Would you take a vow of poverty?

@BlueVeins Well, wearing sandals even in the winter for a start.

@MarkPaul Maybe if I moved to Florida, I would do that.

@BlueVeins 📒 Got it. ✏️

@IAmJess You would not learn self-sufficiency that way.

@MarkPaul Yeah? And?

@IAmJess And... you will need to be self-sufficient on Mars.

@greenmountaingal Pension?

@MarkPaul I lost 80% of the Social Security I'd paid into the system over a period of 21 working (hard working!) years due to the Windfall Provision Act which passed right after I'd completed teacher's college and started my first teaching job. Very discouraging. Many people do not even know about this law which takes most Social Security payments away from teachers, police officers, nurses, medical technicians, paramedics, first responders and fire fighters. If you started on such a job after working in the Social Security system (private not public sector jobs) for a few years, or, as in my case, more than a few years, you lose most of your Social Security. When I found out, I was extremely upset, to say the least. Now I am trying to improve my health enough to go back to work and believe I will be able to do that one of these days, weeks or months.

For all the talk about people respecting police officers, nurses, teachers, fire fighters, etc. the truth is that there is a reason there is a so-called "teacher shortage." Good retirement benefits were supposed to make up for limited pay plus stress on the job. But not for those stung by the Windfall Provision Act.

@MartinTheFirst Wow. Yeah. That puts it in perspective.

@MarkPaul im glad you see what i mean

@MartinTheFirst I've been studying... well at least reading and thinking. I definitely get what you mean.