“private retirement plans”

Were you speaking towards a SEP/IRA?

Don’t expect the government to do something for you (especially in the US).

When everything is said and done, I can’t see them ever ever letting Social Security fail, at all. That would truly be the spark of a revolution if so.

Older voters are the best voters, so at the end of the day they’ll make sure that stuff stays intact, one way or the other. Even if it means they have to build less battleships, etc.