Help from who? Our Government is broke, our states and municipalities are broke. The tax payer? Are you gonna vote for a tax that will take money out of your check to fund your retirement? I'm all for private pensions, but at what cost...certainly not from taxes. If the company you work for can afford to contribute to a pension, that is fine. But to put it on the back of the public is BS. Look at the situation in Greece. 22% of the workers are in the private sector and 78% work for the government, how are 22% going to be able to fund the retirement of the 78%? It's simple math and it doesn't add up. In the US, we have 120 trillion in unfunded liabilities (Social Security, Medicade, Medicare and Federal Pensions) plus interest on the national debt, add that to the 16.3 trillion in national debt....where is the money going to come from....the answer is all of us through taxes. I'm sorry to say, but those of us under 45 are not going to retire, we are going to work until we die regardless if we have a pension. We won't be able to afford to retire due to huge tax increases that are coming to retain the "status quo"
Your quite adept at asking the questions but offer nothing as a possible solution...just basically anti-government hysteria. Your not willing to have a portion of your (and everyone else's) taxes go towards funding private pensions...including your own I presume...but consider this...Did all the "To big to fail" banks have any qualms about taking your tax dollars when they were near collapse? I would presume once again that you were against such usage of tax payer money...You say " If the company you work for can afford to contribute to a pension, that is fine." Does that mean that your in favor of leaving pensions, including your own, up to the "kindness" of the "Company"? There are examples of Companies that make profit and still do not offer pensions....because that would mean less profit for them....but your fine with that it seems.... The Situation in Greece...is just that.....the situation in Greece....Not the same as it is here...Your reasoning of Public sector vs private sector is assuming that all Government workers pay no income tax....."22% of the workers are in the private sector and 78% work for the government, how are 22% going to be able to fund the retirement of the 78%? You mention trillions in unfunded liabilities but fail to mention that it also includes trillions of dollars spent on wars....that were put on the national credit card....Trillions more dollars that never reached the treasury because of tax laws and loopholes that allow Huge Corporations as well as wealthy individuals to pay little and in some cases no federal tax.....That is the "status quo" that should concern us more....There are those that wish for all of us to believe that we can't afford Social Security and medicare/medicaid and other Social programs that are aimed at helping the vast majority of the population...Listen to who is promoting such ideas... usually those that have a financial interest in getting their 'hands" on that money...rather than let it be used for it's intended purpose...Have those same sources ever been concerned with the cost of war? Seems we always have money for that..... You mention the situation in Greece....Are there other Countries in the world that might serve as an example of how things can work for the betterment of our citizens? There are many things I don't want my tax dollars spent on but have no say in the matter.....but if given the choice I would much rather see my tax money be spent on programs that help the working class of this country....yes that includes Social Security and Medicare ect..and yes increased public funding to help ailing pensions.(think PBGC)...including yours........rather than wars and being the World "leader".. Your right...with Corporations controlling our pensions and livelihood... there is not going to be retirement as we think of it today.....The real question is what is everyone going to do about it?