Let me start out by saying that I hope the editors of the various publications that print my column keep the terms “WEP” and “GPO” in the headline. Why? Because those abbreviations mean a lot to a certain group of my readers.
I'll explain what those abbreviations stand for in a minute. But first, who makes up this specialized group of readers? They’re primarily teachers in some states and police officers and firefighters in other states. Or they’re old-time federal employees who started working before government employees were switched to Social Security in 1984. These local, state, and older federal employees are covered by other retirement plans and not by Social Security.
