I think the puppet masters are in trouble. Everything is going wrong on them. Tax revenues are lacking, retail businesses and gov’t expenses are rising. Additional costs with all this security crap. Ever since 9/11 TPTB are on the defense. Doing rain dances. They can’t win.
The system is running on fumes and placebo effects. Running on hot air. Plus every retail store is STILL, STILL full of imported Chinese Japanese, Vietnamese, Mexican et al crap. Wages lagging inflation for decades, not good for business or gov’t.