The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1171248
The Press-Dispatch Opinion Wednesday, September 25, 2019 C- 11 Social Security Matters by by Russell Gloor Will my husband's income affect my benefits? Dear Rusty: Since it looks like a good option for me to retire at 62 and my husband (who is younger than me) to retire at 67, will the income he makes after I retire affect my bene- fit amount by way of income taxes if we continue to file jointly? Also, how would receiving an inheritance af- fect my benefit amount if I file at 62? Signed—Worried Spouse. Dear Worried: Your husband's in- come won't directly affect your month- ly Social Security benefit payments at all, but it may affect the tax liability on your Social Security benefits. Only earnings from you working will affect your monthly Social Security benefits, but whether the benefits you receive become taxable income to the IRS depends upon the level of your "com- bined income" for your IRS filing sta- tus. "Combined income" is your Ad- justed Gross Income (AGI) as report- ed to the IRS, plus any non-taxable in- terest you may have, plus 50 percent of your yearly Social Secu- rity benefits. This is al- so known as your "mod- ified adjusted gross in- come" or "MAGI." If you file your in- come taxes as "mar- ried – filing jointly," and your combined income for both you and your husband is more than $ 32,000, then up to 50 percent of your Social Security ben- efits will become taxable income. If your MAGI is over $44,000 then up to 85 percent of your Social Securi- ty benefits will become taxable. What that means in tax dollars depends up- on your normal income tax rate as de- fined by the IRS. For information, the MAGI clip levels are lower when fil- ing as an individual - if filing "single" MAGI over $25,000 means that up to 50 percent of Social Securi- ty benefits are taxable and MAGI over $ 34,000 means that up to 85 percent of So- cial Security benefits are taxable. But the advantag- es of filing jointly versus filing single usually more than offset the difference (though you may want to consult a tax advisor to con- firm that). As to your last question, an inher- itance won't affect your monthly So- cial Security benefit (only your earn- ings from working will affect your So- cial Security benefit), but if that inher- itance is taxable by the IRS, then the portion of your Social Security bene- fits which are taxable could be affect- ed, as described above. Court Report schools, not a single student scored proficient in math or reading. Despite these academic deficiencies, about 70 % of the students graduate and are con- ferred a high school diploma. A high school diploma attests that the holder can read, write and compute at a 12th- grade level. Obviously, the diplomas conferred on students who have not mastered reading, writing and com- puting are fraudulent. When a person who cannot read, write and compute very well takes a written employment exam, including that to become a police officer, he is going to encounter difficulties. His dif- ficulties are not caused by any racially discriminatory aspect of the test. His difficulties are a result of not having ac- quired what he should have acquired by the time he finished high school. But that is not how such a person sees it. He sees that he has a high school diploma just as a white applicant has a high school diploma. To him, any dif- ference in treatment and outcomes must be the result of racial discrimi- nation. Thus, the U.S. Department of Justice sued, claiming that the written test for police officer recruits was un- fairly biased against black applicants. The conclusion that Baltimore County's written test for police officer recruits was unfairly biased against black applicants is tragic. It allows Baltimore public schools to contin- ue to produce fraudulent education. You say: "Hold it, Williams! You can't blame everything on schools." You're right. One cannot blame schools and teachers for students who are hostile to the education process. One cannot blame schools and teachers for a rot- ten home environment or derelict par- ents. But there is one thing entirely within the control of educators. That's their power to issue diplomas. When they confer high school diplomas on youngsters who cannot read, write and compute at or near a 12th-grade level, they are engaging in fraudulent conduct. Dr. Thomas Sowell's research in "Education: Assumptions Versus History" documents academic excel- lence at Baltimore's Frederick Doug- lass High School and others. This ac- ademic excellence occurred during an era when blacks were much poor- er and faced gross racial discrimina- tion. It's worthwhile reading for black people to learn the capabilities of oth- er blacks facing so many challenging circumstances. I'm wondering when the black community will demand an end to an educational environment that condemns so many youngsters to mediocrity. Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University. Continued from page 10 NOISY FELONY Pike County Circuit Court Raymond C. Wise charged with count I maintaining a common nui- sance - controlled substances, a lev- el 6 felony, and count II possession of marijuana. TRAFFIC AND MISDEMEANOR Pike County Circuit Court Thomas A. Heiliger charged with possession of marijuana. Jesse Neal Jeffries charged with count I possession of a controlled sub- stance and count II operating a vehicle while intoxicated. Jennifer L. Crow charged with pos- session of a controlled substance. Wyatt L. Holstine charged with count I operating a vehicle with an ACE of .15 or more and count II illegal consumption of an alcoholic beverage. Charles David Deweese, Jr. charged with public intoxication. Maximillian Andrei Kremzar charged with operating a vehicle with an ACE of .15 or more. CIVIL Pike County Circuit Court Capital One Bank (USA), N.A. sues Sonja Newberry on complaint. Mariner Finance LLC sues Tina Booker and Donald Booker on com- plaint. U.S. Bank National Association, as indenture trustee for the CIM Trust 2016 -2 sues Thomas Keith Alvey, as Personal Representative to the Evans- ville Teachers Federal Credit Union and Unknown Occupants et al on com- plaint. Jason Decker sues Tonya Decker for dissolution of marriage. Dustin Michelle Bolin sues Gerald Gene Bolin for dissolution of marriage. SMALL CLAIMS Pike County Circuit Court Patoka Valley Apartments sues Xan- der Blake Stewart on complaint. INFRACTIONS Pike County Circuit Court Albert E. Mattingly charged with seatbelt violation. Todd J. Garland charged with speed- ing, exceeding 55 mph. Jennifer M. Sandoval charged with speeding, exceeding 55 mph. David H. Coleman, Jr. charged with speeding, exceeding 55 mph. Fredrick W. Perry charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Kimberly A. Sorrells charged with disregarding an official traffic control device. Koleen K. Drew charged with seat- belt violation. Morgann A. Wolak charged with speeding. Dustin A. Bosse charged with speeding. Brandon L. Curme charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Brendon Z. Thompson charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Jocelyn C. Fromme charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Daray A. Williams charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Ron J. Nieberning charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Zachary E. Mitchell charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Beverly A. Butcher charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Nathan J. Niederhaus charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. David L. Swearingen charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Riley M. Keating charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Jeffrey D. Knepp charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Brandi N. Wall charged with speed- ing, exceeding 70 mph. Joshua L. Hunt charged with disre- garding an official traffic control de- vice. Roudelyne Dourge charged with speeding, exceeding 70 mph. Ryan D. Williams charged with un- lawful possession of tobacco. Continued from page 10 CHOICE Continued from page 10 CRUISE It's the theme of my new book, "Necessary Noise: How Donald Trump In- flames the Culture War and Why This Is Good News For America" (Cen- ter Street). Today's "noise" ema- nates from the eye of the political storm searching "who we are now, who we should be, and this clarity matters." This is what is playing out now before us and will continue through Novem- ber 2020. Star Parker is an author and president of CURE, Center for Urban Renew- al and Education. Contact her at www.urbancure.org. Continued from page 10 RACIST EXAM Continued from page 10 IT'S MY HOME guess her character and mine created a good bal- ance for what we call a trait of daring adventure versus cautious planning. And you know in mar- riage, when the boss says so, you know who prevails. That's me, buddy. I feel like I am the one who thumps the chest and yells out, "Ouch! Ouch! What am I getting myself into? " A fter talking to those who got interested in the adventure and then speak- ing to our local travel agent, her research produced an itinerary of joining a cruise liner that is one of the big- gest in the industry, about 15 stories high. The big ship could hold 5,000 pas- sengers per voyage. I will mention the names of those who joined us on this ven- ture at the end of this ar- ticle. (They gave me per- mission to give their identi- ties.) If not for them, I won't likely be able to return in- tact and write the story. They were our eyes, ears, guardians, helpers, sounding boards, part guide, part porters, etc., and they took and me Rose under their wings to make the trip enjoyable and safe, because they are pros when it comes to cruises. So this series of story- telling will probably appear a few times, because there is so much to share. So ma- ny new things we saw, tast- ed, experienced, tried, en- dured, dared, missed, got antsy about and rejoiced about. In the next go-around, I will divide my articles to sections like what I en- joyed the most, what I did not like, what I wished were done a different way, what I should not have done, and, hopefully, what I will do next time, God willing, • • • To our dearest travel companions whom I list in alphabetical order: Nelda Garland, Linda Miley, Kim Shulte, and Carolyn Veale – Rose and I owe so much gratitude for all the help, the guidance, the love and our harmony in our faith as we joined in regular daily prayers at the start of our day and meals. You could feel Divine Providence always con- necting things to provide the safe and amazing trip we all undertook. Special thanks also to our travel agent who is always so pa- tient and so organized and always looking for the best programs and excursions. Humor of the week: I was the only thorn amongst the beautiful roses and when you are around women and they boss you around, you always say yes with a smile. Amen. No, they were always super nice. Have a great week templated suicide on multi- ple occasions." The jaded will cry out, "Physician, heal thyself! " Jesus dealt with the same encouragement. The theo- logical question, I will leave to those who ponder such issues of life. Those whom I have met in my life who have strug- gled with