Tax incentives are different than handouts. At any rate, it's certainly nothing new and you could attribute this sort of thing as playing a part in the United States's economic success.
States fighting amongst themselves to give the most generous handouts doesn't ensure national success. Perhaps that makes sense in regards to national tax incentives but not state ones.
Spinning getting divided and conquered and screwed into offering an unfair tax deal just to get Amazon in your state as the key to economic success is some trickle down shit. Why not have solidarity amongst states and tax Amazon fairly? Instead of having to shoot yourself in the foot economically years down the line when you have to adopt costly self-destructive measures to reverse the economic inequality you entrenched for no good actual reason?
I think the fact that tax and regulatory incentives work so well should underscore the importance of keeping taxation and regulation to the minimum necessary. When taxes are high and regulations are too stringent, it can choke an economy.