> I don't think socialism or a high salary is necessary to have a higher quality of life over the long term Agreed, though this really only applies to younger

> I don't think socialism or a high salary is necessary to have a higher quality of life over the long term Agreed, though this really only applies to younger generations. A large portion of our currently unemployed are in the 40-60 year old bracket (aging population). It's unlikely a lot of these people are going to strike out into new careers. I'm sure some will, but it doesn't seem enough to make a difference. So we need to figure out how to care for them. And if we set up a social safety-net for everyone in the process, all the better. > As technology increases abundance, material goods will become cheaper. Possibly. Innovations like 3D printing are particularly interesting. As they become more sophisticated, predominately foreign manufacturing could come back home, albeit in the hands of "robots". Hopefully this would lower costs of goods, but the steady upward march of inflation leads me to think that's unlikely.