My name is Steven Lang and I got hired a couple of months ago to be BenefitsPro's retirement editor. While I'm a veteran writer and editor who's covered tech and some financial topics, I'm not on top of all the issues and players moving this market. Not yet, anyway.

I hope some of you will take the time to share your concerns about retirement in this country and the policies that shape it and its direction – or lack thereof – at the federal, state and municipal levels. I'll talk about your thoughts with the other editors and maybe, they'll end up as starting points for stories or discussion.

What I do know, very well, is what I was taught at home. Both of my parents were New York City public school teachers and felt very strongly about their union – The United Federation of Teachers, which started in 1960. Its president was a dedicated but controversial guy named Albert Shanker, who ruled for 20 years, from 1964 until '84.