General Discussion

The REAL definition of "double dipping" is if you retired from a governmental job collecting a pension then would be hired back to that same or similar job while still collecting the pension. States typically have strict rules on this. This is NOT the case here. By that "logic," NO public employee in any state or federal employee should have both a pension and Social Security. By that "logic," NO private employee should collect both a pension and Social Security.

The Reagan administration decided to penalize people who were working in jobs that didn't pay into Social Security but actually earned a benefit in covered employment. That was the "windfall elimination provision." It was always bullshit. The Reagan administration thought this was a good wedge issue to pit people without pensions against those who did.

60 MInutes back in the early 1980s did a hatchet job on this issue, and that helped put this rotten provision into law.