The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1284470
"Hold tight to the magic of summer," I told my son this time last year. He'd just found out a few kids who'd broken his ti- ny heart in kinder- garten were going to be in his first-grade class. "But how is it mag- ic? " he asked, just as he had asked many previous times, need- ing to hear it again. "Summer changes you," I said. "You see new things. You do new things. You're challenged. You grow. You change — sometimes for the worse, most of the time for the better. So I want you to let people surprise you. See what the magic of summer delivered. See whether they sparkle with the magic. Allow them their new skin." Summer is coming to a close. Chil- dren are heading back to school — some in person, some in masks, some through a virtual portal. Some are lost. What magic have we this year? My children are some of the lucky ones, attending online school in an RV as we attempt to outrun... everything? For years, I've found it hard to write. For months, I've found it hard to speak. For weeks, I've found it hard to breathe. Or has it been longer than that? Because I'm here to tell jokes. And there are jokes to be told, surely. Did you hear the one about the buf- falo dropping his kid off at school? He said, "Bison." I want to share with you how my son just turned 8 and I'd prom- ised him a herd of bison for his birth- day but instead we saw a colony of prai- rie dogs. My son bent over, chirped his best prairie dog chirp — and was immediately bitten. His reaction was pure joy. Who gets bitten by a wild prai- rie dog? But as I type the story, I learn prairie dogs can carry the bubon- ic plague, and I can't escape falling down the burrow of typing about COVID-19. So I stop typing. Because I'm here to tell funny tales. And there are funny tales to share, surely. I want to tell you about how I'm trying to teach my children to be more self-sufficient. Before a long hike, I told each of them to go to the fridge and pack their own back- pack with snacks and cool drinks for the hot day. When we finally arrived at our picnic spot, my 4-year-old pulled a can of beer from her backpack. When I guffawed, she said, innocent and con- fused, "But Daddy always says it's the best cold drink on a hot day." I want to laugh with you about how I'd brought water for all of us, prepared for a possi- ble miscalculation but not a misdemean- or. But then I want to carry on about clean water and how Flint still doesn't have it. And about supremacy. And a knee on a neck. And injustice at home. And around the world. But I only have 750 words or so for this column, so I don't say anything at all. Because I'm here to make you laugh. And surely, there is much to laugh about. Like how my 4-year-old can't figure out her mask, so she wears a scarf over her entire face — covering her mouth, nose and eyes — and then asks whether it's nighttime because it's dark. Like how when we were driving through Wyoming and I saw a road sign that said "Open range — stray stock," my first thought was it meant guns fir- ing and stray bullets. But then I find it hard to breathe. And I step away for fresh air. "The magic of summer worked! " my son screamed while running toward me for a hug when I picked him up after his first day of first grade one year ago. "They changed! They were so nice! " This is an oversimplification, yes. But that doesn't make it any less true. It is of utmost importance that we cling to joy in times like these. That we find it and celebrate it. Laugh and smile. But I am also finding that joy can- not exist without hope in the magic of summer. That it will get better. That we will get better. Ourselves and our neigh- bors. That we will grow and evolve and wear our new skin. That we will be per- mitted this new sparkle. These days, funny for the sake of fun- ny feels negligent. Inappropriate. But I'm noticing that funny stories for the sake of hope bring me great joy and re- lease me from the death grip of not be- ing able to say anything at all. Like fo- cusing on the woman who invited us into her home after watching us near- ly get struck by lightning. A few weeks later, my husband asked whether we should pay it forward and invite a wom- an who was tent camping alone during a thunderstorm into our RV. I surprised myself by saying yes. We were further surprised when, after venturing out in- to the torrential rain, we found her tent empty. No doubt she had been invited inside by others. Allowing for surprise is where fun- ny meets hope, after all. It's where the magic lives. Katiedid Langrock is author of the book "Stop Farting in the Pyramids," available at www.creators.com/books/stop-farting- in-the-pyramids. Follow Katiedid Lan- grock on Instagram, at