So far they still commit crimes, just because you disagree with the law does not change a thing about the fact.
Maybe you're too damn young to remember, but "trickle down" economics was instituted by Reagan, who is a Republican. On the flip side, "deregulation" was championed by Clinton, who is a Democrat.
The guy who blew up the national debt like no one before him? The one whose tax cuts didn't pay for themselves (they never do) and who went on a spending spree? You mean that fiscally responsible Republican? Did you watch the video? Watch the video. We all know this, but Reich really brings it home.
I wasn't trying to be politico, but merely mentioning the facts. Whether trickle-down economics (aka Reaganomics) actually worked is quite debatable since his government, as you correctly pointed out, spent so damn much on the military-industrial complex--although that might be justified at the time, considering that Cold War was still raging. Anyway, as I've mentioned earlier, the trickle-down approach can only be sustainable in an economy where strong middle class is present. They're the backbone of the US economy because (obviously) they make up 2/3 of the GDP. I can't find it. Post a link.
The problem is that trickle down economics squeezes out the middle class. A better name for it might be tinkle down economics:
The Swiss recently had a referendum to cap executive pay but it did not pass as the campaigners went a bit too far wanting the becoming typical 200x their low paid workers set to 12x. Had they just capped it at 200x which is modest relative to some economies it might have passed. Of course then 200x would have become that standard.
An academic assessment of "trickle down", also known as supply-side economics, is included in economist John Quiggin's delightful book "Zombie Economics". "Zombie economics" refers to economic fads that died a long time ago but keep coming back from the dead to haunt our politicians' rhetoric. According to experts, you can only kill a Zombie by destroying its brain or complete dismemberment.
I had a notion to ask the Google Bard AI about similarities between zombies of the Cranberries' song and conservatives. Quite amusing. "There are some parallels between the zombies in the song and conservatives. Both zombies and conservatives are often seen as being mindless and destructive. They are also both seen as being driven by forces that they cannot control. However, it is important to remember that not all conservatives are like this, and not all zombies are like this. There are many thoughtful and compassionate conservatives, just as there are many intelligent and creative zombies." So Bard is really saying there are no thoughtful and compassionate conservatives with a wink.