programs benefit people just like you. Sign up here.
Quotes from Ways & Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith
I hope you’re sitting down!
I was going to list some of Chairman Smith’s worst quotes - eg, admonishing the President for not standing up to Mexico’s genetically modified corn ban - but that doesn’t give you the full picture. Here are a few samples of how he’s going full throttle against the President’s administration:
Seven Key Moments - Hearing with Treasury Secretary Yellen
Markup of Health Care Legislation - Republicans think they are helping
Telehealth Access in Rural and Underserve Communities - Now they’re pro-healthcare
Click here to sign up to receive Ways & Means newsletters.
Protect Vote by Mail
"In 2020, at the height of a pandemic that posed the greatest risk for seniors and people with disabilities, the Republican Party declared war on vote by mail.
Vote by mail makes voting simple and accessible to people with mobility issues. But instead of strengthening the U.S. Postal Service to make vote by mail more accessible to millions of voters, Donald Trump appointed a crony as Postmaster General who openly talks about slowing down the mail, making our votes less likely to count.
The war on vote by mail is part of the GOP War on Seniors. There is a Republican campaign to privatize the most popular parts of the government, so that their wealthy donors (like Postmaster General Louis DeJoy) can profit, even as service for Americans gets worse.
Like our Social Security system, the USPS has been built over generations into a simple, universal system that forms an invisible backbone of American infrastructure. Like Social Security, it is self-funding.
The USPS is especially valuable for seniors , who are less likely to have internet access, and are more likely to live on a fixed income. Profit-seeking corporations like FedEx and UPS will never match the efficiency of a first-class stamp, meaning that the cost for seniors who pay bills by mail will skyrocket if Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is successful in destroying the USPS. Click here to send a letter to Save the Post Office!"
Social Security Works!
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has created online tools to help us apply for Social Security & Medicare, however the best way to get started is on our Seniors Caucus SS/Medicare website and on our U.S. Benefits page.
Have you joined Social Security Works yet? You’ll receive updates on their work, be able to take direct action, and sign petitions to protect Social Security. Watch our webinar here.
VOTING
The first Presidential Debate will be held on 27 June on CNN.
Why Biden might be happy to debate Trump in June
"While some details still need to be hammered out, it appears the Democratic and Republican candidates will face off twice, on 27 June and 10 September. Usually the debates are in September and October.
Mr. Trump, who has for months been calling for a debate "anytime, anywhere", got what he wanted. Mr Biden, meanwhile, got to set the terms of their meetings. Now we have an idea of the agreed terms, here's a closer look at how the debates could benefit, or damage, the two campaigns." Read the article.
from David Hogg via Leaders We Deserve
"One thing is for sure: The once mighty NRA is on its last legs.
What once appeared to be an unstoppable force in American politics, the NRA has seen a mass exodus of over one million members, corruption charges, and millions of dollars in legal fees — meanwhile their overall revenue dropped 52% since 2016.
A former top NRA official told the New York Times: “The NRA is little more than a shell of itself.”
I firmly believe that the NRA’s days are numbered—but I also know that the gun lobby is scrambling to keep their influence in Congress by pouring money into the NRA’s replacements.
When I see these headlines, I know our work is far from done:
With or without the NRA, as long as there are corrupt, purchased politicians in Congress, the gun lobby will buy their votes and strike down any chance we have for common sense gun reform.
But, if we elect a new generation of bold, courageous leaders who aren’t afraid to take urgent, necessary action, we can stop the scourge of gun violence in America and block the gun lobby’s agenda.
Leaders We Deserve is already playing an integral role in electing the next generation of leaders to state legislatures across the country. There is too much on the line for us to lose.
Last month, we announced our first six endorsed candidates for the 2024 election and are actively helping these campaigns reach as many voters as possible. Together we can give the school shooting generation a voice in public office to pass the gun reform laws we need, end mass shootings, and counter the gun lobby’s agenda."
