Why now though? Why didn’t this happen 50 years ago? 100 years ago? Have people suddenly become greedy and were somehow not greedy before? No, something (or somethings) have changed in the last few decades that brought this about.

Oh, that’s super easy, Reagan happened. It just takes a while for unstable systems to reach a tipping point. Reagan put that brain fart out there, and then the GOP picked up that ball and ran with it for all they were worth. They know a good grift when they see one.