www.instagram. com/writeinthewild. The Press-Dispatch Wednesday, September 2, 2020 A-9 Katiedid Versus By Katiedid Langrock Magic of summer Dear Rusty: I will be 62 years of age at the end of this year. Can I start draw- ing my Social Securi- ty at age 62 and have it directly deposited into my IR A (arm's length), not spend it and continue to work without affecting my tax position? I will de- fer actually using it un- til a later date Signed: Curious Investor. Dear Curious In- vestor: Regardless of where you have your Social Security benefits deposited, if you continue to work after claiming early benefits, you'll be subject to Social Security's earnings test. The earnings test applies to anyone who collects benefits before they reach their full retirement age (which for you is 66 years and eight months). It doesn't matter if you spend your benefits, save them, or invest them; you'll still be subject to Social Securi- ty's earnings limit. And, since IRS rules say that only earned income (which ex- cludes Social Security benefits) can be deposited into an individual retirement account (IR A), it is not possible for you to direct-deposit your Social Security benefits into an IR A. In any case, even if you otherwise save your benefits for later use; you will still be subject to Social Securi- ty's earnings limit. For 2020 the annual earnings limit is $18,240 (the limit changes annually) and if that is exceeded, Social Secu- rity will take back benefits equal to $1 for every $2 you are over the limit. The earnings limit goes up by about 2.5 times in the year you reach your full retirement age (FR A) and goes away once your FR A is attained. Social Security gets your earnings information from the IRS when you file your income taxes, and you cannot avoid the earnings test by having the money deposited for later use. The earnings test will still apply, and they will take back some of your benefits if you ex- ceed the limit. For information, by "take back" benefits, I mean they will notify you that they have overpaid you (due to your earnings from working) and will give you the option of either paying them back in full with a lump sum payment, or they will withhold your future bene- fits until they recover what you owe be- cause you exceeded the earnings limit. As for your "tax position" on your ben- efits, that will depend upon your com- bined income from all other sources (in- vestments, interest, pensions, earnings, etc.), plus 50 percent of the SS benefits you received during the tax year, plus any non-taxable interest you may have (combined this is known as your Mod- ified Adjusted Gross Income, or "MA- GI"). If you file your income taxes as a single and your MAGI is more than $25,000 (or if you file "married-jointly and your MAGI is more than $ 32,000) then 50 percent of your SS benefits will become part of your taxable income. And filing single with a MAGI of more than $ 34,000 (or $44,000 if married-fil- ing jointly), up to 85 percent of your So- cial Security benefits will become part of your taxable income (by the IRS). Once again, it doesn't matter how you dispose of your benefit payments; they will still be taxable if you exceed the clip levels mentioned above, and you will still be subject to Social Security's earn- ings test until you reach your full retire- ment age. Social Security Matters By Rusty Gloor Can I hide my Social Security in a tax-advantaged account? Court Report HOPE Continued from page 8 uses race mechanically to ensure the admission of the vast majority of underrepre- sented minorities." Edward Blum, president of Students for Fair Admissions, said in a news release that the court filing "exposes the startling magnitude of the Universi- ty of North Carolina's racial preferences." Blum said that their filing contains statisti- cal evidence that shows that an Asian American male ap- plicant from North Caroli- na with a 25% chance of get- ting into UNC would see his acceptance probability in- crease to about 67% if he were Latino and to more than 90 % if he were A frican American. In 1996, California voters passed Proposition 209 (also known as the California Civ- il Rights Initiative) that read: "The state shall not discrimi- nate against, or grant prefer- ential treatment to, any indi- vidual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the oper- ation of public employment, public education, or public contracting." California leg- islators voted earlier this summer to put the question to voters to repeal the state's ban on the use of race as a cri- terion in the hiring, award- ing public contracts and ad- missions to public universi- ties and restore the practice of institutional racism under the euphemistic title "affir- mative action." When social justice war- riors use the