The Bush administration's new proposed regulations threaten employees whose companies provide traditional pension plans, because they make it easier for some companies to move to a different kind of pension plan and reduce some employees' benefits, according to this opinion piece. The regulations apply only to defined-benefit plans, and older workers are the ones at the most risk--and some companies, fearing lawsuits, have changed their plans with provisions to protect older workers. The provisions make clear the Treasury Department position that cash-balance pension conversions are not necessarily age-discriminatory, and provide conditions for employers to meet to make their changes legally safe, but it will be difficult for workers to decipher their plans, the commentary says.