Local Opinion

Dear Rusty:

INDIANAPOLIS — With the GOP nomination of U.S. Sen. Mike Braun for governor, we now settle in to watch the lame-duck Holcomb administration depart while the candidate begins to put the pieces in place to extend the record Republican dynasty to six terms in November.

Dear Rusty:

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana is not a state where citizens can petition for an issue referendum to appear on the ballot. Voters in neighboring Michigan, Ohio and Kentucky voted to sustain abortion rights since the U.S. Supreme Court returned the issue to the states in June 2022. So did voters in red states such as Kansas and Montana.

Dear Rusty: I keep reading that the SSA will only be able to pay out 75% of benefits come 2033. If congress were to do nothing and this reduction in benefits occurred, would seniors already collecting benefits in 2033 have their benefits reduced or would it only be those who have not begun to collect have their future benefits reduced? I will be collecting my benefits no later than 2027 but my wife will not reach full retirement age until 2033 and we are looking for information on whether we need to adjust savings now to account for mine or my wife’s possible reduction in benefits.

I have the tremendous opportunity to work with some of the greatest employees in the federal government and we have the pleasure to serve and work for the American farmer – the original environmentalist, who cares for the land and our natural resources like no other. On behalf of Indiana Farm Service Agency (FSA) employees, we all are proud to be partners with the men and women who farm in the great state of Indiana. Agriculture is an honorable profession and we are privileged to do our part to help. We salute you – the American Farmer – on Earth Day, April 22, 2024.

INDIANAPOLIS — The current six-person Republican field for governor is an anomaly. In the television age of Hoosier politics, the GOP usually sorts out the candidates, so there are only one or two by the February primary filing deadline.

Dear Rusty: I will be turning 63 soon. Can I apply for Social Security and continue to work? Would I be limited to how many hours or how much I could make? I know my monthly SS amount would be cut by 30%, or somewhere around there, but how would working affect me? I was trying to read up on this, but the $1 and $2 thing confused me. I have an offer to take a work-at-home position and need to decide soon, but it is a cut in income. The cut would be okay if I could draw my Social Security too.

INDIANAPOLIS — In the midst of this current presidential election year, we have witnessed cavalier and reckless rhetoric suggesting political violence. There has been talk of a second civil war, of “retribution” and “bloodbaths” and “vermin” poisoning the blood of America.

Dear Rusty: I just saw an article which said that certain spousal options were going away, but there are still good options for when a spouse can claim. I am filing for my Social Security to start in October when I turn 70. My wife’s full retirement age (FRA) is in December, and she now plans to file then for half of what my FRA benefit would have been (our original plan was for both to file in August). My wife’s main reason for delaying until her FRA is to lock her into my maximum benefit if she has to someday change to Survivor’s Benefit. Will this be gone for us? Neither of us was born before January 1, 1954. Please advise.