Somebody in the office just gave me a copy of "The 401(k) Safe Harbor Blues: A Rap Song," printed in the May-June, 1999 issue of The Pension Actuary. It put me in mind of a poem I read over 20 years ago, the title of which I have forgotten, although I have (unaccountably) remembered most of the verses.
The poem was written in response to the then-recent passage of TEFRA. The parts I remember are below, although the occasional "..." indicates passages that now elude me:
ERISA Muse, come forth anon
Ere yet it is too late.
Be quick! Or else 'tis come and gone,
Determination date.
If in a fortnight law doth hold
My benefits 'crued too many,
Forsooth! I fear it will unfold
My plan will turn top-heavy.
...to appease this TEFRA demon,
to be forced to vest and benefit
my overpaid non-key men.
O rosy 'RISA, guide me right
Tell me what to do
...that I might
top-heaviness eschew.
I don't remember the title, just that it was rather long, something to do with a sole shareholder and his defined benefit plan. Also, there is a second poem, in which the ERISA Muse replies, but I never saw it.
Is anyone familiar with this poetry, and can you direct me to the source?