I've been thinking about this recently: I think our economy is fake.
Restaurants are expensive lately, but still, as a former restaurant owner, even the expensive 10$ takeout burrito I don't think would be possible without the great many laws the supply chain breaks. Undocumented labor from the farms through to the restaurants, for starters. Then the fact that the equipment we use is built in places that don't have our labor or health and safety laws, which lets those places manufacture for much cheaper prices, which feels like cheating.
If we actually had a level playing field and didn't break laws, I don't think most of the luxuries we enjoy could actually exist at anywhere near current prices (and thus not at all).
Restaurants are expensive lately, but still, as a former restaurant owner, even the expensive 10$ takeout burrito I don't think would be possible without the great many laws the supply chain breaks. Undocumented labor from the farms through to the restaurants, for starters. Then the fact that the equipment we use is built in places that don't have our labor or health and safety laws, which lets those places manufacture for much cheaper prices, which feels like cheating.
If we actually had a level playing field and didn't break laws, I don't think most of the luxuries we enjoy could actually exist at anywhere near current prices (and thus not at all).