Houston, we have a problem

The economy is either in a recession or, as George Bush sees it, the economy has hit "a rough patch." Either way, economic worries seem to be reflected in the latest retirement confidence survey published by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute.

Survey shows: only 18 percent of workers are confident that they will have enough money to retire comfortably. Justd last year, 27 percent of workers were financially confident. The crisis of confidence hits retirees hard too: 29 percent are currently resting easy about their financial futures. That's down from 41 percent in the previous year.

Is the decline in confidence rational? Probably not, from an economist's viewpoint. But consumer--or worker/retiree confidence is much more of a bread-and-butter issue. Or, should we say bread, butter, gasoline,and health insurance issue.