rft (01/28/83)
******************************************************************************* Wouldn't be interesting if someone collected all the articles on Social Security and sent them to Reagan!! ******************************************************************************* R. K. Janka submitted an article about Federal Employees being brought into "THE SYSTEM" (lots of sarcasm intended). That brought to mind some recent complaining I had heard from my wife (a federal employee). From what she tells me, only new employees and employees with less than 5 years of service will be forced into paying for Social Security. Employees with more than 5 years of service will be given the option of switching over from the current pension plan to Social Security. However, the government is not as dumb as they may seem. To encourage employees with the option to switch, the percentage that they must pay into the pension plan will be increased drastically over the next couple of years. I don't remember the figures, but it will hurt more to NOT get into the SS system than it will to remain under the pension plan. Also, federal employees pay for Medicare. Combining their SS and Medicare payments, they are actually paying more than people in the private sector. With salaries at the bottom end of the scale for similar jobs, the federal employees will suffer that much more. I wonder how enthused the employees in the Social Security System will feel when they become part of it! I will provide the answer after a chat with my sister-in-law. Meanwhile, the higher echelon "employees", elected or appointed, remain under the pension plan and pay very little for very much. If pension rates go up too much all they have to do is vote themselves a raise.