Local Opinion

Dear Rusty: My wife and I are going to be taking Social Security at 62. She will be 62 on April 15, 2025. I will be 62 August 7, 2025. When should we apply for Social Security?

INDIANAPOLIS — The “debate” between Joe Biden and Donald J. Trump was nothing less than an unfolding disaster for voters and the future of American democracy.

WASHINGTON DC — It was a close call if there ever was one. For a while there were suggestions that President Biden was about to call it quits and resign as president after his debacle of a debate with Donald Trump. If that had happened, Kamala Harris, Biden’s VP, would automatically assume the presidency. Although the president’s family convinced him to stay the course, there is still a possibility that President Biden might hang up his boots sometime in the near future thus making Harris our nation’s first female Commander-in-Chief — at least until the November elections.

Certain high schoolers have definite professional goals and informed parents. Others are inclined towards careers about which they and their parents are clueless. How can students and their parents get a handle on what is required for entry into certain occupations?

Dear Rusty: I am a member of AMAC and learn so much from the Ask Rusty column. I hope you can give me some information about a question that has come up in my family. My husband is retired and has reached full retirement age. He is considering withdrawing money from an IRA to pay off our mortgage. We are wondering what, if any, penalties may be incurred on Social Security, Medicare, and income tax. Thank you for your help in this matter. Signed: Concerned Taxpayer

Dear Rusty: My wife died May 4, 2024. I notified Social Security, and they have removed the direct deposit made to my joint checking account on May 8, 2024. What are my options now for obtaining any benefits from my wife’s Social Security account?

INDIANAPOLIS — The last time Indiana Democrats found themselves in a hole this deep, they turned to the young son of a former liberal senator. Evan Bayh was a moderate conservative. He aligned himself with President Clinton’s centrist Democratic Leadership Council and in that era, Democrats in Washington and Indianapolis steered a moderate course that included welfare reform and balanced federal budgets.

INDIANAPOLIS — After his second unsuccessful congressional run, Mike Pence launched his radio and TV shows where he and his bipartisan guests weighed in on the issues of the day throughout the 1990s.

WASHINGTON DC — In the three-and-a-half years since President Joe Biden took office more than 10 million illegal migrants have entered the U.S. In an OpEd article published by The Hill, Merrill Matthews, a resident scholar with the Institute for Policy Innovation, warned that “if Biden wins a second term in office and there is no serious reform of U.S. immigration and asylum laws — both of which are very real possibilities — we can expect a continuing increase in the rate of immigrants crossing the border illegally.”

Dear Rusty: I don’t understand exactly how the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) works for my situation. I turned 62 in 2017 and am currently still working in a “non-covered” job, not paying into Social Security, but from which I will get a government pension when I retire. I began collecting Social Security at my full retirement age in 2021 and am now collecting $1507 per month thanks to the cost of living adjustments since I started. Will my Social Security benefit be reduced by $587 if I retire this year? Signed: Confused by WEP