Opinion

Net zero is in trouble. In utterly predictable trouble, in the king’s-wearing-noclothes trouble.

In the hundred thousandth example of his disordered psyche, the former president has stated on his social network that Gen. Mark Milley is guilty of “treason.” This is not new, but that shouldn’t diminish our outrage.

Dear Annie: My sister and her husband are both in their mid-80s and live on a farm. He is disabled.

Call it the 10% rule: If 10% or more of the workers in a particular congressional district were civilian federal employees in 2022, then that district elected a Democrat to the House of Representatives.

Dear Annie: I’ve had a HUGE sweet tooth all my life. I have also always been very active, and I eat healthy foods. However, I’m nervous that this is not enough to balance my intake of sugary goodies.

A young couple I know, recent grads from a state university, share a walk-up apartment in a gritty part of town. They buy their T-shirts used. They share a 22-yearold Honda Accord with well over a century of miles on it. Their health club is weights in a garage. And they spend about $700 a month on food.

Dear Annie: I have worked in the same office for 18 years. For many years, there were five of us in our division: three women and two men. One of the men left for a different job a year ago, and he was replaced by a woman, “Carla,” who is very difficult to work with. In fact, I’m convinced that she is a liar and a troublemaker.

An autumnal sky hung over the Capitol Monday afternoon. It was Yom Kippur, the day to atone, which seemed apt.

The nightly “news” cannot be expected to offer you an “explainer” on anything happening in Washington. Their ratings gurus would tell them that trying to educate the audience on how Congress works, for example, would result in eye rolls and channel flips to “Wheel of Fortune.”

The Windfall Elimination Provision A few weeks ago, I wrote a column about something called the “government pension offset.” It is a law that essentially says this: If you get a pension from a job that was not covered by Social Security, that pension will be treated just like a Social Security retirement pension and it will be used to offset any benefits you might be due on a spouse’s Social Security record. There is a companion law called the “windfall elimination provision,” more commonly known by its acronym, WEP, which usually reduces any Social Security retirement benefits earned at side jobs by folks who spent the bulk of their life working at a job that was not covered by Social Security.