terms "institu- tional racism" or "systemic racism," I suspect it means that they cannot identify the actual person or entities en- gaged in the practice. How- ever, most of what might be called institutional or sys- temic racism is practiced by the nation's institutions of higher learning. And it is seen by many, particularly the intellectual elite, as a de- sirable form of determining who gets what. Walter E. Williams is a pro- fessor of economics at George Mason University. RACISM Continued from page 8 POLITICS Continued from page 8 FELONY Pike County Circuit Court Debra K. Tryon charged with operat- ing a vehicle after being habitual traffic offender, a level 6 felony. James E. Hardy charged with count I intimidation, a level 6 felony, and count II resisting law enforcement. David L. Schepers charged with count I possession of methamphetamine, a lev- el 6 felony, count II maintaining a com- mon nuisance - controlled substances, a level 6 felony, and count III possession of paraphernalia. TRAFFIC AND MISDEMEANOR Pike County Circuit Court Joshua V. Hopf charged with public in- toxication, endangering his life. Matthew Reed charged with count I op- erating a vehicle while intoxicated and count II possession of marijuana. Alissa D. Wheeler charged with count I possession of marijuana and count II pos- session of paraphernalia. Kyle Kinder charged with intimidation. Jerramy D. Barfknecht charged with domestic battery. CIVIL Pike County Circuit Court Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC sues Rebecca Sullivan on complaint. Midland Credit Management, Inc. sues Jason Beadles on complaint. Madelyn June Jochem sues Dakota Alen Jochem for dissolution of marriage. Kimberly Witt sues Shawn Witt for dis- solution of marriage. SMALL CLAIMS Pike County Circuit Court Hoosier Accounts Service sues David E. Charkosky, Jr. on complaint. Hoosier Accounts Service sues Eliza- beth R. Bingle on complaint. Hoosier Accounts Service sues Ta- batha Brownell on complaint. Hoosier Accounts Service sues Jesy A. Evitts on complaint. INFRACTIONS Pike County Circuit Court Lee Juho charged with speeding, ex- ceeding 70 mph. Claude E. Green charged with failure to register. Latasha R. Wright charged with speed- ing, exceeding 70 mph. Jeremiah T. Coultas charged with child restraint system violation. Lucas A. Dunn charged with workzone speeding, workers not present. Stacey D. Johnson charged with speed- ing in school zone. Jacob R. Myers charged with seatbelt violation. al Service manages its sort- ing and deliveries. Rather than a nefarious plot to deliberately under- mine the Postal Service and somehow steal the presiden- tial election, the initiative was a response to an optimi- zation report produced by the Postal Service Office of Inspectors General. This report, coincidentally issued on DeJoy's first day as postmaster general, pointed out over $4 billion in sorting and delivery overtime costs per year. These costs are a huge factor in the Postal Ser- vice's chronic deficits. Ad- dressing the costs through logistical improvements would help prevent a postal bankruptcy that is current- ly expected as soon as next summer. The key component of De- Joy's initiative was to focus on increasing on-time depar- ture for postal trucks from sorting facilities, meaning deliveries would finish earli- er and reduce the amount of overtime required. While the plan did suc- cessfully increase on-time departures, there was a side effect: mail that had not fin- ished being sorted and pro- cessed was left behind, in- creasing the level of late deliveries. DeJoy acknowl- edged this in the hearings, adding that he anticipated an adjustment period. The eventual goal was also to im- prove delivery times, but the adjustment was harder than expected. There are ways the plan could have been implement- ed better, including starting at a smaller scale and then waiting until after the pan- demic is under control to ful- ly roll out. However, the most import- ant mistake was the lack of communication and trans- parency surrounding the initiative. Instead of making a pub- lic announcement and pre- paring briefing materials for Congress, the plan was sim- ply started following inter- nal deliberations. Such an approach would have made sense in the private sector, where DeJoy spent several decades as a leader in the lo- gistics industry. Yet with an institution as large and visible as the Postal Service, it is vital to provide details in order to ensure that the general public and leg- islators alike are informed about the new process. This lack of communica- tion served to make disinfor- mation and confusion easier to spread. The media began covering the story based on leaked memos, immediately casting the plan in the worst possible