前些時候，《紐約時報》有一個報道談到：因為不滿英國政府削減退休金，數萬英國公務員在倫敦舉行了大罷工。（New York Times: Public Workers Strike in Britain Over Pensions By SARAH LYALL, June 30, 2011）對此，讀者有不少評論。下麵是兩位讀者的評論（附上英文）。
讀者Elliot：
美國也快有這種大罷工啦。（Coming soon to a state near you.）
讀者Sierra：
退休金？什麽叫做退休金？我似乎記得，我的祖父母在他們退休的時候有過這玩意。也許，這隻是一個過去的夢想？
雇主老板告訴我們說，我們不需要那種令人討厭的共產主義的退休金。老板說啦：他會教我們去開一個愛國的、美國的401K退休帳戶。我們什麽事情也不用做，老板在銀行裏的好朋友會管理我們的401K的錢。每個月，我都按時把一部分薪水放到我的401K帳戶裏去。可有趣的是，帳戶裏的錢並不漲。雖然我不會算那種2+2=5 的加法，但我上過美國的公立學校，我知道如果我不斷地往咖啡茶裏加糖的話，它應該會變得越來越甜。難道401K帳戶不應該是這樣的嗎？天底下奇怪的事情真不少。我希望我們大家組織起來，跟老板講一講道理。但是老板說，工會組織令人討厭，那是社會主義的東西，是不愛美國的做法；而且，這麽做可能是非法的，我們有可能會蹲監獄。老板還說，如果我不喜歡我的工作，我可以走路 — 還有另外15個人正在等著我的這一份工呢；那些失業的人，決不會像我這種共產主義的、社會主義的垃圾人，嘮嘮叨叨地去議論401K的事情；那些找工作的人，願意拿更少的錢而幹我所幹的同樣的活兒。於是，我們屈膝求憐，做一個真正愛國的美國人；我們老老實實地幹活，不再去想那些愚蠢的、不愛國的事情。
（Pensions? What are pensions? I seem to remember hearing my grandparents talking about getting one when they were old and grey. Maybe it was just a dream. My employer said we didn't need no stinkin' commie pension. They were going to do right by us in our old age and give us these patriotic American 401k accounts. We wouldn't have to do a thing as the boss's bankster buddy would manage the money for us. Funny thing, when I look at my statement, the amount is not going up even though I am putting money in with each paycheck. Now I'm not good with numbers 2+2 might equal 5, I'm not sure, I went to an American public school, but if I keep putting more spoons of sugar in my coffee, it gets sweeter. Shouldn't the 401k work the same way? I think somethin's starting to stink. Wish all of us here at the office could band together and stand up to the boss man. But the boss said that banding together would be stinkin' socialism and unamerican and was illegal; he could have us put in a private jail. He said if we were not happy we could leave because there were 15 people for each job and they would not be whining commie pinko socialist garbage or asking questions about 401k's. And they would work for much less that the princely sum we were getting paid. We did the patriotic, American thing and dropped to our knees and begged for mercy and that we would never think unpatriotic thoughts again. Silently, we went back to work and never thought such foolishness again.）
