Okay, here's a little perspective on some things mentioned:

If you get a traffic ticket, there's a little thing called preponderance of the evidence, which basically translates to "guilty unless proven innocent". This means that it is on the perpetrator to prove to the court that the policeman that issued the citation is in error. If the cop says you ran a red light, unless you have a video camera in your car and filmed the condition of the light as you went through it, or you bring three witnesses to court with you that will swear you didn't run the light, you will lose.

Now you may say that isn't the same as getting a citation for running a yellow light. Well, here's the way that goes. If they issue a lot of yellow light tickets and they get contested often, then it is not much of a stretch for them to just say it was red instead. Since they are obviously willing to fraud the court on a yellow light citation, why not just take the fraud the extra step and call it a red light? You say that cops have more integrity than that. Well, cops like to get paid, and if it means the difference between a junior cop on the force having a job or getting laid off due to budget cuts, I am sure the state would have no trouble finding people who would be willing to work as a cop righting red light tickets all day long. This isn't to say all cops, or even most cops, will do such a thing or that cops in general aren't brimming with integrity, but I've watched how the system works, and if a municipality wants to generate revenue this way, it will be done. This applies to radar traps, parking violations, you name it. The government will get their cut one way or another. You can pass all the initiatives and referendums you can imagine, and elect all the politicians who make big campaign promises for reform you want, but government is the biggest business going, and the golden rule applies to them more than anyone out there; he who has the gold makes the rules.

As for a 401k or any other savings mechanism, prudence dictates that one should always face ANY investment strategy with a good deal of cynicism. It is not any different than taking your money to Vegas. All investments contain risk, and all are a gamble, even investments in the government. If you think that you can invest in anything and be assured of an adequate return, then you are preparing to fail.

My greatest asset, and the only one I find worthy of investing my greatest interest in, is my ability to outperform anyone else around me in whatever is paying the top dollar for my abilities. I am not the best at everything, I am not even the best at the things I do well, but I am willing to do things that others won't or can't, and that has real value I can parlay into gain today. I beat inflation and stupid government budgeting snafu's by finding out what is in great demand in the marektplace that I am capable of and then doing whatever I have to so that I can secure a position where someone is willing to pay me a premium for my services. Salesmanship is my greatest asset. Convincing people with money and a need that I can satisfy their need in exchange for some of their money is my greatest success. The next one is delivering on the deal so that my reputation is my bona fide for the next client. I never get fired, terminated, or laid off. I leave when it is time for me to move on and before my client has no further use for me. I don't ever expect to retire, so having a retirement fund is trivial. I save for the unexpected as my needs allow. I keep my debt to a minimum. I don't consider my situation unique; I suspect most people to be able to accomplish roughly the same or better than what I have. I am not worried about the market so much because no matter how bad things get, I am confident that I can always take care of my needs at least as well as anyone else out there, if not better than most. If things get so bad that no one can take care of their needs, then I doubt any amount of money I save now will be of much help at that point, but a can-do attitude might make a big difference.

There are (at least) two movie quotes I live by: "I don't believe in the no-win scenario" and "There are certain levels of existence we are (I am) willing to accept".