> I fail to see what occurred in the late 80s By the late 80s, the US gov't was finally acknowledging and trying to raise awareness about the AIDS crisis. '89

> I fail to see what occurred in the late 80s By the late 80s, the US gov't was finally acknowledging and trying to raise awareness about the AIDS crisis. '89 probably had a brief sigh of relief as the Berlin wall came down and the Cold war was clearly drawing to an end. On a positive note, the early 90s were the end of the USSR. But it also meant Bush the senior and the first war declared on former US puppet Saddam Hussein. It was the largest hot war the US had had since Vietnam and there were even rumors at the time of reinstituting the draft. Those things affected my confidence in the government at the time. I assume that the numbers are at least partially attributed to them.