Stock buybacks are back for Workers
No kidding. MAGAs worship at the font of showmanship that Trump offers, giving more power to corporations and their shareholders without knowing what they are doing - hurting themselves, and us. Apple just announced the biggest buyback in their history - $110 billion . They care nothing for the health of the nation, and as we’ve seen before, we are heading for a crash.
"Exxon’s record $56 billion in profits in 2022 funded $15 billion in buybacks that year. Chevron spent $75 billion on buybacks, with $35 billion that year in profits.
Over the past ten years, Starbucks has bought back over $30 billion of their own stock, and General Electric, over $50 billion. Home Depot’s repurchase bonanza for the same period came to $75 billion." Read Robert Reich’s article.
How Today’s Economy Could Matter in November
"Syd Ortiz thinks we’re heading toward another Great Depression.
Ortiz, 32, lives in Bethlehem, Pa., and has a job that she loves, analyzing claims of malpractice and other issues. She is saving up to buy a house. But with prices still feeling high and a recent round of layoffs at work, she feels like the economy has gotten worse.
Now, after sitting out the presidential elections in 2016 and 2020, Ortiz has been paying a lot of attention to politics. And right now, Ortiz, a onetime Obama voter, is leaning toward former President Donald Trump.
'When he was president, we got a raise in my job,' Ortiz said, as she loaded a couple of packages of energy drinks into the back of a big S.U.V. 'I haven’t seen anything that Biden has impacted.'” Read the article.
Five Senators
These five Senators must keep their seats in order for Democrats to maintain control of the Senate. They are all being targeted for defeat - let’s help them win their races this November!
TAXATION
Tell the IRS!
"Saving for retirement is an essential right, but IRS rules on how non-US retirement plans are taxed and reported are often a major, and unnecessary, obstacle for Americans abroad seeking to achieve financial security in their senior years.
Many Americans living and working abroad take part in retirement plans set up in their countries of residence. In many cases, these non-US retirement savings are the only option to save for retirement. Many plans, like employer pension plans, don’t provide for an opt-out, and relocating retirement savings to the US is not possible due to local regulations.
Until now, IRS rules on how these plans are taxed and need to be reported don’t take into account the reality of retirement planning for Americans abroad and are so piecemeal and confusing that even tax professionals aren’t sure how to advise US clients.
But now, the IRS is looking to revise the rules and we need your help!
This is a critical opportunity for your voice to be heard.
Here’s all you need to do:
- Go to the relevant US Government page at this link.
- Leave a comment! The more personal the better.
Comments close July 8, so be sure to submit before the deadline.
Thanks for your help!!"
Trump Tax Breaks
"Since passage of the 2017 Trump tax scam, 109 major corporations paid precisely ZERO in corporate taxes in at least one of those years. Examples:
- In 2022, Target, Whirlpool, T-Mobile and Dish didn't pay a single dollar in corporate income taxes.
- In 2021, AT&T paid nothing.
- In 2017 and 2018, Amazon – one of the most profitable corporations on the planet – didn’t either." ( Source: ActionNetwork.org newsletter)
Taxation Task Force
"A recent webinar with detailed information and a good summary of the relationship between voting and taxes, with DA Taxation Task Force Chair Rebecca Lammers, is available here. If you still have questions about voting and taxes, email our Taxation Task Force.
And in case you missed it: Democrats Abroad France recently organized a webinar on Estate Planning for Americans in France. If you’d like to purchase the recording for $10, please go here. Other recorded tax webinars by DA’s Taxation Task Force are available for purchase here."
Tax Filing for Americans Abroad
15 June is our tax filing deadline, so be sure to have yours postmarked by then. If you’ve just moved overseas and want to learn about tax filing, Americans Overseas created a FAQ section at the bottom of this page that will walk you through the basic information.
TAKE ACTION
What can we do?
