It's all due to a very complicated economic super storm of many factors that basically nobody can control very well or very quickly. It's not ultimately controlled by a little man behind a curtain - even though some try, or think that's the reasons.
The "economic monster" does what it wants so to speak based on the actions and reactions of the entire society, and world to an extent ... and the economic momentum once on a big roll is very hard to change. Been that way with every drastic economic up turn, down turn, boom, recession and depression. If you do enough research and don't listen to the very biased talking heads the picture becomes more clear.
In my area, where there are 2.5 million people in one county, I've have rarely seen many "bare shelves". Even AA extra large eggs are never out and still only $1.79/dozen. Ptetty much everything has increased in price (what hasn't?), but still lots of things are even on sale quite often where I shop. Just because stuff isn't available where someone is located doesn't mean it's that way across the entire country.
I don't believe it's all that complicated. Not in the least. A well run country is no different than a well run company. Just a few people at the top determine its overall course, and success or failure, by the policies and procedures they choose to implement.
Many times these individuals have to navigate their course through treacherous waters, much like the captain of a ship. Everyone under them does their jobs to the best of their own abilities. But ultimately they are at the mercy of the decisions made by those in command.
As an example, I worked many years for a family run corporation, that was started by the grandfather, in a garage behind his house after the Second World War.
And was further built into a major corporation by his son, that ended up employing well over 200 people in a 75,000 sq. ft. plant that they built from the ground up. And expanded twice.
The company made multi millionaires out of 7 seperate families, over a 40 year period. Hard work by intelligent individuals running it made that possible. The father retired and turned it all over to his 2 sons, who were basically idiots. 7 years later they completely destroyed it, filed for bankruptcy, and closed their doors.
Back to us. We had a good running country. Then, we the people put an idiot in charge of it. We see the results in less than 2 years. I don't believe in coincidence.
And we're not alone. The same thing rapidly happened to Venezuela, which used to be the economic powerhouse of South America, and South Africa, which was much the same to the continent of Africa. Now both have been turned into total stink holes by stupid leadership.
Idiots in charge always come to be the reason why these things take place. Not all the planets becoming somehow magically aligned in a million to one chance.
And for what it's worth I found your post interesting. And I couldn't reply to you in any other manner. If this thread somehow gets locked, or else disappears, I apologise for it. But that is getting to be par for the course around here.