In the current concern about the pension controversy, there are those that won't stop the whining and scare-mongering of people who do have to face the reality of a changing world.

Its one thing to let people know what is actually going on, it?s another to panic about the forces that are changing the world and then create statistics to show why change shouldn't happen.

Here's a recent headline by the Labor Research Association:401(k) s Won?t Stop the Impoverishment of RetireesWhile their demagoguery might be funny when bantered among their political opponents, to announce that they can now tell the future concerning how the 401(k) vs. the pension will 'impoverish' retirees, is outright irresponsibility.

Here is one of their typical socialist comments:

"Employers and the Bush administration are well aware that 401(k)s cannot substitute for pension plans in providing a secure retirement. Hewitt's study of more than 220 large U.S. companies reveals that only six percent are confident their employees will take accountability for their own retirement future this year, down from 12 percent in 2005."

They see the problem as the fact that 6% of U.S. companies, according to a Hewitt study, are confident that their employees will be accountable for their own retirement future.

Who cares! These are the same people that want all of us to have some type of faith that the government, irregardless of events beyond its control, will somehow be able to absolutely assure us that our lives will be ok no matter what.

Then they go on with their great revelation that in 2005, U.S. companies were confident that 12 % of employees would be accountable.

Ah, just one quick question, "When did it become important to my retirement that companies would give their opinion about their confidence in me?"
Here's another of their great statistics and insights:

"Despite all of the talk about the ?portability? advantages of 401(k) s, the reality is that 45 percent of the workers with 401(k) plans cash out their accounts when they change jobs, according to a Hewitt study of 200,000 workers. This is not just a practice among the youngest workers. More than 42 percent of workers age 40-49 elected to cash out of their 401(k) plans upon leaving their jobs."

In other words they are deeply troubled at people being free to do with their own money what they want. Socialists do have that minor shortcoming.

The point here isn't whether this is wise or not, it's that the new realities are that we must know that the way things were will gradually disappear. To give spurious statistics and attempt to put people in torment and fear is ridiculous.

Hey, I have an idea to help workers with their retirements - have all the union dues collected that have been confiscated throughout the decades and redistributed to all of us. Now that's a socialist plan that I could back up.