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Uncle Sam can fund retirement - Obama
CNN Money ^ | June 16, 2008 | Tami Luhby

Posted on 06/16/2008 2:58:58 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

With most Americans doing a lousy job saving for their Golden Years, Barack Obama says the government has to step in.

The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee proposes that companies that don't offer retirement plans be required to set up and automatically enroll employees in IRA-type_accounts. In addition, companies with plans would have to automatically enroll workers in them.

Employees, unless they opt out, would have 3% of their salary directly deposited into the retirement account, typically into a low-cost index mutual fund. And the government would match part of the money certain employees contribute.

"These steps will put a secure retirement within the reach of millions of Americans," Obama said Friday at a campaign stop in Ohio.

The plan, which has received relatively little attention on the campaign trail, is likely to be controversial in some quarters. It would help some of the 78 million people without retirement plans at work save. But the proposal also would impose new mandates on businesses, while costing the federal government $18.8 billion a year, according to the Tax Policy Center, a nonpartisan policy group in Washington D.C.

Government-funded match

To encourage low- and moderate-income people to stay in the plan, Obama would provide a federally-funded match for families earning less than $75,000 who set aside money in a retirement account at work or on their own. The government match - 50% of up to $1,000 in savings - would be a refundable tax credit directly deposited into an IRA.

Obama, like an increasing number of companies and policy experts, is jumping on the auto-enrollment bandwagon. As 401(k)s increasingly become workers' sole source of retirement savings, employers are under more pressure to ensure employees contribute to the plans. More than one in three companies now automatically enroll workers in 401(k)s, according to Hewitt Associates.

(Excerpt) Read more at money.cnn.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Extended News; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2008; election; elections; entitlements; federalspending; mccain; obama; retirement; seniorvote
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
This reads like a very effective McCain ad to me. Of course, reading McCain's energy policy reads like a "stay home" ad to me.

Deciding who to vote for in this election is like trying to decide which urinal to lick.

21 posted on 06/16/2008 6:00:22 AM PDT by dead (I've got my eye out for Mullah Omar.)
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To: LibertyRocks
All this on top of our Social Security taxes? How wonderful! Why thank you Mr. Obama - please take away more of our income (what do you want to bet that this will become a “requirement” instead of an option).

Not to fear; He will put all the money into that BIG LOCKBOX!

22 posted on 06/16/2008 6:00:36 AM PDT by dearolddad (Like $6.00 + gas? Be sure to thank a democrap.)
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To: Puppage

I explained what wasn’t voluntary — the money was social security money, so they took it from you whether you signed up or not. The only voluntary part was whether you put the money into the SS trust fund or into a private account.

Of course, as I also said, it wasn’t NEW tax, it was the existing tax you already were losing. But another way to privatize would have been to let you keep your own money and do what you want with it, and Bush didn’t do that.

And as I said, Obama’s plan isn’t mandatory either, because you can opt out.


23 posted on 06/16/2008 6:07:26 AM PDT by CharlesWayneCT
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

"Wait a tic...blimey, this redistribution of wealth is trickier than I thought."

24 posted on 06/16/2008 6:11:23 AM PDT by dfwgator ( This tag blank until football season.)
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To: Sacajaweau
When she applies she should ask why she has to pay since Stanford already has over $17 BILLION dollars in its endowment fund.
25 posted on 06/16/2008 6:29:20 AM PDT by oh8eleven (RVN '67-'68)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Me likey. This is a great plan. Of course, Obama will first have to get rid of that other dysfunctional retirement plan, Social Security. Then, we can take 3% out of our checks, put it into an index fund in the stock market and get a bigger check at retirement than Social Security, for far less than the 12% that is costing us now.
26 posted on 06/16/2008 6:34:07 AM PDT by sportutegrl
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Gubmint, gubmint, gubmint! The man is a loon.

And he says the payments will go to ‘certain’ people. This on top of the billions he wants us to spend to end world poverty all of which will go to the pockets of dictators and UN.


27 posted on 06/16/2008 6:41:59 AM PDT by whatshotandwhatsnot
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Geez...every time McCain pisses me off with some retarded statement, Hussein will do something that reminds me how fully inept HE would be as President.


28 posted on 06/16/2008 6:44:48 AM PDT by Recovering_Democrat (Just say NObama!)
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To: dead
Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting


29 posted on 06/16/2008 7:14:28 AM PDT by patriot08
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Employees, unless they opt out, would have 3% of their salary directly deposited into the retirement account

What the HELL is Social Security then?
Oh, I forgot, it's just the bank account Uncle Sugar uses to keep the country afloat.

30 posted on 06/16/2008 7:18:51 AM PDT by Just another Joe (Warning: FReeping can be addictive and helpful to your mental health)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
would have 3% of their salary directly deposited into the retirement account

Okay, now, what was the reason for opposing President Bush's suggestion that 4% of the 12.4% of your income already paid to Social Security be deposited into a retirement account?

31 posted on 06/16/2008 7:31:44 AM PDT by MosesKnows (Love many, Trust few, and always paddle your own canoe)
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To: MosesKnows
Okay, now, what was the reason for opposing President Bush's suggestion that 4% of the 12.4% of your income already paid to Social Security be deposited into a retirement account?

Dubya's just a dummy from Texas that just wants to enrich all his oil buddies. Obamination is a caring, loving soul from the tough streets of Chicago who wants to help "the little people".

32 posted on 06/16/2008 7:38:10 AM PDT by ssaftler
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Hey, Obama!

No problem, right?

Just stick it to the American taxpayers.

They don't need their money as much as your voters do, now do they?


33 posted on 06/16/2008 8:07:24 AM PDT by Prole (Pray for the families of Chris and Channon.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Thanks to Obama we now have a wonderful definition of "Social Security II". Now we can move on to defining "Social Security III".

Let's take some more of peoples' earnings and mandate that they be put under government control. This will definitely improve everything, since we all know that the problem with "Social Security I" was that people didn't put in enough money, people weren't required to do it, and the system was lacking government control over the funds.

34 posted on 06/16/2008 8:25:47 AM PDT by William Tell (RKBA for California (rkba.members.sonic.net) - Volunteer by contacting Dave at rkba@sonic.net)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
I always knew Obama was a socialist. People aren't capable of saving for themselves with better results? When you get something from the government, you get the BARE MINIMUM. People still fall for this garbage and want it — they want government as their “mommy” and “daddy.” Gees, what a nation of children we are becoming.
35 posted on 06/16/2008 8:26:41 AM PDT by GOP_Lady
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Screw the Black Muslin Socialist. I have a corner post smarter than he is.


36 posted on 06/16/2008 8:34:20 AM PDT by Piquaboy (22 year veteran of the Army, Air Force and Navy, Pray for all our military .)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Socialist "Retirement" plan:
 
 
"BBC NEWS | Europe | 'Over 11000' dead in French heat"
 
 
It's not too hard to envision BO loading up Boxcars with those slated for "retirement"... 
in fact, I've got a new nickname for BO - Boxcar Barry.

37 posted on 06/16/2008 9:08:58 AM PDT by LomanBill (A bird flies because the right wing opposes the left.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Buying votes from the lazy @ssed masses.


38 posted on 06/16/2008 9:10:22 AM PDT by Sig Sauer P220
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To: Shady

Don’t we already have this kind of thing? I think the concept is called Social Security.


39 posted on 06/16/2008 9:24:28 AM PDT by hdstmf
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To: Piquaboy

Is your corner post black? The other three post should be a brown, a yellow and a white. You had better be politically correct, you know.


40 posted on 06/16/2008 9:30:25 AM PDT by hdstmf
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