ALL States & Local Governments Should Participate in the Social Security System

[GailL1]

So what is done is done - Passage of HR 82 happened last nite in the Senate.

But now we need more money to come into the Social Security Trust Fund ASAP to help make up for this $ 200 Billion being paid to these involved GPO/WEP workers over the next (10) years

So why are these [involved] folks and other citizens not demanding that ALL State and Local Government Employers/Employees be required to participate within the Social Security System? I mean why not get BOTH retirement offerings like others do? Wouldn’t that make them even happier?

If this had been required way back in the 80’s when the Federal government changed their offerings, we would not have this problem now.

I am so angry, I could spit - the next thing you know, we are gonna have widows and widowers applying to get both their own benefits AND that of their deceased spouse or some such lunacy.

This legislation did not go thru all the committees for evaluation - not in the House nor in the Senate - we only got the CBO analysis of this legislation causing insolvency of the Social Security system approx. (6) months before the current estimated date.  But our legislators paid NO HEED -  So when this comes to fruition, and SS benefits are ALL cut by around 20% - remember those who voted for this legislation and their part in the shortfall that is coming and will be here before you know it cause Time does fly by - we have been in this predicament for the last 10 - 15 years or more - and this is what they do - make it worse !!!

Doesn’t this just prove that none of them care or none of them can do the math?

IF this legislation is to stand and benefits are paid to these selected few back to 01/2024, then the rest of ALL of us should demand that ALL States and local governments need to work within the Social Security system - regardless of what they do with their state/local pensions.  Regardless of what it cost their citizens - fair is fair - they are employers just like the private sector - so join the system and pay up.

EQUABLE.org - Where Are State & Local Workers Allowed to Join Social Security?I would like to know IF this is still a choice in some states that their employees can make a choice of participation or not?

This link says:

Millions of state agency workers, municipal employees, and police and firefighters across the country do not participate in Social Security. There are 12 states that have totally opted out of Social Security for public sector workers. And another 5 states have allowed local employers to choose whether or not they participate.

In some states, most police participate in Social Security, but firefighters do not. In other states it is the reverse. And in some states, which public sector workers have access to Social Security shifts from city to city and county to county. [end link quote]

Policymaker need to make Social Security truly universal coverage.  EVERY
BODY that earns a W2 wage should be within the system for contributions and benefits.  This would also mean that there would not have to be anymore of these special favors in benefit figuring cause it would all work the same.  

Of course, this would entail transition costs for state and local government budgets but that is how it should be rather than these forced bad math decisions placed upon all the rest of us who paid into the Social Security system on every job we had even at the same time up to the tax max each year.

These state and local employees now are getting this benefit by the elimination of the WEP and GPO under this legislation regardless of the incorrect math used in their benefit formula - but what’s done is done, I guess - but now ALL the rest of us should demand that states and local governments that have opted out of the 
Social Security system and caused this problem should be held accountable and made to joint the Social Security System so that once and for all, we can use the same benefits formula and it will be correct for everybody.