When the question answers itself.

The problem is real:

The mythic promise of the American economy has always been a linear one: You learn a trade, work hard, and, one day, you’ll be rewarded in retirement.

Over the past decade — and particularly after the 2008 recession — that dream has been profoundly tested. According to a Harris Poll last spring, 78 percent of all Americans said they were “extremely” or “somewhat” concerned about their retirement savings. One in five, meanwhile, have no savings at all and, for those who do, approximately one-third have less than $25,000 saved for retirement.

But is the question, realistic?

What would a state level response look like?

My guess would have to be no.  I don't expect any response at the state level to this problem, and I can't even imagine one, quite frankly.

Some sort of state level response to low retirement savings rates?  I just don't see it occurring.

Which raises an interesting side question.  Having been able to watch certain occupations, it's odd how some retire and some don't, who could.

Doctors retire.  And that's a good thing as frankly they'd reach a point where their knowledge would start to become obsolescent and its absolutely necessary that their minds remain sharp.

That latter requirement is necessary for lawyers too, but as far as I can tell, most don't retire.  They could, but simply don't.  Some change career focuses, but they tend to hand on practicing until death as a rule.

Some ranchers retire, but many don't.  I can understand that.  When they do retire, it tends to be because the ravages of physical work have simply caught up with them.

There are exceptions to that, I'd note.  I've known ranchers who funded retirements by selling their lands, and that takes their entire families out of agriculture. . . forever usually.  That tends to come about however when nobody wants to step into their shoes.

Well anyway. This is a national crisis. But I don't expect it to be addressed anytime soon.  And I can't see the state addressing it at all.  Maybe it can't.

A few odds and ends to consider.

Recently here in the state we've seen coal miners who were depending on retirements from their mines potentially loose out as the pensions are going to be impacted.  What a horror that must be for those men and women.  Coal mining jobs were good jobs, and the men and women who opted to take them often opted to do so even though they could have gone on elsewhere and done something else.  It allowed them to stay home close to where they were from, and I don't blame them.

Something ought to be done for them. And it shouldn't be the case that young men from Kemmerer have to opt to go to Denver or Salt Lake for careers.  But more and more, that's the way things have gone.

I worry about people who have worked in jobs so long that it's become their life, although I sure see how that can happen.  I think that's what happens to a lot of lawyers.  They started off with lots of interests and by their mid 40s the law is the only one left, by necessity.  It's pretty much a 24 hour a day, seven days a week, kind of job.  I'm in my mid 50s and I work well over 40 hours a week at least six days a week, every week.  That's really common.  I can see how people who were interested in one thing or another let those interests drop away so by the time they were in their mid 60s, the law was the only thing left.  That's not good.

Not everyone falls into that.  People who are and do fall into that should take steps not to let that occur.  Some people really think its praiseworthy to say "well. . . he was till coming into the office everyday at age 120 and died at his desk. . .".  It isn't.

Indeed, a few years ago here there was an effort to raise the mandatory judicial retirement age up over 70.  The effort failed, and I'm glad it did. The Federal bench has no such requirement and at least as of a few years ago there were a couple of senior judges over 100 years old.  They didn't do much, but they were doing something, which is problematic in all sorts of ways unless you have wisdom approaching that of King Solomon and stamina approaching of that of a Sherpa guide. . . and you probably don't.