Saturday, March 17, 2012

Daily Kos: considering my future as a teacher

Daily Kos: considering my future as a teacher:


considering my future as a teacher

I will turn 66 in May.  I am already on Social Security.  I will find out in next week or so if I am being offered a buyout of around $16,000 should decide to accept retirement.   I have calculated that the buying power of my pension and social security (even without the one-time buyout) is more than 70% of what I currently earn (although we may get a nominal increase next year for the first time in more than 3).  I could retire and do something else.
I know that if I win a one-year fellowship to help underwrite my doing a book on teacher voice in education policy, I will take it and retire.
What if I don't?
I can stay where I am, with an increased income due to Social Security.
I can retire and teach elsewhere in a public school.
I can retire and teach in a charter or private school.
I can retire and do something else related to education.
I can retire and do something unrelated to education.
So I have to ask myself, do I still want to teach?


The Good Old Double Reverse

is the title of this post at Center for American Progress  It's subject becomes more clear with the subtitle:  Rep. Ryan Clearly Targets Seniors as He Seeks Taxes Cuts for the Wealthy.
The author is Scott Lilly, currently a senior fellow at CAP, and a long-time staffer to Rep. David Bonior, including serving as Staff Director for the Dems on the House Appropriations Committee.
I wanted to call this post to your attention because with Paul Ryan again becoming highly visible, you will want the information it contains in order to push back at what Ryan is again attempting to do, and with which far too many "reasonable" Democrats seem willing to negotiate, even accept.
Ryan makes a false argument, that programs such as Social Security and Medicare, because they are not for the most part income-adjusted, have resulted in a a decreasing share of transfer payments going to the bottom