light. A general failure to pro- vide information also made it easier for a wide variety of myths to circulate freely on- line, whipping the public in- to a frenzy and turning the Postal Service into a politi- cal football. For example, one of the myths revolved around post- al collection blue boxes be- ing removed. DeJoy's Sen- ate testimony included da- ta on showing that the num- ber of removals in 2020 is less than half the rate seen in 2013, 2014, and 2017. This data should have been sent in a tweet or press release quickly after the myth be- gan circulating. Similarly, the removal of postal sorting machines from locations across the country has become one of POSTAL Continued from page 8 need? What will fix our prob- lems? For sure, suppression of free expression will make no one better off. These are communities that need truth, that need love, that need empower- ment. This is the message we are delivering at UrbanCURE. I hope Clear Channel Out- door has a change of heart and is not intimidated by Black Lives Matter to breach contract and not publicize Ur- banCURE's message on its billboards. Star Parker is president of the Center for Urban Renew- al and Education and au- thor of the new book "Nec- essary Noise: How Donald Trump Inflames the Culture War and Why This is Good News for America." Readers can respond to Star's column by emailing star-parker@ur- bancure.org. POVERTY Continued from page 8 choose to harm others. Our hope lies within the power of Gospel of Jesus Christ. Though Paul wrote that he was torn between the good and evil that are with- in, he found deliverance and peace through the resurrect- ed Christ! All peoples have issues that deserve a reset, but with- out Christ to tame the evil within, the insanity of sin will produce more of the same. Think about it! their boundless energy and enthusiasm. I get a sense of envy when I watch programs showing the strength and en- durance of young people es- pecially athletes. I find com- fort when I talk to friends about what's going on in their lives, and what I'm al- so experiencing in my own. It seems like we're all in the same boat, in this journey of life. It's getting deep, I bet- ter take a pause again and reflect. • • • Wisdom of the week: If only we could follow the Ten simple Commandments, we'll surely find the peace and order we all long for. How hard can that be. Humor of the week: My daughter was experimenting on some recipes. Aren't we all doing this endless cook- ing during these times? So she asked me what the name of a recipe that Rose cooks that is quite delicious. It's made of beef, raisins and potatoes with a dab of soy sauce and garlic. I told her it's called BeRP. Short for beef, raisins and potatoes. She thought I said "burp." Hey, you have to make cook- ing fun too. the most heated points of crit- icism by congressional Dem- ocrats. Rather than starting un- der DeJoy's leadership (as his critics claim), the removals are part of a normal process by the Postal Service to operate effi- ciently in response to the long- term decline in mail volume. Many sorting machines run far below max capacity. Some are no longer used at all, taking up valuable space at postal facili- ties. These facts should have been publicized by the Postal Service. Reducing wasteful spend- ing on unnecessary machines and expensive overtime la- bor are two of the very lim- ited number of ways that the Postal Service can legally cut its costs and trim chronic an- nual deficits. Sadly, the House postal bill would block many of these necessary operation- al adjustments. Insufficient communica- tion was also present prior to DeJoy's arrival. During the spring, there was a political panic about the Postal Service supposedly going bankrupt be- fore the end of the year, lead- ing to calls for an immediate massive bailout. As it turned out, postal rev- enues have gone up slightly in the wake of COVID-19 due to a sharp increase in package de- liveries, providing a reprieve from bankruptcy. Unfortunate- ly, this information did not be- come public for several weeks, giving postal bailout advocates free rein to make apocalyptic claims and shape the debate. Addressing the looming in- solvency of the Postal Ser- vice was already set to be an extremely difficult task. That task becomes more difficult when legislators and the pub- lic lack the facts necessary to come to informed conclusions, and becomes nearly impossi- ble in the wake of irresponsi- ble accusations made against DeJoy. Hopefully, Congress can move beyond the current made-for-T V dramatics and agree to workable reforms be- fore it is too late. David Ditch is a budget and transportation associate in the Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget at The Her- itage Foundation.