Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, July 12, 1993                   TAG: 9307120033
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Ray Reed
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

CORRECTION OF LAW BEGAT BENEFIT QUIRK

A: These are the "notch years," well-known to people who retired in 1991 or the previous seven years.

They're the result of bad wording in a law Congress passed in 1972 that indexed benefits to inflation. That bill actually increased benefits faster than inflation for people born in 1912 through 1916, making them "bonanza babies."

Congress initiated a correction in 1982 that produced the "notch years." It means people born from 1917 through 1921 get less benefits than those born a few years earlier - $180 a month in the case of two California sisters who were born a year apart but worked at the same job.

Those are little-disputed facts. The rest is pure politics, but here's a summary.

Rep. Dan Rostenkowski, a Chicago Democrat who in the early '80s became chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and began placing fiscal duties ahead of politics, was the architect of that 1982 correction. In Washington circles many people credit that fix with keeping Social Security solvent for the near future, at least.

Rostenkowski also is credited with - or blamed for - bottling up in his committee a 1990 bill that would have increased benefits to notch retirees. He has opposed virtually every measure the past three or four years that would drain revenue.

There's a lot of spin on this hot potato. Social Security officials say the notch years ended after 1921 and people born after that receive normal benefits - 42 percent of their working income. Advocacy groups for beneficiaries say the notch lasted until 1926.

Either way, the billion-dollar notch issue has lain dormant for two years while the government focuses on raising taxes and reducing the deficit. \

Anthem etiquette

Q: On the Fourth of July I was wondering about the correct position for one's hand during the singing of The Star Spangled Banner.

I know that for the Pledge of Allegiance the hand should be over the heart but during the national anthem I see people doing various things - with the hand over heart or down to the side. A.P., Roanoke

A: The best place for the hand is over the heart - unless you're in military uniform, in which case you already know to salute.

Few people will remember this until next Fourth of July, but we can practice when the anthem's played at ball games or other events.

To be formal, one faces the flag and holds the hand over the heart. Men should remove their hat and hold it at their left shoulder with the right palm inward over their heart.

At minimum, men should remove their hats and stand at attention. If a flag is not displayed, face toward the music.

Got a question about something that might affect other people too? Something you've come across and wondered about? Give us a call at 981-3118. Maybe we can find the answer.