I. Am. Old. I just filed for Medicare and Social Security. It becomes effective immediately, with the Medicare coming into effect the end of July.
My health insurance company demands that I take Medicare or they will drop me. Well, things haven't changed yet, so if they drop me, I cannot get health insurance at all. That nasty little cancer thingy puts me out in the cold. So, like a good little retired teacher, I signed up for Medicare. Now I just have to wait for my card, then send a copy to them so they can then drop me from some of my benefits.
Oh, and speaking of benefits. Basically I don't get any Social Security benefits. It seems there was this law passed. They called it something about Windfall Profits. Oh, yeah, Texas retired teachers are going to get rich. We have that annuity that means we are just rolling in dough. Right.
Because I retired with only 29 years of proper credited teaching, I get less that half of the average of my best three years salary. You got that right? That salary was calculated TEN years ago. Right - I said ten.
And because our governor at time suggested it, the annuity invested heavily in Enron. Good move. So the fund has taken a hit. More and more teachers are leaving service ASAP. Not much money. We haven't gotten a raise in TEN years.
This year, there was money to give us rich people a 13th check. Our attorney general for the state said no.
So this means my Social Security payment will be .... wait for it ...... it's coming $177. I will have that for two months, then when the Medicare comes out, it will be a whopping $67.
Yessiree, we gotta keep those danged teachers in their place. One of them actually tried to make these law makers learn something. Gotta' punish 'em for putting those folks through that.
4 comments:
You got that right. When I started teaching in 1978, I think I made a whopping $12K per year and a friend with no college went to work as a secretary at a law firm making $15K. She came home at night to relax with her husband and I came home at night to grade papers and do prep for a few hours.
When I began in 1968, the teachers had just gotten a big raise. My salary the first year was %,280. When I retired, my kids, one in sales and one working for the telephone company (in installation, and has just begun), were making at least $10,000 more than I.
My sister-in-law, who never worked outside the home and thus never paid Social Security, can draw from her husband's Social Security, but I can't because I was a teacher and never paid into Social Security? What's wrong with this picture?
Susan, I fully agree. I worked the required quarters for getting SS. I was an independent contractor - organist - for many years. I paid my own fees. If I were not a teacher, I would get over $600 a month. But since "they" don't want us teachers to get too rich in retirement, I get 2/3. As teachers I think we might, from what I read yesterday, get 2/3 of the survivor's benefits. Darn, and I was planning to buy a Lamborghini if I survived. Dash those plans!
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