In the early 80s, three Texas counties opted out of the federal social security program. This does not mean that these counties stopped providing retirement benefits – in fact, the program apparently supplies not only retirement benefits at four times the rate of social security, but the program pays the premium on life and disability insurance as well.
Unfortunately, Congress apparently closed the loophole that allowed the opting-out of the social security program. It seems that the state of Oregon, for one, has already voted to opt out of the current federal plan as soon as they are allowed. Unfortunately, mentions of this include the Clinton Administration, and there is no sign that their plan worked then. Still, such an action makes it apparent that alternatives are needed.
While a potentially more extreme idea, the Libertarian suggestion to fill some of the gaps in federal fiscal policy by selling off assets that they shouldn’t own seems worthy of consideration. After all, why trust your retirement to an organization that is already trillions of dollars in debt, when that organization owns trillions of dollars in assets? This isn’t Berkshire Hathaway and the government shouldn’t be in the business of float.
These days I don’t know that there is much that we can do – it certainly seems that the establishment often completely ignores the wishes of the populace that they purport to represent. But we still do live in a democracy, representative democracy that it is. If one of those representatives doesn’t do what you want, vote them out. Just because that issue has come and gone does not mean that you can’t do something so they don’t screw you again.