With the promulgation of the new tax law and the full cooperation of the IRS, the Justice League, and Sky Eye, the United States had basically returned to the path of state capitalism before Christmas arrived. More specifically, it was capitalism subject to strong state intervention—the so-called "visible hand."
The free market emphasized by capitalism was, in essence, a means of redistributing social resources through the market itself. But anyone could see that such distribution inevitably had inertia.
Just like what the Kent family farm had experienced: when taxes were high, subsidies were also high, so farmers could only rely on farm revenue. But once mandatory subsidies were canceled, farmers would no longer put cash into reproduction; they would take it into finance instead.
This was not because they were evil, nor because they were stupid. It was simply the nature of the free market.
Think about it. They worked the land for an entire year, facing the soil with their backs to the sky. Although the United States mainly practiced mechanized agriculture, the busy farming season was still exhausting. Even if they did not plow or harvest personally, all sorts of farm chores would take up most of a farmer's time. After working all year, they only earned so much, and most of it had to be spent preparing for next year's production, leaving little extra money in hand.
But if, in a certain year, they put all the money they earned into the financial market and caught a favorable trend, they could become rich overnight. What they earned in one year might exceed ten years of farm income. During a bubble's expansion, getting rich through finance was simply too easy.
This was especially true for farmers and factory owners with real industries. By selling their assets, they could