The Department of Labor wants to make 401k enrollment mandatory, reports USA Today. They are proposing regulations that will "encourage" companies to force enrollment on those who would not enroll themselves.

"We want to remove barriers for people to save for retirement, and automatic enrollment really addresses one of the problems that people face: They may be overwhelmed with the responsibility of saving for retirement," says Ann Combs, assistant secretary at the Labor Department's Employee Benefits Security Administration...

The Labor Department says the proposed regulation should give employers who automatically enroll workers in a 401(k) plan some protection from lawsuits if the investment options chosen are "reasonable." Some companies are reluctant to use automatic enrollment for fear that employees whose investments lost money would sue.

So just whose money is it any way? While I participate in a 401k and retirement planning, it's still nice to know that I can forgo my retirement contribution and take the cash should I want it. And there are any number of reasons why someone might not want to participate in a 401k plan. Perhaps they don't have the money, or perhaps they prefer to invest in another retirement vehicle outside of work. Taking the choice away sounds too much like a second Social Security plan.