This is a long discussion. I think of synthetic extraction and monetization. Politicians only have one tool in their toolbox: taxing. That's it. This is why the only lever they pull is to raise taxes. They can't unwind the enormous infrastructure they built to orchestrate the taxing, so they must continue adding newer layers. They now have a doom-loop and it's accelerating: high taxes causes the wealthy and productive to flee. The people who can't flee are trapped. Look at Baltimore.