Specifically, philosophical/political alignment between corporate America and the "middle class" work force.
If your retirement and/or life savings are linked to corporate profits, then you are more likely to adopt the philosophy of said profiteers. In other words, your retirement success is dictated by union busting, reduced operating costs (ie wages, benefits), neutard envrionmental protection and worker saftey laws, and handsome rewards for the CEO's that get the fore mentioned agenda accomplished. This is an extension of the "for the good of me" approach as opposed to the "for the good of American workers" approach.
Even Union members are buying in to the notion.
The conservative mantra is always that of "private industry can do it better than government." This mantra is the foundation to their message and only after people generally believe this not to be true, will the move toward privatization with reduced government involvement and/or regulation cease to expand.
The privatization/ corporate control of our collective retirements has been a slow, ongoing process. It started with 401K and will not stop until Social Security and Medicare are privatized as well.
Even after 2008, when most every American took a big hit to their 401k, most are still sold on the idea that corporate America is the "safe play" with retirement.
Myself, I refuse to invest in corporations. My 401k is strictly invested in 3 month US treasury bills. My revenue is reduced, but I will claim that I didn't lose money in 2008 either. On principal, I buy US Treasury bills in the same spirit as those that bought War Bonds during WW2. It is for the good of the country plus I don't trust 'em (corporate officers). They won't be happy until they steal your retirement.
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