ADVERTISEMENTS

So, I leave tomorrow for the border. My yearly quest for the holy TN visa. Except two things. First, the TN visa is now a 3 year visa. That is great news. Second, at the end of this visa (assuming it is granted and it is always nerve wracking) I am thinking of moving on. The main problem is this: I am in Tier 4 in the Alaska civil service. That means that my retirement is a 'defined contribution' instead of a 'defined benefit'. I have blogged about this before what what that basically means is that my retirement money is thrown into the stock market. What makes that worse is that government employees in Alaska do not contribute to social security. We all know the future is uncertain. But I don't like all of my retirement being in the market. What if in 30 or 40 years the market is going through what it is now? What if one of my account managers picks an Enron or a Madoff? I could work my whole life and end up eating dog food. No thanks. What makes it worse is that by statute Alaska Public Defenders cannot have an outside practice. It used to be that was a fair trade-off. But Tier 4 employees take it in the shorts. So, as much as I love being an Alaska Public Defender, I am pretty sure this will be my last TN visa for the State. After 5 years my retirement account is fully vested. It will be time to move on. This year a few guys from work are coming so it should be a fun trip anyways. In other news Mount Redoubt blew again today. It has been cloudy here but in these pictures you can see the ash cloud moving south. I guess Homer got a good dump of ash. I hope it doesn't dump when I am not here this weekend. With any luck the next time I write I will have a 3 year visa and be feeling great. If not, I will be panicking more than anyone ever has ever panicked in the history of the world. Wish me luck! P.S. The U.S. immigration system is still absolutely broken.

Bloggers, promote your law blog by nominating your blog for inclusion in USLaw.com's Law Blog Directory and RSS Reader. Benefits described.