To the future

If subsidies and incentives are good enough for the energy industry (more offshore drilling? sure!), they should be good enough for the average working man. And that seems to be the gist of the AmeriSave plan that House Democrats will soon offer as an alternative to privatizing Social Security:

The Democratic plan, called AmeriSave, would increase incentives for middle-class workers to participate in 401(k) retirement accounts and individual retirement accounts. It would also create tax credits for small businesses that set up retirement accounts for their employees.

In theory these are good ideas. They encourage retirement investment for the working class while keeping Social Security untouched. But I'm still not sure how you sell the public on the idea of money later for retirement over groceries and clothing for their family now. People's fear of the future is no doubt tempered by their fear of the present - who cares if I can eat tomorrow when I can barely afford to do it right now.

Want people to retire with more money? Give them better paying jobs with better benefits. Stop subsidising companies to do things they would be forced to do anyways.