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•); • v" '/-'V . W PAGE THIRTY - MANCHESTER EVENING HERALD. Manchester. Conn., Wed., Nov. 3, 1976 Growing older I Social Security Social Security unfair to women The weather Inside today Q. My sister's vision has gradualiy gotten worse By Harold Blumenfeld Variable cloudinesg today, high In because of advanced diabetes. She w ork^ steadiiy under SOt. Tonight, partly cloudy, low In 30a. Area news .. .22-23 Family..............6-7 Friday, partly aunny, high 48-52. Business...........20 Gardening..........24 Social Security up until about a year ago. Can she qualify The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) keeps cropping Chance of precipitation 10 per cent for disabiiity benefits? Security was set up in a way to discourage women from being unfairly taxed because the deductions from their Comics............ 31 Obituaries..........16 up. It has i^ vehement defenders and its equally vocal competing in the labor market because unemployment pay checks are based on paying for survivor benefits or tonight and Friday. National weather Dear Abby....... 31 Sr. Citizens .... 27 A. Peopie whose vision is no better than 20/200 even opponents. forecaat map on Page 29. with glasses, or whose visuai field is limited to 20 degrees was at p all-time high. It was assumed that the female survivors they will never have. Editorial ............4 Sports.............17-19 Some who are antagonistic to ERA grudgingly admit population would be content to be homemakers and that A wife may give her husband "the best years” of her or less, are considered disabled on the basis of blindness some disparity of wages for similar work with the ladies under the Social Security law. Your sister should apply “the little woman” would remain married to her mate life. But if those "best” years last less than 20 years — getting the short end of the stick. But they still adamantly 'til death did them part. And she would be the beneficiary when she might have remained out of the labor markef t o for benefits at any Social Security office. To get benefits, oppose the amendment for a variety of other reasons. she must be severely disabled and not expected to be able of his Social Security benefits upon his retirement or raise children — she loses her share of benefits basedton These die-hards usually bring up the question of common death. to work for a year or more. her former husband’s earnings. toilets, something which has never b ^ n remotely been The situation today is quite different. More and more Some working wives who have yearly paid into Social Q. What things do I need to report to Social Security advocated by the proponents of ERA. But seldom does after I start getting Supplemental Security Income women are working out of necessity or choice. Also, not Security for years may resent a system that gives depen­ one hear about the gross inequities of the Social Security (SSI)? all women marry. And the shocking statistics on divorce dent nonworking wives benefits without ever having con­ system as it applies to the fair sex. indicate about one in three marriages become unstuck. tributed because they had no taxable earnings. And these Carter Cabinet choice A. Here are some of the more important things Social From time to time some suggestions have been made to When a working wife retires at age 62 or 65, she is en­ same dependent wives, who have never worked outside Security should be told right away: If you move, if your eliminate this discrimination against women in the income increases or decreases, if there’s a big change in titled to Social Security payments. She has her choice of the home, also have a gripe. Sincq they have never had system but they have been discarded as either unfeasible, collecting on her own earnings, usually less than her any taxable income, they are not entitled to disability the things you own (such as buying or selling a car or unwieldy, or too expensive. home,) or if you start living in someone else's home. The husband’s, or 50 per cent of her husband’s retirement protection. Donald Fraser (D-Minn.) has suggested a possible solu­ benefit;, whichever is the larger sum. But she can’t have Because of other inequities in the system, more and speculation begins Social Security office has a free leaflet called "Important tion. His idea is for a husband and wife to pool their ear­ information about your SSI income payments” that tells both even though each contributed to the system. If she more widows and widowers are living "in sin” without nings in computing Social Security benefits, as is often opts for half of her husband’s payments, she loses all her benefit of clergy. If they marry, the widow loses her more about what you should