Send a letter to CEOs of Major Banks
" Inequality Media Civic Action has created a letter that we can all send to the CEOs of Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, and JPMorgan Chase demanding that they denounce Project 2025 which calls for purging nonpartisan experts from every government agency, and replacing them with loyal Trump foot soldiers who will commit to carrying out the most extreme policies ever laid out in such detail.
The Heritage Foundation is already vetting resumes and interviewing applicants to build a white, Christian nationalist government , to fill the positions of the 50,000 government employees Trump intends to fire -- on day one. They plan to eviscerate the Environmental Protection Agency, eliminate the Commission on Civil Rights, and close down any agency that protects consumers or fosters diversity and inclusion.
This is not America. They must put all Americans first!"
Join a State Group on Facebook
For the past 12+ years, volunteers from Democrats Abroad have run groups for each U.S. State on Facebook where they post everything from state photos and local events, to state-specific voting deadlines and "how to" information on all aspects of voting. Through them we’ve attracted new members and leaders to DA. If you’re curious about your voting state group, or would like to meet people from “back home” who live abroad, you can read about them here, and find your state group here.
State Teams
DA’s State Teams continue to have huge impacts on laws and lawmakers back home. More teams are being built which will tackle issues of importance state by state. If you haven’t joined a team, or if you have questions, email the organizers today .
Phonebankers needed!
Thank you for the enthusiastic response to the Voter Assistance Trainings. So far, nearly 150 people became certified Voter Assistants! We can always use more help. To sign up, please go to: www.democratsabroad.org/voter_assistance_training.
On behalf of the Voter Assistance Training Team,
Heidi, Linda, Randi, Ellie, and Andrew
STORIES
The Secret Lives of Seniors - Our America with Lisa Ling
We may not want to face aging, but it will come to us all. How will we manage? How do we ask for help when needed? Most of us are far from home and family. Some feel depressed, angry, and/or helpless. And no one wants to be a burden.
To watch these are lovely stories about some of the more difficult realities, presented in a caring, sensitive and fun way, click here: The Secret Lives of Seniors
Grandparents For Truth
"People for the American Way launched Grandparents For Truth in 2023 to battle efforts to censor content in classrooms and libraries across the nation. Although they act by speaking out at school board meetings and organizing on the ground, we can share this with friends and family back home so they can get involved.
They also have petitions to sign, and scripts to send to Congress. Sign up today!"
Holidays in June
2 - Native American Day
6 - D-Day
14 - Flag Day
15 - World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
16 - Father’s Day
19 - Juneteenth
19 - Emancipation Day
20 - Solstice
EVENTS
Coffee Chat CANCELLED
Due to DA’s AGM taking place in Costa Rica, we’ve decided to cancel this months chat. We hope to see you next month: Friday, 28 June . RSVP to get the Zoom link, and add it to your calendar.
DA Events - Quick Links
VOLUNTEERS
We need you!! Volunteers are the backbone of our organization. Email us for details on our volunteer opportunities.
You can find the list of positions our caucus is looking to fill on our Volunteer page.
- We are looking for members of a new " Social Security Committee ". Please email our Chair to let her know that you are interested.
- We are also looking to fill our Secretary position.
- The Global Black Caucus is searching to fill more positions. Get in touch here.
- The Global Communications Team is also looking for volunteers as they ramp up for the 2024 election! Do you have a communications background? Are you interested in helping? If so, please fill out the Global Communications Team Interest Form.
Final Thoughts
Watch as President Biden awards the Medal of Freedom to 19 people
including Nancy Pelosi and Michelle Yeoh
"If you don’t decide, others will decide for you."
- Robert Reich
If you like our work, please consider making a sustaining (monthly) donation to Democrats Abroad.
It all goes to helping us Get Out The Vote!
If you like our work, please consider making a sustaining (monthly)
donation to Democrats Abroad to help us find more voters abroad.
It all goes to helping us Get Out The Vote!
Connect with us
