I think the OP is describing a temporary web glitch, as I do not have trouble looking at (and downloading) the detailed fare rules before I purchase.

And, though I haven't done it in a while, I remember entering my ticket number (not PNR) on the AA refunds site and having access to the detailed fare rules before "pulling the trigger" for a refund.

I do agree the airlines in the US went from regulated to completely deregulated, replete with consumer-unfriendly features like one-sided Conditions of Carriage, poor protection in many cases of irregular operations, "bait and switch" tactics like low outbound fares and high return fares, the ability to design their own regulations (Warsaw-Montreal etc.) and much more. Airlines have the ethics of opportunistic predators, basically, and AA is no different than the average legacy US airline in that regard.

If there is anything good about that, it is that FlyerTalk was born at least partially as a result to that.