Home | GPO and WEP | EYE OPENERS
Take Action Now | Petition | Newsletters
OCTOBER 29, 2003 – NEWSLETTER
SOCIAL SECURITY FAIRNESS ACT OF 2003
(Total repeal of both GPO and WEP.)
HR 594 Sponsors and cosponsors on October 18, 2003 - 274
S 349 Sponsors and cosponsors on October 18, 2003 - 26
HR 594 and S 349 are companion bills in the House and Senate to REPEAL THE GPO AND WEP.
When any set of companion bills get approved in the House and Senate a joint House and Senate meeting would be necessary to iron out the differences.
MESSAGE #1
The SSA says what is and what isn’t and yet we have to fight to receive a simple answer that never seems so simple.
“In response to your "Full Employment Act for SSA".....my saga continues. I called the local SS office on Monday (Columbus Day) only to find out the office was closed. I was given an 800 number to call. On the next day, Tuesday, I called the local office every 10 minutes only to get a busy signal and the suggestion to call the 800 number. I finally called the 800 number only to get a busy signal there! On Wednesday again I started called the local SS office, finally getting a real, live voice......explaining that I had received a letter saying I had been "overpaid", I was referred to the local office "expert on overpayment", a Mr. Xxxx. I was transferred to Mr. Xxxx's voice mail, left a message that I wanted to make an appointment to come down to his office. Not hearing from Mr. Xxxx, I again called on Friday and left another message....I'm still waiting for a call.”
MESSAGE #2
In our last Newsletter we mentioned about contacting AARP on October 31st to encourage their Board of Directors to adopt a policy to repeal both the GPO and WEP. In a reply we received the following e-mail.
“I was a delegate to AARP convention held in Orlando a few yrs ago. We presented a resolution to eliminate the set aside and windfall provisions, and it was passed by the delegates. Unfortunately the AARP Directors on our return home sent out a message to the effect that it didn't matter what we voted for, they knew better, and therefore it was not a policy for AARP.”
MESSAGE #3
Just so you know what you are dealing with we were recently forwarded the following from AARP in reply to a question about GPO and WEP and their policymaking. At this point it does seem that AARP has their collective heads stuck in the sand. We must change that!!!!!
“At this time, AARP has not taken a position on this issue. Annually,
in a year-long process, our all-volunteer National Legislative Council
and Board of Directors engage in a very thorough public policymaking
process. They re-examine current policies and consider whether we
should take positions on new issues. Communications such as yours
play an important part in formulating association policy.
“In terms of setting priorities and using association resources
effectively in the advocacy arena, the Council and the Board are
always presented with hard choices among many worthy issues.
Sometimes it is puzzling when your organization is not currently
advocating something you feel strongly about. I hope you do find
worthwhile many of the other issues, services, and products that AARP
works hard to influence on behalf of older Americans and their
families. And I hope this information is helpful to you.”
June
Member Service
Member@aarp.org
It is our DUTY to speak out in a loud voice on Halloween day - Friday Oct. 31st and let the AARP know they need to support the repeal of GPO and WEP and add it to their priority list. Plan to e-mail <member@aarp.org>AND phone the AARP at 1-800-424-3410 as we unite again to fight for the removal of this unfair and discriminatory legislation.
PETITION - 24,978 names
One of these days some of our elected legislators in Washington, D.C. are going to see that we have compiled 24,978 names on petitions to repeal both the GPO and WEP. When they see that number and realize that each name represents a vote they might want to become a cosponsor of HR 594 in the House of Representatives or S 349 in the Senate. All of our legislators in the House of Representatives and 1/3 of the Senators are up for reelection next November. They all need to know that the November 2004 election will be decided on a vote of issues. Our issue is the repeal of GPO and WEP – if specific legislators are not with us, then they must be against us. Only time will tell. Although it is still twelve months until the voting booth time, legislators in order to be reelected will need to support the repeal of GPO and WEP.
Our Online Petition contained this comment
“As the working population ages and more workers will be needed to offset the retirement needs of the aging boomer, why punish the productively engaged and willing to work? While the government officials look at this money as a "windfall", to teachers and other retirees, this is survival money. Windfall monies denote funds that were not earned and merely "fall into your lap". This money is the result of 25 to 30 years of work! Don't these people pay taxes? Don't these taxes pay for government? When will elected officials get it? Don't bite the hand(s) that feed you!”
Michael J. (Online Petition # 6524)
What is Offset/Windfall and Who are Eileen, Barbara and Ken?
Many new readers of this Newsletter might not know the answer to that question.
The goal of Offset/Windfall is to support legislation to repeal the Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision. This effort is designed to encourage people to call and write their Members of Congress to cosponsor pending legislation and to educate current public service employees of the Social Security laws and how they might be affected. Offset/Windfall is made up of; Eileen Ryan, Barbara Ambrosius, and Ken Moore.
Mrs. Ryan is a retired widow from Kenwood, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati. “My husband contributed to Social Security for 35 years and I contributed to Social Security for 16 years. When my husband passed away I returned to full-time employment as I was not eligible at that time for any widow’s benefit through Social Security. My employment for six years was with the Cincinnati Board of Education and I was able to retire with a modest pension through State Employees Retirement System (SERS). Due to a law passed in 1977 called the Government Pension Offset two-thirds of my SERS pension was used to offset my Social Security widows spousal benefit.”
Mr. Moore is a retired resident of Mason, Ohio. “ I have accumulated 21 years of significant earnings in the private sector under Social Security and 22 years in the public sector including four years of military service, Administrator of the Regional Planning Commission, and as an Assistant Professor at the University of Cincinnati. I am subject to the Windfall Elimination Provision and my wife, a retired public school educator, is subject to the Government Pension Offset. I am currently loosing earned benefits from my Social Security years and my wife will receive no spousal benefit.”
Since the spring of 2000 Eileen and Ken have coordinated a “grassroots” effort to enlist other retirees to support any change to the GPO and WEP. Their efforts include:
· Establish a web site – www.dingomt.com/ssoffsetlaw/
· Establish an e-mail account at – ssoffset@hotmail.com
· Publish a Newsletter that is sent monthly to over 1,000 people.
· Circulate a Petition for the change or repeal of GPO and WEP; as of Oct. 29, 2003 we have18,388 signatures from Ohio and ten other states.
· Established an Electronic Petition, with 6,590 names, http://www.petitiononline.com/ssoffset/petition.html.
· Speaking at statewide retirement meetings.
· Help to coordinate a national informational network.
· Regularly contact Members of Congress to gain support of GPO/WEP legislation.
· Regularly meet with the local media to publicize the laws and to change them.
· Solicit exposure of GPO and WEP through national media.
· Forward material to Ohio public retirement organizations to explain the issues.
· Collect personal stories from GPO and WEP victims.
· Research material incidental to GPO and WEP.
· Respond to individuals with unique situations.
· To encourage state and national organization to adopt a policy to repeal the GPO and WEP.
OFFSET/WINDFALL October, 2003
Home | GPO and WEP | EYE OPENERS