I'm Mad As Hell & I'm Not Going To Take It Anymore!

Now that the verdict is 4 more years of W, it is time for all of us to address the crime of our time: the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). The crime was perpetrated in 1983 by the criminal (but not tried or convicted) former U. S. Senator Phil Gramm (R-TX). Gramm—described as bearing an uncanny resemblance to E.T.— was an arch-enemy of Social Security. He made no secret about his animus toward Social Security while he was an economics professor at Texas A&M University. When the perennial cry to save Social Security arose in 1983, E.T. Gramm committed the crime of the century and introduced the GPO and the WEP as a way to save Social Security and elmininate needless cost to the Social Security System. E.T. Gramm is the same public servant who accepted nearly $1M from the Enron Corporation in campaign donations that E.T. Gramm took with him when he retired (Thank the Lord!) from the U. S. Senate. NOW is the time to turn up the heat on the members of the House Subcommittee on Social Security, the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Government Affairs Committee. Texans should turn up the heat on Congressmen Mac Thornberry and Tom DeLay and Senators Kay Bailey Hutchinson and John Cornyn. Texans with friends and relatives in any of the following: Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia (certain local governments), Illinois, Louisiana, Kentucky (certain local governments), Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, and Rhode Island should ask for letters and phone calls to the U. S. legislators (both House and Senate) from the affected states. The time has come for action! If this is (fair & balanced) demagoguery, so be it.


[x National Education Association]
The Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) impact government employees and retirees in virtually every state, but their impact is most acute in 15 states: Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia (certain local governments), Illinois, Louisiana, Kentucky (certain local governments), Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Texas. Nationwide, more than one-third of teachers and education employees, and more than one-fifth of other public employees, are not covered by Social Security.

The GPO affects federal, state, and local government employees – including teachers and other education employees – eligible to retire after December 1982 or later from a job not covered by Social Security. Approximately 305,000 retired federal, state, and local government employees have already been affected by the GPO. Thousands more stand to be affected in the future.

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[x Texas Retired Teachers Association]
Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision
GPO/WEP update
by Mike Lehr

Despite an attempt by Representative Martin Frost (D-TX) of Dallas to amend HR 743 and strike the provision on the “one-day loophole” and add provisions to repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), the U.S. House of Representatives voted 226-197 in favor of the original bill. Anyone who retires after June 30, 2004, must work in a school district that pays into Social Security for five years instead of the previously allowed one day in order to be exempt from the GPO.

Currently, Senate and House bills S 349 and HR 594 have 28 and 288 cosponsors respectively. Twelve representatives have signed on to HR 594 this year. Please continue to call your U.S. Senators and Representatives who are not cosponsors of these bills and encourage them to do so. You may visit http://thomas.loc.gov to search for current cosponsors of these bills. For information on state and U.S. Government representation, go to www.capitol.state.tx.us.

3/26/04

TRTA sent out the following news release on 3/26/04:

The Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA) and Retired Educators Across the Nation Call on Congress to Repeal Social Security Penalties that Harm Education

Austin, TX -- March 26, 2004 -- Amidst growing Congressional interest in the issue, a coalition of 16 retired school personnel associations from across the nation have called on the U.S. Congress and the President to repeal penalties in Social Security that can drastically reduce the income of retired school personnel and deter people from pursuing second careers as educators.

The Retired Educators Coalition for Social Security Fairness, representing more than 290,000 members, cited the financial hardships many suffer due to the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP).

“Our members’ expectations for action are high this year because of the unprecedented level of bipartisan support,” noted a letter addressed to the President and congressional leaders. “We don’t believe the hardships that have occurred are what the U.S. Congress intended when they originally passed these penalties more than 20 years ago.” (Full text of release in PDF file here.)


The Retired Educators Coalition for Social Security Fairness also sent out this release:

The Retired Educators Coalition for Social Security Fairness

To President George W. Bush and Members of the 108th Congress: On behalf of the more than 290,000 of our members who are retired educators in state pension systems directly affected by the Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision in Social Security, we urge you to take action during the current session of the U.S. Congress to repeal these onerous penalties. Our members have retired and live in every state of the union, and this is a national problem.

Many thousands of our members suffer undue financial hardships and virtual impoverishment in retirement because of the GPO and WEP. As lifelong, hard-working professionals in modestly paid public school and higher education positions, they frankly cannot understand the reasoning behind penalizing public service and singling out people who have dedicated their lives to the education of our children.

After years of effort to have the U.S. Congress repeal these penalties, our members’ expectations for such action are high this year because of the unprecedented level of bipartisan support. Passage of HR 594 and S 349 is the Coalition’s highest federal priority and we are watching progress on these bills very closely.

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Action Requested: I know that I have asked many times to communicate with our U.S. Senators and Representatives concerning how the GPO/WEP impacts your retirement years. We must continue to communicate with our U.S. Legislators as well as other U.S. Legislators serving on the key committees to urge repeal of the GPO/WEP. Remind them that we want S 349 and HR 594 passed “as written” – no compromise.


Contact information:
Toll free call to the Capitol: 1-800-839-5276
Senate Finance Committee
House Subcommittee on Social Security
Senate Governmental Affairs Committee

Texas Representatives who have NOT signed on to HR 594:

Address to: The Honorable________________
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington DC 20515

District
Name
City
Phone

3
Sam Johnson
Plano
202-225-4201

5
Jeb Hensarling
Dallas
202-225-3484

6
Joe Barton
Arlington
202-225-2002

7
John Abney Culberson
Houston
202-225-2571

8
Kevin Brady
Conroe
202-225-4901

12
Kay Granger
Fort Worth
202-225-5071

13
Mac Thornberry
Amarillo
202-225-3706

21
Lamar S. Smith
San Antonio
202-225-4236

22
Tom DeLay
Stafford
202-225-5951


Neither Texas U.S. Senator has signed on to S 349:

The Honorable Kay Bailey Hutchison
284 Russell Bldg.
Washington DC 20510
202-224-5922 Phone
202-224-0776 Fax

The Honorable John Cornyn
C5 Senate Russell Bldg.
Washington DC 20510
202-224-2934 Phone
202-228-2856 Fax