Worry

I had a conversation with a co-worker today about how much we worry about our parents. This is what got us started. My mom told me that my step-dad will start having to pay $1000 a month additional into KPERS (public retirement fund--you have to do it as a teacher) as a penalty for retiring and going back to work. i.e. he worked long enough in the Wichita school district to retire, worked in another district, tried another job, now works in Olathe schools. This money is not something they will every see again. They just owe it as a kind of "fuck you for trying to retire." My mom is obviously devestated. She went back to work this year to help them try to dig out of debt; she makes about $1000 a month. So now, instead of working to help pay for stuff, her whole salary will go to this magical KPERS account--she might as well throw it out the window. I don't even know how that's legal, but what a fucking crock of shit.

My dad and my step-mom are retired. They literally retired about a month before the bottom dropped out of the economy and I know they lost tens of thousands of dollars. Hopefully with the economy recovering their accounts are doing better; but still. I also found out when I visited that they are paying over $1000 a month for insurance. You don't have an "income" yet owe $1000 a month for just one bill. Plus, I am hoping my dad's cancer stuff is all covered by this very expensive insurance. Now I'm not as worried about my dad and Connie, but still.

Anyway--it just makes me sad. I want my mom and Don to get to retire some day--it doesn't look like that will ever happen!