I say yes, you say no, OR People are Strange

zap

Edited because I do not know Wisconsin law.  In Illinois a teacher loses his/her pension if retired and goes back to the job.  A retired teacher in Illinois can work so many days on a per diem basis.  When those days are up, they cannot accept work or they lose their pension.  No teacher wants to risk that and there are audits to be sure no one is double-dipping. I know a Superintendents can get a pension and work. Erica wrote that public school teachers can retire and go back to the job getting a pension and a salary.  That is illegal in Illinois for teachers to do.  A public school teacher can retire and then  work at a private school (different pension).  Maybe someone from Wisconsin could clarify that.

zap

I am sorry.  I posted the above before I took in the words of sadness you all express with the loss of a friend.  This is so hard.  I am truly sorry, and  although I did not know this woman, I am feeling so sad she died.

leggo

Sunny, I so know how you feel. I feel like a burden every single minute and the guilt is overwhelming at times. I'd give ANYTHING to still be able to be productive. Whenever I head to the clinic for treatment, though,  I feel like such an ass for feeling sorry for myself when I see a child with cancer or someone who's been horribly disfigured by the disease. Gives me some new perspective, at least for a while.

Enjoyful

And now, a message from White Rabbit:

White Rabbit wants to post ...

Sunny ... us 'lazy, socialists' who are accused of sitting on our butts expecting something for nothing ... like benefits as part of our pay package for our jobs ... do not believe it is freeloading.

But there appear to be some extreme inconsistencies in who the radical conservative movement is going after.  I personally am curious if things like spousal social security benefits will be a later target.  Since some of the conservative ladies here are receiving ... or expecting to receive ... those benefits I am curious as to their thoughts as to whether this is a legitimate target or not. 

It's scary because in light of their comments about almost all other things I have to think the answer has to be yes.

Enjoyful

I saw the funniest episode of "Community" last night.  A bunch of high schoolers were attending classes at the community college, and they followed Jeff and Britta around, mimicking everything they said with a big "DUH!" at the end of it.  Toward the end of the episode, Jeff, Britta and the high school kids get into a giant "DUH!" match that lasts over 12 minutes.  Imagine - a bunch of people standing in a circle shouting "DUH!" at each other.  Hahahahahahahaha.

And I almost forgot - pork butt.

crazy4carrots

Gewurzte Schweinsrippchen (pretend there's an umlaut over the u in the first word).  Translation -- Braised Spicy Back Ribs!  Served with noodles and rapini.  They're a great way to prepare ribs in the wintertime.

E -- We and our guests watched 3 hours of SNL -- commercials, bloopers and other stuff all the way back from 1975.  So great to see Gilda and Dan and Chevy again!

Enjoyful

I always loved the Bass-o-Matic, Bag-o'Glass, and Colon Blow.  Those were the days, Linda!

crazy4carrots

Yep, saw them all again last night!  And the Super Colon Blow.

leggo

Linda, you must know my favourite food.....rouladen und spetzle. (with the umlaut).

1Athena1

I have no idea what you are talking about, E and Lindasa, except that the subject is food. I am deciding between the far less exotic choice of Trader Joe's Lasagna and....Trader Joe's lasagna.

konakat

Crap -- that really sucks Sandy.  And your worries are very valid -- never feel bad about feeling bad -- you have every reason to be annoyed at the world right now.  When it rains, it pours.  Crap.

crazy4carrots

Gracie - yes, I know rouladen, and spaetzle!  Not my favourites though, but I love German-style dumpings and still haven't found a recipe for them.  We had them over there and also at a great Czech (!) restaurant in Toronto many years ago.

Athena -- you can't go wrong with Italian!

leggo

• Baking potatoes, peeled -- 2 pounds
• Breadcrumbs (optional.) -- 1/4 cup
• Salt and pepper -- to taste
• Nutmeg -- 1/4 teaspoon
• Egg (optional), beaten -- 1
• Croutons -- 6-8

Method

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add half the potatoes. Boil until the potatoes are cooked through and tender, then drain, cool and put through a ricer or mash until smooth.
2. Using the fine holes of a grater or food processor attachment, grate the remaining potatoes and place in a a large bowl of water with a little vinegar added (this keeps the potatoes white).
3. When all of the potatoes are grated, remove them from the water - saving the water - and place them in a colander. Squeeze them until they are very dry. Or you can place the grated potatoes in a clean dishtowel, wrap them tightly and twist the towel to remove any excess moisture.
4. Carefully, drain the excess water from the potato soaking water, retaining the potato starch that should have settled to the bottom of the bowl.
5. Mix the potato starch into the riced or mashed potatoes, along with the grated potatoes, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Mix in the egg if using.
6. Using wetted hands, take about 3/4 cup of potato mixture and form it into a rough ball. Press a crouton into the middle and smooth out the ball. Repeat with the remaining potato mixture.
7. Bring a large pot of salted water to a simmer. Drop the dumplings carefully into the simmering water and cook for 15-20 minutes. Do not boil or the dumplings could fall apart. Drain and serve hot

leggo

Sorry, tried to post the kartofellkneudel recipe, but it didn't work.

