I think the intent here is political rule rigging such as capital gains taxes which leads to situation where middle class has higher tax rate than super rich. T

I think the intent here is political rule rigging such as capital gains taxes which leads to situation where middle class has higher tax rate than super rich. There is plenty of political purchasing goes on every day by big shots as Donnald Trump often reminds us (he obtained several permits with phone calls to politicians). Personally I don't think mom and pops shops died because of rigged rules. They simply can't compete with economies of scale and selection. That's just evolution and survival of the fittest.