OK... the title above says....

[clifp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donheff I thought the traditional eastern versions of reincarnation based the follow-on instantiation on karma. If your Karma is bad enough you could end up as Gregor Samsa's Bug. No guarantee to move ever upward.

That was my understanding of how it worked also. But I'll defer to Z's obvious expertise in the subject. Although, I am quite sure that my sister's cats are better off than the bottom billion humans in the world.

[donheff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zarathu If you want to believe this stuff..... There's so so so much more....if you want to believe this stuff.

No thanks. But on the off chance that it has any validity I prefer a version where a true evil doer can end up a bug

[bbbamI]

I was out of town for a few days. I've got a lot of catchin' up to do.

[Alan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbbamI I was out of town for a few days. I've got a lot of catchin' up to do.

Thought I hadn't seen you around - welcome back

[DivinDave]

When will puppy's start demanding equal time.

On the public pension issue, I'm just sorry I was such a sucker to stay in the private sector. (Youngsters take note!)

[Rustic23]

Yes, Youngsters take note, you can also take note that if you were a geologist in the mid 60's you would have found it tough to get a job, and law degrees are not a lucrative as they use to be. Hindsight is golden. I would make no bet that what is seen as the fat public pension will be around for those planing to retire in 30 or 40 years. The sage advice 'If you want something done, do it yourself' still holds true. Retirement is not something you can let others take care of for you. Weather it is private or public, you must take and interest and control of your own future.

[bbbamI]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan Thought I hadn't seen you around - welcome back

Ahhhh thank you. I went on a fun-filled trip to see the family.

Oh, and we have a pension and two kitties. Just might have a BLT for lunch.

[REWahoo]

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Originally Posted by bbbamI Just might have a BLT for lunch.

Please post a pic.

[bbbamI]

Quote:

Originally Posted by REWahoo Please post a pic.

Ask...and ye shall receive...

[Alan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbbamI Ahhhh thank you. I went on a fun-filled trip to see the family. Oh, and we have a pension and two kitties. Just might have a BLT for lunch.

Brilliant - and thanks for the pic of the BLT, it looks yummy

I got the first payment of my 3rd pension this week - it feels good!! I am well diversified when it comes to pensions (all private) - Pension 1 is paid into our bank in the UK, pensions 2 and 3 are US pensions paid in $, and I have a 4th pension (in the UK) which I am deferring until I'm 65 as it continues to grow (it is the only one that is COLA'ed).

[HsiaoChu]

I love E-R.O. Its the reason why I've amassed so many posts in such a short time. I express a concern about a certain kind of thread, and instead of being roundly attacked, I get opinions, suggestions...... and then the conversation in true James Joyce fashion transits to discussions of bacon and kittens as well as reincarnation.

And to top it all off, even though there was no origininal mention of it in the post to begin with, most everyone on that thread read the concern here, and the continuing discussion on pensions ALMOST IMMEDIATELY got gentler and less confrontive for anyone with a public pension.

E-R.org is amazing. I wish I would have had this kind of clientele when I was running a forum. It sure would have made my days easier to deal with.

Z

[ERD50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zarathu and instead of being roundly attacked,

If you don't think you were being attacked, maybe you need to re-read some of the posts. Perhaps I was they were too subtle

Quote:

ALMOST IMMEDIATELY got gentler and less confrontive for anyone with a public pension.

I've been busy! It has turned colder outside, maybe I can get back to those threads now

Seriously though, I don't think there was much confrontation at all, I think you read that into it. Seriously, not being satirical.

There is a HUGE difference between:

A) people who have seen their own benefits cut not wanting to have their taxes raised so that no public pensioner ever experiences any cut whatsoever, and

B) saying that those people don't 'deserve' their pension.

I think you have sometimes melded the two together.

-ERD50

[Leonidas]

Give us a chance man, we'll gore one of your sacred oxen soon enough!

Actually, you've just figured this place out. Other than a few semi-trolls everybody here gets along pretty well. We will still disagree, sometimes even a tad less than civilly, but that's life.

And there's always the ignore button. I'm not like some people, whose names I won't mention, with the population of a small village on ignore. But the few folks whose posts I no longer see are there because things they say just fire me up. Why waste what precious life is left to me getting pissed at some stranger on the net?

[HsiaoChu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERD50 If you don't think you were being attacked, maybe you need to re-read some of the posts. Perhaps I was they were too subtle A) people who have seen their own benefits cut not wanting to have their taxes raised so that no public pensioner ever experiences any cut whatsoever, and B) saying that those people don't 'deserve' their pension. I think you have sometimes melded the two together. -ERD50

You and Alan Greenspan!

But seriously, we have our "buttons". I have a pretty low tolerance for being attacked generally, but if I'm having a bad day, then I can easily meld things together.

Generally the time of PSSA's is not a good time of year for me. This is the time when PA for 4 weeks straight tests every child in grades 3, 4, & 5 in in public elementary schools with these tests. As a school counselor, this should only affect my ability to see kids during this time, but for me its quite different. I can't see anyone since I'm personally responsible for organizing the tests for about 400 students, training staff, providing test security etc. I'm locked into these stupid tests from 3 weeks before the testing to a month during the testing, and to a week after the testing. A loss of about 2 months of time from my real job. And the consequence for even one tiny violation of the process or heaven forbid actually losing a test is the loss of license to be a school counselor. And the state has monitors who visit districts looking for even tiny little violations of the rules. And there are hundreds of accommodations and rules and stuff. Its an incredible logistical nightmare. I'm good at logistics, but its a Murphy's Law type nightmare, and one has to cover every possible scenario. Last year we almost lost a test because we never accounted for the thought that one of our students would actually steal one of the tests. During an altercation in the one of the special small group settings, a student grabbed one of the tests from a box the teacher had on her desk and stuffed it in an empty desk and then stuffed books after it. Teacher only found it by an extensive search of the room.

I get very very edgy during this time period. Its the only time of year I actually have to take Zantac. I have about 1/2 of the process to go this year, and only one more time---next year. And next year there will not be the loss of my certificate holding over my head because I'm retiring. After 40 years of working in school based mental health services, I never want to do it again in this life.

So i look forward to being gored!

But after that people will probably be cooking marshmellows over a fire, or maybe I'll actually be the marshmallow!!