Very instructive. Thanks.
I got the chart from the Washington Post. A couple of sources theorize that the 70s peak, which I never mentioned politically or otherwise, originated in the War on Drugs that Nixon started in 1971. Well, I guess that would make it political.
The "self evident social phenomenon" you bring up has been going on for decades, not just during recessions, but during roaring economic growth periods. There's more to it.
And think real hard about that headline. "Cui bono."