I Will Believe Repeal of the Odious WEP/GPO When I See It

Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio, one of those rare people who is actually a Democrat, yesterday introduced legislation that would repeal the legalized theft of Social Security benefits called the WEP/GPO. The number of the bill is Senate Bill S.1651.

Of course I will believe repeal when I see it. Many federal politicians give this thing lip service, but nothing ever gets beyond committee. It needs to get out of there and onto the Senate floor.

I know our Congress doesn't do shit by design, unless it passes something like TPP designed to screw the rest of us over, but at least they could get off their asses and repeal this shit.

They could raise the cap to offset the offsets if money is a problem, but instead these louts prefer to keep things the way they are.

As I mentioned before about this issue, these offsets were put in back in the era when people did work for one company for thirty years, and many public employees spent thirty years or more in public employment. That is why there is the "30-year" rule on "substantial earnings" to be exempt from the offsets. This is no longer true in either public or private employment, and these offsets absolutely force people, especially women, into poverty.

The public employees who do receive big pensions are typically those who don't qualify for SS in the first place because they don't have the 40 quarters to be eligible.

I will be lucky if I get 1k a month in both SS and a pension when I have to collect SS when I turn 62 a year-and-a-half from now. I am in classified work--part-time work--which means I can NEVER make "substantial earnings" that would count toward the 30 years that would make me exempt from the heinous WEP. I have about 24 years right now, but who knows what SS comes up with when I apply?

Republicans Heller (NV), Murkowski (AK), and Collins (ME), all from states affected by these offsets, have co-sponsored this legislation. Another Republican, Vitter from Louisiana, has also co-sponsored the repeal.

It's a good show, but I think idiot Orren Hatch is in charge of the Finance Committee, where these repeals always get buried.

A similar bill has been introduced in the House. It is called HR 973.