I still love Nutella but it tastes very different to me now than it did when I was a kid. It's way too sweet. Are they making a more sugary version just for north amercans?

I think a lot of the undervaluing of fields like education and social services comes from that they are still seen as skills that fall into the traditioally female skills sets of nurturing and communication, and are therefore of less value innately than the "hard" sets of skills seen as more masculine.

I think a lot of the undervaluing of fields like education and social services comes from that they are still seen as skills that fall into the traditioally female skills sets of nurturing and communication, and are therefore of less value innately than the "hard" sets of skills seen as more masculine.

Yes.

It's killing me, to know that in so many countries the public sector workers are paying the price of failed decisions of economy and proprieties.

This. And yet, somehow, it is the teachers' faults for being selfish and greedy and earning those high salaries and terrific pensions. Even the Chicago Tribune was talking about the "high" pensions teachers get. An average of $44K/year compared to the social security average of $3?K/year (don't remember exactly, but it was in the mid- to high-30K range). The paper never mentioned that teachers PAY into their pension. It's not a gift. And teachers don't qualify for social security.

I hope for a good, steady, fulfilling job for you, next year.

Thank you.

And teachers don't qualify for social security.

WHAT?

And teachers don't qualify for social security.

I echo that "WHAT?". I totally didn't realize that. Why on earth not? Are there any other professions that don't?

That's the case for a lot (don't know if it's all) state employees.

Because public school teachers have state pension funds that they pay into in lieu of social security. Of course many states borrow from this fund and then never pay it back (this is an increasingly big concern for my parents in CT who retired in the early 2000s). The teacher funds tend to be better than SS...if they still exist when you need them.

I echo that "WHAT?". I totally didn't realize that. Why on earth not? Are there any other professions that don't?

I think it's that anyone who has a public pension plan doesn't get social security. I've heard about this creating problems for people who've worked as teachers for a while and also other jobs for a while, that they're not allowed to get the social security benefits from the other jobs if they're also collecting the pension from the teaching jobs after they retire, but I'm not sure about how all the details work there.

Because public school teachers have state pension funds that they pay into in lieu of social security.

Oh, that makes sense. It sounded like some shifty fuck-you to teachers (and if the pension funds get emptied by the states and not paid back, then I guess it would be).

I didn't understand that -- I thought everyone employed paid into SS. (Well, you know, in a job that doesn't pay under the table or barter for a pig or something.)

I'm amazed at how I don't know some of the most basic things. Jeez.