401K Good or Bad?

Most People have a 401K or some kind of plan where they are deferring paying their taxes. Are they really that good? The Advantages is that most are deducted from your paycheck before you get paid causing people to save money for the future. 401K's are suppose to be a great way to accumulate a lot of money, so when you retire, you will be making less money and it will supplement your income. But has everything been thought out about them. Let's pretend in 1979 I was making $12,000 dollars a year. 25 Years later, I was making $80,000. I retire on 75% of my pay. Now in Retirement I am making $60,000 a year. Does it make since to defer the taxes from 1979 when I was only making $12,000 a year. Now I am retired and I am making more. I am making less than when I retired but I am making more than I did 25 years ago because salaries keep going up. It is twice as bad for a married couple because you have 2 incomes which have gone up. Now you are paying more money for taxes because you are making more money. Married couple with the same income in 1979 is making $24,000 a year. 25 years later, they are making $160,000 a year. When they retire they are making $120,000 a year. Does it make since to defer the taxes from 1979 to the year 2004? You are making much less money in 1979 and it makes since to pay the taxes then, not in 2004 when you are making more money. If your salaries never increase, you should be OK. Most Peoples salaries increase due to inflation.