THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 2025 Page 17 WINDFALL ELIMINATION 1. On Jan. 10, 1984, the United States and what tiny nation-state established diplomatic relations? 2. What was marshmallow used for originally? 3. What is skijoring? 4. On Jan. 11, 1964, the U.S. Surgeon General announced that what is related to lung cancer? 5. Who wrote in the play “The Winter’s Tale,” You’d be so lean, that blasts of January / Would blow you through and through”? 6. Which country has a parrot on its fl ag: Cayman Islands, Dominica or Sri Lanka? 7. Which does fortnight mean: 14 days, half-month or vacation? 8. On Jan. 12, 1856, what painter of “Madame X” and “Isabella Stewart Gardner” was born? 9. In which year did the Panama Canal open: 1866, 1889 or 1914? 10. How does the World’s Ugliest Lawn contest relate to conservation? Answers 11. On Jan. 13, 1886, what singer billed as “The Last of the Red-Hot Mamas” was born? 12. In what state is the route El Camino Real? 13. How are Babyface, Machine Gun and Pretty Boy similar? 14. On Jan. 14, 1970, what female trio performed their last concert together? 15. What is an LLC? 16. According to Guinness World Records, Neil Scallan of the UK has the largest collection of what board game with iterations (4,379)? 17. On Jan. 15, 1919, what substance created a fl ood in the North End of Boston? 18. What animals of the same species were named “Peach” and “Blossom”? 19. In what sport would you fi nd a sitzmark? 20. On Jan. 16, 1964, what musical debuted on Broadway that was adapted from the play “The Matchmaker”? PROVISION REPEAL T he United States Senate this past December passed H.R. 82, The Social Security Fairness Act of 2023 with a vote of 76 in favor and 20 not in favor. This landmark legislation repeals the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Off set (GPO). Both the WEP and the GPO have served to greatly reduce Social Security benefi ts for public servant retirees who had worked as a fi refi ghter, teacher, police offi cer, or in any other city or state employment position. This bill was previously approved by the House of Representatives on November 12, 2024 by a 327-75 margin. President Biden signed this legislation into law on Sunday, January 5, 2025. These public service positions are not covered by Social Security. The WEP was fi rst introduced in 1983 during the Reagan administration resulting in a signifi cant reduction of monthly Social Security retirement benefi ts for those retirees who did contribute to Social Security during a portion of their working years but who worked most of their career in the state public sector thereby becoming eligible for a state pension upon retirement. The GPO resulted in a signifi cant reduction in a surviving spouse’s Social Security retirement benefi ts as a result of the predeceased spouse having worked in the public sector thereby receiving a state pension. The surviving spouse would be collecting the deceased spouse’s state pension under a joint and survivor election option made by the deceased spouse. The predeceased spouse would have settled for a lesser monthly retirement benefi t knowing that his or her surviving spouse would be entitled to collect that state pension for the remainder of his or her life. What this new legislation essentially means is that state workers will be entitled to 100% of their Social Security retirement benefi ts based upon their work history in the private sector and contributions to the Social Security system. This also means that your surviving spouse will receive 100% of your Social Security monthly benefi t upon your death, regardless of whether or not your surviving spouse is also receiving a state retirement benefit either under her own state retirement benefit or her spouse’s state retirement benefi t. The marriage must have lasted at least 10 years to collect under a predeceased spouse’s work history. The surviving spouse will of course receive the higher Social Security monthly benefi t based either upon her own work history or her spouse’s work history. Retirees will also receive retroactive payments for benefi ts lost after December 31, 2023. There could be as many as 2.5million retirees that have been aff ected by the WEP and the GPO acts. Massachusetts is one of the states where state workers have been signifi cantly impacted. The expected cost to the federal government by eliminating the WEP and the GPO legislation approximates $200billion over the next decade. The impact on the health of the Social Security Trust Fund would be an acceleration of the time in which the fund would be depleted. Congress will undoubtedly either cut other benefit programs, foreign aid, contributions to global causes such as World Health Organization, etc., or increase payroll taxes, in order to sustain the Social Security Trust Fund for future retirees. I don’t see our federal government ever jeopardizing Social Security benefi ts for our seniors. Far too many Americans depend upon those benefi ts just to meet their minimum monthly expenses. Joseph D. Cataldo is an Estate Planning/Elder Law Attorney, Certified Public Accountant, Certified Financial Planner, AICPA Personal Financial Specialist and holds a Master’s Degree in Taxation. SUN PROTECTION | FROM Page 15 slope, don’t forget your UVblocking sunglasses, which protect your eyes while also fighting snow glare, and a hat to protect your head and hairline. Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30 or higher daily to all exposed skin and make sure to cover often-missed spots like the tops of your ears, around the eyes and near the hairline. Consider choosing a moisturizing sunscreen with ingredients like lanolin or glycerin to combat dry winter skin. Finally, try to avoid the peak sun hours (generally between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the winter months) and seek shade when you can. Winter is approaching, but that’s no reason to let up on the sun-safe habits you practiced during the summer. Continuing sun protection efforts through the colder, cloudier months of the year reduces your risk of premature skin aging and developing the world’s most common cancer. About The Skin Cancer Foundation The Skin Cancer Foundation (SCF), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, saves and improves lives by empowering people to take a proactive approach to daily sun protection and the early detection and treatment of skin cancer. Learn more at skincancer.org. 1. The Vatican 2. Healing sore throats, etc. (marshmallow root sap combined with sugar and egg white) 3. A sport where a skier is drawn over ice or snow by a vehicle or horse 4. Cigarette smoking 5. William Shakespeare 6. Dominica (Cayman Islands has a turtle; Ski Lanka has a lion) 7. 14 days (half-month is an astronomical term) 8. John Singer Sargent 9. 1914 10. The contest “celebrates lawn owners who conserve water during drought” 11. Sofi a Kalish (aka Sophie Tucker; her family immigrated to Boston from what is now Ukraine) 12. California 13. They are nicknames of U.S. gangsters. 14. The Supremes 15. Limited Liability Company 16. Monopoly 17. Molasses (known as the Great Molasses Flood) 18. Turkeys that received a presidential pardon on Thanksgiving 19. Skiing (meaning a dent in the snow left after a skier falls backward) 20. “Hello, Dolly!”
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