[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by slowmover

Ethnic cleansing = school desegregation.

So what you're really saying is that the racists couldn't handle having their kids associate with others that weren't lily-white. Don't think I need to comment further on that.

Housing patterns radically changed. And how many hundreds of billions in today's money was lost in home equity across America?

Did housing patterns really change? Or are you just seeing the fact that increasing prosperity in some sectors of society, and mobility made possible by automobiles, made it possible for the newly-prosperous to move out of the city? As for equity lost, where? If you mean the bursting of the bubble a few years ago, most places have come back.

Man has built cities since his beginning. Ask why, and let it sink in.

Cities have existed because the low speed of communication made it necessary to clump together for economic activity. Probably for as long as there have been cities, and certainly since the time of the Romans, those who could afford to live outside cities did so. Initially this was the rich, who could afford to maintain their country estates and come to "town" only occasionally.

With the development of railroads in the 19th century, some people gained the option of living in semi-country (suburbs, that is) while commuting to work in the city. The automobile made it available to even more people, and today, with the internet, more and more people can live outside cities and still find remunerative work.

You think those housewives just sat around? Maybe in your family, try widening the frame of reference. Women are at the heart of maintaining culture.

Yes, I do. 'Cause I grew up in those days, and saw it taking place all around me. As for "maintaining culture", I've really no idea what you mean. Gossiping with neighboring housewives, maybe?

And raising children is the central feature of life.

Huh? Quite apart from the basic circularity of this - you raise kids so they can raise kids, ad infinitum - it seems to leave out large parts of life. Even for those people who choose to have kids, it's something that occupies less than half the span of a normal adult life.

You don't honestly believe that work is is fulfilling do you? If so, we'd retire 20 years earlier than we do.

I don't know that I'd use the word "fulfilling", but I certainly find my work enjoyable. That's why I continue to do it even though I can afford to live on my investments. OTOH, most of my acquaintances who have raised kids seem to be quite relieved when (or sometimes if) they finally leave the nest.



The sacrifice might then be worthy it. Instead we give over children to minimum wage strangers. Wow, that's like having lost a war. We barely have a word in with our choice of work as it is.

And on top of it, greatly increased cost of those vehicles. In every dimension applicable.

Hardly. I think if you compare the inflation-adjusted cost of today's basic cars to a similar vehicle of say the 1960s, you'll find that they're cheaper. What the greatly increased cost is going for is the increased size, and all the fancy stuff that gets added for ego reasons.

There's a reasonable limit to FE and to emissions.

Sure, but the typical car sold today is nowhere close to those limits.