My parents had state pensions (MI teachers) and also got social security. They paid into both.

The current law does have prorated, but not one that will actually benefit anyone at this point. By the time I retire, the law could change and it would depend on what the law is at that time.

Hi folks. I'm busy not doing what I should, and thought I would jump in on the ss vs state pension thing. This varies from state to state, and even from school district to school district. In Alaska, most school districts pay into the state system instead, but I don't believe all of them do.

We have two pensions, and are required to pay into both. One replaces social security. The other is an additional pension, and we can pay extra funds into it as well.

My understanding from the social security bulletin I get each year, despite having not worked in a social security job for ages, is that if you have enough time in, you'll still be eligible for social security, but it will be reduced, perhaps greatly so, by some formula based on your social security replacement pension income. However, I don't remember signing anything waiving social security, so I don't know about that.

Honestly, my life is such a mess right now, that I feel tremendously better for having posted about other stuff here. Wouldn't it be funny if having less time and energy actually brought me back into Bitches?

And by the way, but not at all as an afterthought, thank you all for the ~ma. I really appreciate it, and appreciate it continuing to come. And, ChiKat and beth, I especially feel your employment pain, as one whose job is going great but who may not have anyplace to live come May 1, and I send you both loads of ~ma.

{{{libkitty}}}

Sometimes, just knowing this place is here is a real comfort.

In other news, thundersnow! Last weekend, it was up around 80 degrees.

Lots of punctuation for you, libkitty.

Things I know about thundersnow: Do NOT try to drive in it. If you do, you will have a hard time seeing where the road is, then going off the road and headed for the river, only stopping because of a brand new curb put in the previous summer. Or maybe that's just me.

eek! {{{WindSparrow}}} I'm glad you're OK.

My family is driving me nuts. (Don't really want to get into details, just need to not be totally keeping it in.)

{{{Windsparrow}}} Yikes. I'm very glad they put that curb in.

{{{Hil}}} Sorry about the family annoyance.

I had a wonderful day at my great-uncle's 95th birthday party. I saw relatives I haven't seen in ages. I'm tired now from all the socializing though. Tomorrow, Avenue Q!

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.

That might work both ways. Time was that schoolteachers were predominantly male, and I think it was a better respected profession at that time. I'm not sure whether it became devalued as it became predominantly female, or if men became less willing to take the jobs as it became devalued. Probably fed on each other.

That might work both ways. Time was that schoolteachers were predominantly male, and I think it was a better respected profession at that time. I'm not sure whether it became devalued as it became predominantly female, or if men became less willing to take the jobs as it became devalued. Probably fed on each other.

In Great Expectations, and a lot of other books from that time period, being a clerk is seen as a great first job for a young man, a way for him to work his way up in the business world. A few decades later, and the exact same job is called a secretary and done almost entirely by women with much less respect.