report. done in filing joint tax returns. Each would have his and WASHINGTON (UPI) - It didn’t George Ball, Cyrus Vance or Paul predicted Carter would tap United Q. I need a Social Security card but don’t like the idea benefits even though deductions from her pay checks deceased husband’s Social Security allowance which is her own separate accounting and would be credited with take long after Jimmy Carter sewed Warnke. Auto Workers President Leonard of having to answer a lot of personal questions on the have been made, perhaps for years. considerably more than she would be receiving as a new 50 per cent of their combined earnings or 75 per cent of If she chooses to collect Social Security on the basis of bride, collecting only half of her new husband’s benefits. up the presidency for the capital to Defense secretary — AFL-CIO Woodcock, who is known to be in­ application. Why can’t I jiist give you my name and you the higher income, whichever is larger. begin armchair speculating on who President George Meany, according terested. give me the card and number? her own earnings, she then forfeits the dependent wife’s These oldsters are now "with it” ; doing what the young When the original program was started in the 1930s, the will be in the new Cabinet. to aides, would be pleased to see Agriculture secretary — P.R. A. A certain amount of basic information — such as benefits which her husband’s Social Security payments ones are doing these days. And why not? Blame it on the nation was recovering from the big Depression. Social It is a game played, essentially, in Schlesinger get this job back, and "Bobby” Smith, who managed date and place of birth— are needed so Social Security were to have provided for her. "new” morality or the "old” injustices of our present the dark. Carter and his aides have Carter had Meany’s unqualified sup­ Carter’s farm policy campaign; can keep an accurate record of your work and earnings. Single women who never marry often feel they are Social Security system. given no clues who will be selected. port in the campaign. Others have Reps. Bob Bergland, D-Mlnn., and Future benefits will depend on that record. Under the And Hamilton Jordan, Carter’s suggested perhaps Vance, a former Neal Smith, D-Iowa, or some state law, the information about you on your Social Security THE campaign manager, once suggested Army secretary, or Harold Brown, farm official from the Midwest or record is confidential. LOWEST in an interview that the Carter ad­ formergAir Force secretary. Q. After working 12 years under Social Security, 1 Great Plains. One Democratic Oetltat ministration will be staffed at the top LabOT secretary — Meany thinks an recently accepted a federal job and am now under Civil FOOD mcT source predicted “a fresh face, not a by persons not known nationally. If "obvious” choice would te John Service. Do I lose the Social Security protection I built retread” from a previous ad­ Top Notch. PRICES FUU well-known' figures are named, he Dunlop, who resigned from that post up? ministration. IN $ n v K t said, the Carter drive will have nearly a year ago after President A. Since you have at least 10 years coverage, you're in­ m r luawwa M—i iawi Attorney general — Judge Griffin TOOl failed. Ford vetoed a construction industry sured for life for Social Security retirement, medical TOW N ! B. Bell of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court Nonetheless, familiar Democrats picketing bill he had promised hospital Insurance, and survivor's benefits. However, the of Appeals, who is close to Carter’s from past administration figured in Dunlop he would sign. Other labor benefit amount you or your family might get will gradual­ friend and political adviser, Charles the first wave of speculation. sources considered Dunlop a likely ly decrease in future years as your average earnings TOO NO?CN IS Kirbo. Robert M. Morgenthau Jr. son Jack Watson, an Atlanta attorney choice. covered by Social SecuHty, upon which the amount is LOOK FOITIiSESIUS.. NOT OMN SWMATSI of the late U.S. Treasury secretary who has been working since August based, declines. You will be insured for Social Security n iT MAM niMS TRAT UVI m Secretary of Health, Education and and a former U.S. attorney in New UIQREHOUSE PRICED disability benefits for only about five years. R W K B IV n low a TIAI ON (EIITE on transition plans, said in an inter­ Welfare — Those same labor sources York City is another possibility. view last week that Carter will “per- Q. My friend Jim and I are exactly the same age and we low ir a r u T m a il FOR EUEd both earned maximum wages covered by Social Security CRERTER snuincs> CHUCK sonaily choose his Cabinet for at least 10 years.

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