I believe that if you want to control crony capitalism, the first step is eliminating the corporate income tax. Taxing corporations does nothing but crack the door to Congress for big business. It provides an incentive to lobby lawmakers for carve outs and gives politicians the leverage they need to be auctioned off as a result.

I suppose confused is the right way to put it with regard to the electorate at large, not just the left; but I wouldn’t go so far to suggest it is deliberate, that would imply some sort of larger conspiracy. I have no doubt there are groups of people who are gaming the system for their personal gain, but I don’t believe that is the result of some global conspiracy or decades long game of 4d chess.

With regard to not just the left, but both sides of political spectrum, they each wish to wield the power of the State in a way that bends other’s to act in a way they deem morally righteous. From 10,000 feet it looks and feels like a conspiracy, but it can’t be anything more than the emergent order of individuals taking action as a result of the unintended consequences of political and social hubris.