"And I would also be saddened if some hard working guy, who knows his job and does it well, opts into Bush's scheme and uses the money to invest in stuff he knows little or nuthin' about and ends up either having to work until the day he dies or dies in poverty."

If i'm not mistaken, isn't this where a little personal responsibility needs to be brought to the table? If you are interested in just getting the 1 to 1 1/2% that SS offers then fine. But at least have enough sense to realize that some people do their homework and if they don't know about something, you know what they do? They ask somebody who does. This is what you call learning. If you're not smart enough or have the fortitude to do some legwork and find out the different options available to make your life a little more comfortable then don't come complaining to me and want to raise my taxes when your favorite type of bologna goes up to $6.95/pound.