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Whatever the reasons of higher expense, key items are still pricier.

• manfredo 8y ago
  Many of those "key" items weren't even considered "key" items a matter of decades ago, because their costs were too high for the average family and most didn't even think to expect those things. When did the notion that even every moderate high school student go to a four year university become prevalent? Certainly it was some time in the last half century. Same with electricity. Electricity and associated electronics have become so prevalent that we buy desks with USB ports, and the thought of living in an home with no electricity is practically foreign to most people. And healthcare? Infant mortality nearly halved from 1949 to 1970 (28 to 17 per 1000 live births), and has since more than halved over again (5.8). I think it's important to view the trajectory of progress not in how is lines up with how reality lines up with our expectations (because any optimistic society will - and should - strive for better), but by seeing how our reality lines with with what used to be reality.
  • User23 8y ago
    When did the notion that every even moderate high school student could get a job and buy a house stop being prevalent? Certainly it was some time in the last half century. Yes we get it, it's great that we have antibiotics and electricity, but it's completely missing the point. Food, shelter, education, and health are not luxury goods, they are the foundation of a functioning civilization.