Tuesday, May 09, 2006

I fought the law
[yesterday]
and the law won

.
The Sonny Curtis song Clash song (link) goes on to say "I needed the money and I had none."

Well I had some, but sure did want to keep it. The Social Security people said I needed to pay it back. All $4538.

Yesterday we settled up. All I have to do is pay $126 easy payments a month for three years and we will be settled up, interest free. They will even be nice and take it out of my check, I won't have to be"breakin' rocks in the hot sun." I wasn't in these stocks either [click on picture to enlarge].

Guess I was robbing the people, but I didn't have a gun, remember my 'back when blog'--December 18, 2005.

When I retired I had been drawing my Social Security for the last three years I was working, thanks to Bill Clinton. That was fine, not robbery. I had worked 27 years and paid into Social Security quite a bit.

Then when I retired I reported to the Social Security office so they could reduce my benefits. That happens for people who work in the schools in Texas, Massachusetts, and four other states. When I did my midlife career change, leaving Ford at NASA and going to teach at the college, I stopped paying into the SS fund.

You see, Pres. Ronald Reagan fixed it so us people who work in public positions can't be double dipping on our government pensions. Not to draw on the state and the fed pensions at the same time, that is the rule made then.

But I wasn't going to draw on mine until I got to be 70 1/2. The fellow at the SS office, after checking with the experts there, said no problem, just come back when I started drawing out my retirement and they would reduce then.

I did all that last year. Now they say the fellow was wrong, I was eligible to draw in October 2001 and that's when the reduction should have begun.

The bottom line: a permanent reduction ($70 per month) of my 27 years worth of earnings and pay back the five years worth over three years of easy payments.

DAILY STATUS REPORT:
.
Health check--blood pressure/heart rate 119/63/62 5:30AM.

Day's biggies--
Get Mrs. Jim off for golfing
Walk back home with Adi
Wash the Mustang
Adi should get her bath today
Go to bank, post office, and grocery store (and maybe WalMart and the Dollar Store)
Vacuum the floors
Go to the doctor with Mrs. Jim
Start work on the Sunday school lesson, I'm teaching this Sunday

Comments:
I am sorry about your social security issues. Something similar happened to me in the U.K. I was happily working away when I got a bill from the tax office saying that I owed them lots of money. This was when I was about 19. Apparently it turned out the my Mum was still claiming checks from the U.S. (Dad was in military) for me when I left home. So I was well over my tax allowance. She never admitted anyting so I was liable to pay it. My then boyfriend (Scrag End) helped me to pay it.

So I know it how horrible that is.

I hope Adie gets her bath today. I wish I could give her a pet, she looks so adorable and loving.

Take care Jim.

Catherine
 
Jim
I have been in situations like this and it really makes me mad. You try to do what is right and get advice from the "right" people. Then when it is the wrong - even thought they said it was right before - it is your fault not theirs.
On a happy note, I left a comment on your previous post,
Ralph
 
Get everything in writing.
 
So, you'll be making "car payments" for the next three years so Uncle Sam can take you for a ride...
 
Man, you look good incarcerated.
 

Post a Comment





<< Home

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?