...and slash regulations. I know this has always been their goal but damn. He doesn't even need anything more, he has almost everything money can buy, and he thought, "ok, I have to try to buy the government".
Mike Pondsmith just extrapolated the trends he saw in the society - corporatism, drugs, plastic surgeries, stress, crime, prostitution. He just pushed these things to the extreme and put in scifi setting. This isn't just Trump thing, this is happening for decades now.
Because launching a rocket isn't without consequence. Shouldn't just launch willy nilly every day because you have it, there are other factors (environment, structural damage, etc)to consider which he does not care about.