Where today’s stock market is fueled by money that people are counting on to provide them with a bit of comfort in old age, with an addition of Social Security funds, Wall Street would be pumped up with the funds on which many more people depend for outright survival.  What would be the social and political implications of such an arrangement?

To give just one hypothetical example, what if a major corporation were involved in dumping cancer-causing pollutants, and that to discontinue the practice would seriously threaten its financial viability?   If the offending business were large enough to hold a great many people’s retirement security hostage to the price of its stock, would government find the courage to give adequate, mandated attention to our environmental health and safety needs?

How about if a whole industry were in this position?

What about other violations of public laws and policies?  Would our government properly enforce antitrust laws, if by so doing it would reduce the profitability of a company in which large numbers of people had their retirement money invested?  How about product safety standards?   Financial disclosure regulations?  The list of possibilities is endless.