major depression all say the same thing: you have no idea how dark and painful life can become, and the struggle against thoughts of suicide that overtake your conscious- ness. Author Ed Stetzer writes, "First, I think many times people in the church are un- aware of what happens be- hind the curtain. The real- ity is that pastors struggle psychologically, emotion- ally, and spiritually. They struggle sometimes with physiological realities in and around depression, and becoming a follower of Je- sus and becoming a pastor does not necessarily make those things disappear. Charles Spurgeon was well known for his deep bouts with suffering and de- pression. Wheaton College president, Philip Ryken, transparently shared about his own struggle with de- pression. Every person lives be- hind a curtain. What we see in a person's everyday life is what he/she allows us to see. Stetzer writes, "Pastors often don't know where to turn when trouble enters their own life." The laity look toward pastors to be the shep- herds, the counsellors, and the sage who knows all and can guide all. The truth is all pastors, and all people, are afflicted with issues of life; no one person is ex- empted. Jesus said, "Birds have nests and foxes have dens, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." The prophets painted the Ser- vant of God as a man of Sor- rows, who was afflicted as men are afflicted. What Je- sus dispensed was Hope! All of us have spiritual and psychological resourc- es available to us, but at the end of the day, who we are and what we are is shaped by our own thoughts and perceptions. Jarrid hit bot- tom and saw no ascending light. The hope for this life was not evident; but that does not mean the hope of eternal life was rescinded by God. More than one segment of the church holds to the theology that God fixes all … Now. If one remains sick or afflicted, something is wrong with their hope and faith. It is held that once we have been born again and walking in the fullness of the Holy Spirit, the very challenges of life [and men- tal illness] will cease. The life of the church does not bear this out. Chil- dren are born physically and mentally challenged to Christian couples; Chris- tian men and women are maimed in terrible acci- dents, faithful disciples of Christ have unforeseen complications from sur- gery or treatment and be- come disabled; all through no fault of their own. I am reminded of the question Jesus was asked about the man born blind at birth, "Who sinned, this man or his parents? " Je- sus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him." Jarrid Wilson's hope re- mained in Christ to his last moment of life, and their re- mains our hope. His death reminds us that we are all defective vessels of clay in need of a complete make- over. We know the sick, the lame, and the despondent will be among the saints of God; who could refute that Jarrid was not sick? Prayers for his family. Think about it! well as our past failures—and to learn from them. But let us also learn to for- give, and to encourage each other to move on boldly to pursue happiness and make the most of the freedoms we enjoy as Americans. As for how I answer the house/home question… When I reflect on America's histo- ry, I also think about my family and the legacy of my forefathers and fore- mothers. Grandma Irene, fully deco- rated with a third-grade formal educa- tion and a Ph.D. in homemaking and rainmaking from the school of wis- dom, intentionally pounded history into our household discussions. We often spoke about Harriet Tub- man, Frederick Douglass, and Booker T. Washington and their different roles and approaches to liberty, life, and the pursuit of happiness. As we slowly rocked on her front porch during the summer nights, she would proudly whisper about Crispus Attucks, the first American to die in the Revolutionary War; Benjamin Ban- neker, the architectural genius who designed our nation's capital; and Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, the first person to successfully perform open-heart surgery. Grandma's history lessons about great Americans who looked like us convinced me that inalienable rights are the pathway to becoming better than just good, but good for something. My grandmother believed God anointed us with the power to over- come trials, tribulations, obstacles, disparities, and hopelessness by eman- cipating ourselves in the walk toward freedom and opportunity. George Washington viewed freedom much like Grandma did—as a funda- mentally internal and spiritual power rather than a physical or political state. He noted: All through human experience, we find that the highest and most com- plete freedom comes slowly, and is purchased only at a tremendous cost. Freedom comes through seeming re- striction. … Those persons in the U.S. who are most truly free in body, mind, morals, are those who have passed through the most severe training— are those who have exercised the most patience, and at the same time, the most dogged persistence and de- termination. Lincoln's Emancipation Proclama- tion loosed the chains that had too long bound our people. It opened the door to us enjoying the freedoms that, under the Constitution, belong to all citizens. With that act, America became a home for my family—one that gives us freedom: the freedom to use our God- given abilities for our own benefit and the freedom to pursue happiness ac- cording to our own lights. The next generation has those free- doms, so let's invest our time teach- ing them how to make America their home. Angela Sailor serves as Vice President of The Feulner Institute at The Heritage Foundation.