Do we need to be saved from ourselves? Team Obama certainly thinks so. This may be a crude characterization, but we’re sure it resonates with many readers: liberals think the government needs to make us do things for ourselves; conservatives think that without government meddling we are free to pursue what’s best.

This is especially true with money says Raife Neuman, tax planner for the soon-to-be-launched Bonner & Partners Family Office.

• • Pro: More than half of the 75 million workers currently without an employer retirement plan would get access to one.
  • Pro: Any retirement saving is good.
  • Con: Small businesses especially are worried about the administrative costs
  • Con: The program is not aggressive enough, and would be harmful especially to younger workers who would benefit from putting their money into more aggressive growth devices.

Obama wants to take your money and have the government spend it – for your own good! Conservatives say get your hands out of my damn pockets. But sometimes, government meddling may serve some purpose.

Now before you get out your pitchforks and come howling for my blood, let me explain. Americans, as a group, are terrible with money. We are addicted to credit, from the government on down. Many of the arguments for a “welfare state” are grounded in the vast numbers of elderly citizens who can’t support themselves in retirement after spending like drunken sailors during their working years. And who does this hurt? The wealthy. Because it’s their money the government is going to come after to support these people.

The Obama administration is trying to address this problem by instituting mandatory IRA contributions. A recent article on SmartMoney.com breaks down the pros and cons: