[GreenHornet]

During his State of the Union Address, President Bush mentioned that his proposal for private savings accounts is very similar in concept to the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), a 401K type plan in which hundreds of thousands of federal employees participate. As part of his public relations campaign, I think the President should continue to make that comparison, and urge people to talk with family members, friends, neighbors, etc. who are federal employees participating in the TSP. He should encourage them to ask these people if the TSP's a risky venture, or if they feel that they're gambling with their retirement money. The overwhelming majority will tell you that it's a much better deal than the current Social Security system. Why shouldn't all Americans have the opportunity to take part in a plan like this? If President Bush can bring home the point that he's offering something to the people that the federal employees have enjoyed for the past 20 years, he'll have a much easier time persuading the public to support him on this.

[GoBucks2002]

uring his State of the Union Address, President Bush mentioned that his proposal for private savings accounts is very similar in concept to the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), a 401K type plan in which hundreds of thousands of federal employees participate...

As a former Federal employee, I miss my TSP. But the key to remember is that it's a 401k, voluntary and supplemental program, with an employer match.

With some reduction of the payroll tax for those under, say, 45, (full disclosure: I am in my early 30s), a system modeled after TSP could be very, very beneficial for all concerned.