First World Appetitions

Sitting around watching *How It's Made* on the TV & witnessing the wonders of robotic manufacture, it occurs to me that at the level of First World consumer items it should be the case that an hybrid electric automobile could be manufactured that would only cost a few hundred dollars and that could likely last decades...I guess one could argue that there might be even more advanced and superior vehicles that need to be made room for...but why?  A 100 years ago it took about half an hour for non-farm workers to get to their jobs.  Today, it takes about the same amount of time.    But maybe that's all the wrong speculation.   How about minimally polluting rail or air travel?  Still should be real cheap. 

And Singapore, a tiny crowded city-state is using the ash from its incinerated trash to expand the size of its territory by building an artificial island offshore that is beautifully landscaped with trees and plants.  Likely it will become an upscale housing development, but it seems like a good idea.   The trash that gets incinerated represents the 54% or so of Singapore's garbage that is NOT otherwise recycled. 

New York City incinerates its non-recyclable trash also, using much the same kind of equipment although I don't know what the City does with its ash. 

Jumping many, many steps ahead in an argument that will never be settled in my lifetime, it seems to me that if everyone had adequate food, clothing, shelter & easy access to any desired health and education resources, humanity could well afford the risk of any "moral hazard" resulting from same.   For none of those things do more than provide a platform for *possible* happiness and none guarantee it. 

R.