[F106 Fan]

Not only that....but that law enforcement officer's spouse, who works in the private sector paying social security, will also lose most of their social security benefits, since their spouse is enjoying that 'windfall' of a pension. Total BS. Makes my wife so mad!

I'm not sure that is correct.

A related provision, the Government Pension Offset (GPO), reduces Social Security benefits paid to spouses or survivors when the spouse or survivor earned a pension from a government job that was not covered by Social Security. The GPO reduction is equal to two-thirds of the amount of the pension payment from noncovered government work (SSA 2012).

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v74n3/v74n3p55.html

That reads to me that the retired public pensioner won't get survivor benefits from a private sector spouse's account. The Windfall Elimination works against the public employee, not the private sector spouse. You wife should still be eligible for her SS (assuming she paid in for 40 quarters or more).

At least that's the way I read it! I've been wrong before...