I wrote the post concerning the federal government bail out of the states. in argentina the central government guaranteed the scrip given to pay the government workers of the provinces. they print money. eventually you have triple digit inflation.
Teaching is a tough job requiring speaking for 6 to 7 hours a day and dealing with kids who may be bad in attitude, comprehension or tough to teach. In US you cannot so much as shout at a kid in school or instill some sort of fear of punishment if they perform badly in exams. Still $175K a year lifetime pension is out of the normal bracket. State work pays are much like Union salaries and benefits in airlines, auto and other corporations. These have to be reduced and brought into sense in order to make US industry more competitive. Why does everyone have to drive a Hummer and live in $500K house?
It depends where you live and what you teach. I had neighbors who were both teachers in a relatively safe, cushy school system. The husband taught PE and was home hours before most anyone else in the neighborhood. He had much more time to play golf, exercise, keep an immaculate yard, etc. and retired much earlier to boot. I'm sure some of the 12-hour-a-day types didn't feel too sorry for him. I also know of someone who pulled their kid out and sent him to a private school because the 1st grade teacher spent most of the day texting her friends. Guess that's what she learned to do in college while "earning" that challenging elementary ed degree. But having said that, there are easier routes to an early retirement for county/state workers--most don't require dealing with bratty kids.
"Teaching is a tough job requiring speaking for 6 to 7 hours a day and dealing with kids who may be bad in attitude, comprehension or tough to teach." does it make a difference if students are tough to teach? teachers work 9 months a year with 3 months of vacation. classroom time per day is closer to 5 hours/day. unlike most jobs they have no responsibility for their output i.e the educational achievement of their students. in major cities after 15 years salaries are 85k/annum. their pensions are 70-80% of their last year salaries. the pensions are exempt from state and local taxes. american students fare poorly in educational achievement in comparison to foreign students. it is a tough job if you let the behavior and attitude of the students affect you. the bottom line it is very high pay for essentially a baby sitting job.
If trading is the only thing you can think of in order to achieve financial freedom, you have an incredibly small portion of functional gray matter.
Teaching itself should be changed. Here's a good idea for eliminating natural curiosity in children - have them sit all day, with one adult looming over them and lecturing them about the history of the Philippines, or the correct usage of the semicolon. Child - "Gee, the stuff I'm curious about isn't really important. These 27 year old teachers are the masters of the universe." "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire."
he's "only" 59???? i'm guessing your in your 50s. that's way too old to start enjoying yourself. people generally start having health problems in their late 40s (which is why health insurance premiums tend to spike at that age). i don't consider anyone successful unless they retired or became financially independent under 40.
there is no way a retired state worker deserves 180 g a year... period. Especially when taxes are as high as they are. It is even more unthinkable that we run deficits to pay this guy 180 g. Retirements need to be cut in half at least.
These folks had better enjoy it while it lasts because it won't. Pensions are a primary reason cities/states are in so much debt. I do taxes for a fireman who takes in 72k per year in addition to health care, in addition to his IRA. My old man worked 45 years as a carpenter and takes home $18,000 from his pension. He saved like there is no tomorrow so he is well off. This is the picture of what retirement should be like. You get a reasonable pension, a reasonable social security check, and you're responsible for saving the rest to establish your level of comfort when you reach retirement age. A $175k per year pension is nothing short of ridiculous.