It depends on how one measures poorer. Economists will look at a society with more cars per person as a good sign. I view it as a bad one if the country is al

It depends on how one measures poorer. Economists will look at a society with more cars per person as a good sign. I view it as a bad one if the country is already wealthy. The profligacy of Americans is obscene and makes us poorer in spirit, morality, and we pay for it with unhealthy lives. The accompanying lack of walking by Americans alone leads to a less healthy lifestyle. We also lose out on the mental benefits that walking provides. We gain a higher amount of pollution due to emissions from cars and the increased amount of resource extraction that comes with it.