The idea of mandatory savings is in response to a much broader dilemma: to what extent can we interdict into a personal life to save that person from destruction? Historically the answer, apart maybe from the closest relatives, has been next to nil. But as we weave ever denser social contracts the thought is that if we, as a society, are mandated to bail someone out then we, as a society, have the right to compel that person's good behavior. This runs smack into the notion of personal freedom and a significant, though not exclusive, reason for that personal freedom: the ability to become a fully mature adult who ultimately, though often indirectly, contributes to a healthy, vibrant society.

Another way of putting this is that the more we compel behavior the more we foster dependent drones who, at some level of dependency, society decides should serve society rather than vice versa. At which point welcome to the brave new world!

Admittedly, this is slightly headier stuff than finding next quarter's alpha ...