In a recent edition of the Reporter, Rep. Larry Springer is noted for introducing a retirement savings bill in the Washington State House.

In the article, while noting the dangerously low rate of retirement savings of millions of Americans, Springer is quoted as saying, “I run a small wine shop in Kirkland with four employees. I would love to offer them a retirement plan, but I can’t find one.”

Actually, Larry, they are all around you. They go by many names: SEP/IRAs, SIMPLE plans, Profit Sharing plans, to name a few. And, contrary to the article, many of them are neither expensive nor burdensome administratively. Banks, mutual fund companies and brokerage houses all sponsor low cost, flexible plans for small businesses.

Like you, I run a small business with four employees. But unlike you, I have offered a retirement plan for the last 15 years.

Is the savings rate for most Americans abysmally low? Absolutely. Might a government plan such as you espouse be part of the solution? Quite possibly. But let’s promote ideas based on facts, not on political posturing. If you choose as a business owner to not offer a retirement plan to your employess, that is your decision to make. But don’t pretend that the private sector offers no viable alternatives.

Terry Cole, Kirkland