We have an over emphasis on finance in our system. After off shoring everything for decades we got cheaper goods for a while and with the dollar as the world’s currency we got to export a lot of our inflation. On the shorter time frame we’ve pumped a ton of money into the system. The powers that be could’ve put that money to work building out manufacturing instead the money went into assets and now stocks and houses are really expensive. So basic inflation is going on too much money chasing too few goods and it is because the big inflation has been going on in assets. And the deflation from technology has about run its course, everyone has a smart phone and a flat screen TV.
This is the end result of 40+ years of pushing the tax burden onto the middle class all in a massive transfer of wealth from the public to the private. The elites have captured the political system to benefit themselves and the rest of us just watch as our institutions are slowly dismantled. Meanwhile what are we investing in actually building? Infrastructure… not really. Better social safety nets… hell no. We are investing in making more weapons… because this is what happens when a small group of elites has too much control in a system we the little guys end up fighting their stupid wars.