3 Ways Obama’s Budget Would Affect Retirement Savers

INCREASED SOCIAL SECURITY FUNDING. That would help and it's long overdue. I feel that those like myself who never had a job that provided a pension plan ought to get at least a little bit more from Social Security....say maybe a 15% increase instead of 20%.

AUTOMATIC PENSIONS. That's an excellent idea. But in reference to those employers who don't offer a retirement plan....it is not enough to require them to enroll their employees in a direct-deposit IRA especially if the workers are making only minimum wage. Mimimum wage barely covers the most basic living expenses, and it is'nt reasonable to expect people with such a meager income to save part of it for retirement when they can barely live paycheck to paycheck. There should be some kind of pension plan set up for people making low wages. If they want to opt out of it when they get higher wages that could be their choice. Also, if an employer paid matching funds....let's say a dollar for every dollar a worker saves for retirement that would give people more of an incentive to save.

A GOVERNMENT MATCH. A 50% for every $1000 saved? Yep, that sounds good too. But I think it should be given to everyone with an income of less then $65,000 including single people, not just families. Every kind of government funded program that has ever existed gives a better deal to families with children. I am single and have no children. Don't give me less just because I am single.

Charlie Lammers of OH 3:32AM March 15, 2009

A sneaky way of including (AKA buying VOTES of) illegal aliens in a system into witch I have contributed for 45 years and they

have NOT.

J. HILL of NJ 6:09PM March 12, 2009

Most people who laud or deride the efforts now underway to solve our national financial and retirement dilemmas are ignoring the warnings that were given as these situations developed.Social Security has long been under scrutiny for underfunding and a need to change the way it is funded and administered. The easy mortgage process came on the heels of the "junk bond" fiasco. And the banks and business world drove up the interest rates and prices because they could. Any body still alive who remembers 1929 has lived to see another market collapse on both speculation and "greed" run unemcumbered or regulated to prevent this collapse.Efforts are being made to shore up the failings but again its being derailed by greed and lack of patiotic conscence. The stock market and business faults start near the bottom by the investors demanding more dividends and stock splits to fatten their portfolios. The profits and stock price increases reached obscene levels. Why? Because they could. The next step was moving jobs and manufacturing outside of U.S. borders for cheaper labor. Funny, I didn't see any prices go down or even stay the same. Finally, the top people-CEOs, Chairmen, CFOs all got grossly exaggerated salaries, stock options, and bonuses. And the workers who got them there got next to nothing, some losing jobs in the process. And, when the demise was seen on the horizon, the stocks got sold, and the "Golden parachutes" were deployed. The rest has become history. And, the people

we elected to safeguard our economy and interests just played along. And, we have kept

electing several powerful ones since. President O'Bama has a long and treacherous road to

try and heal this obfuscation. Tothose who voted Clinton the cause of all this, your conservative Republican BS meter is showing. Bush took over a large surplus and threw it

away on an expensive and needless war, that not only cost us billions of dollars but also

fed corruption and outright larceny of US aid to rebuild Iraq. Not only by US contractors,

of which there were many and even the big one's got their unfair share, but also Iraqi

contractors and disbursement officials. And, none have gone to jail yet. But we can do a

good job on Martha Stewart. And, now the Republican frivolity has come to roost. So, if

tighter controls over federal money and both the financial and business world has to be,

look in your "laissez Faire" mirror, then your wallet. The term "Robber Barons" has had

it's place in American history, and it's being recycled now. By the way, I was a Reagan

Republican. But that was long ago and miles of integrity away. The current bailout only

forestalls the total collapse. If the Congress and the people don't unite over a plan of

action, we will not only collapse but lose our prominent position in the world financial

market and become lessor to another nation. Woe the Day!

Daniel Brannen of FL 2:51PM March 12, 2009

I am with the school of thought that taxing the most wealthy may be a step in the right direction.

From analysis and comment from economists, the previous presidential administration had the affliction to minimize taxes of the most wealthy Americans- with little or no attention to the skinking middle class.

Hopefully, the administration will not lean to far to the left in the effort to align the tax paying field. However, from the record of the previous administration, the cries of "welfare socialism" are overblown.

This is what happens after you have eight years of an excessive fiscal policy that has benefitted the most wealthy.

Nick Mandel of NM 1:37PM March 12, 2009