My response to that question is always: Tell me what YOU make in your current position. Their response: None of your business. My response back: Exactly. So let's negotiate, not worry about what I make or don't make in my current postion. It is irrelevant to the position you are hiring for.
Yes, they have and they have fucked up everything that was once good about this state.
The thing is, that's not satire. It's the "suicide weekend" noted by Q.