Anonymous

 BinVA wrote: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/20/wisconsin-democratic-senators-illinois_n_825748.html

........But in return, unions have asked Republicans to remove the provision that would essentially strip away the collective bargaining rights of public employees. Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald has said, however, that the measure is non-negotiable.

Repeating myself from page 145:

Labor historian Fred Siegel offers further reasons why unions are manning the barricades. Mr. Walker would require that public-employee unions be recertified annually by a majority vote of all their members, not merely by a majority of those that choose to cast ballots. In addition, he would end the government's practice of automatically deducting union dues from employee paychecks. For Wisconsin teachers, union dues total between $700 and $1,000 a year.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Is that unreasonable.  Are, or the unions afraid of losing their power AND money?

crazy4carrots

Gracie - I think those are potato dumplings.  The ones I'm thinking about are heavy-breadlike in consistency and when they're served, it's like a 1 to 2 inch slice off a much larger one.  Maybe they're not actually dumplings at all, but just called that on menus.  Anyhow they are SO good!

Anonymous

Alpal wrote:

Shirley said: Where do you suppose the money will come from for SS?  They could raise the payroll tax, but I don't think they want to do that. 

I think the biggest drain on SS is the huge number of people who collect it without ever contributing one dime. Why should a woman who has never worked outside the home be able to draw SS?

I could really get nasty here.  I know you're talking directly to me.  BTW, I did work for several years before working as a stay-at-home mom and raise my children to become intelligent, law abiding, drug free citizens who are contributing to this society.  You can imagine what the wages were "back then" when I worked.  We paid taxes and still continue to do so although we didn't use the public school system. 

Do you REALLY want to talk about FREE loaders?  BTW, who knows how long I'll be able to free load? 

Alpal

You are far from the only woman who didn't work (outside the home) after they had children. I've already stated on here that my own mother never earned a pay check except for jury duty. I would much rather have not worked. My question is - why are those of you who constantly complain about your tax dollars being used to support people who don't contribute to the system, not complaining about this?

Edited to add - (outside the home) I KNOW raising children is hard work!

leggo

Semmelknoedel maybe? They're just made out of bread....delicious!

crazy4carrots

Ahhh, maybe that's the name!  Gonna look it up - thanks, Gracie!

1Athena1

Correcting an error of fact: the contention that the biggest drain to SS are the people who get it without contributing "a dime" (itself a fallacious premise) is not true. The biggest threat is the demographic shift we are witnessing with the aging of the population. Spousal benefits have nothing to do with SS's woes.

Other than that, Alpal and Shirley, it's between the two of you.

Claire82

Teachers in Connecticut cannot collect their spouses SS

but spouses can collect teachers retirement

Moderators

Hey All, 

I haven't been reading your thread every day, but see it was getting out of hand. Please keep it kind/respectful, or we'll need to go through some deletions. 

Thank you. 

crazy4carrots

Gracie -- I just found a whole bunch of recipes for semmel knoedel.  Thanks so much for telling me the name.  Now, if only I had some leftover bread!!!

rosemary-b

That all sounds so yummy. I got home from work and walked in the door to smell pot roast which my sweet, sweet husband had made.

By the way I have only worked outside the home for about 20 years so will probably take my spousal benefits because they will be larger. However, I think that a society should take care of its less fortunate members and have a big problem with budget cuts that harm the poor especially when they are passed at the same time as tax breaks for the rich.

I have 7 kids so I know stay at home moms work very hard.

Bren-2007

Teachers in California cannot collect their spouses SSI.  They cannot collect SSI at all.  They pay into a retirement fund in lieu of SSI.

When my dad died, his wife who is a teacher in San Diego could not collect his SSI, but my mom could collect about half of it, as they had been married for 35 years.

My mom was a homemaker until their divorce when she was 55.  She went back to work for ten years and was able to collect her own SSI, as well as a pension for working as a county employee.

Bren

Bren-2007

Thanks for popping in Melissa .. I think we're doing a pretty good job these days.

Bren

1Athena1

Rosemary - and may I add that with your seven children you may actually be helping the OASDI trust fund in the long run by producing future breadwinners who contribute SS taxes, so kudos to you!

leggo

Your welcome! I wish I had the where-with-all to make 'em.

rosemary-b

Yes Athena all seven are working and contributing. I Know SS will need some tweaking so it will be there for them and I think we should start by taking away the earnings cap.