17 Nov 2005 Senate on Pensions: Do As We Say, Not As We Do

In an article by Albert Crenshaw, “Senate Passes Bill to Require Full Funding of Private Pensions,” the Washington Post reports Thursday:

The Senate yesterday overwhelmingly approved a bill to strengthen the nation’s private pension system by requiring employers to pay higher premiums to the government’s pension insurance agency and toughening rules for keeping plans adequately funded…

I’m all in favor of employers fully-funding the pensions they promise, but I wonder this: How can the Senate do this with a straight face, knowing that Social Security and Medicare are vastly underfunded?