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Re:The stuff we need is getting more expensive, other stuff ... by metaphorm on Friday August 19, 2016 @05:56PM (#12323811)
none of these things can be mass produced, even in principle.

housing supply can be increased to a certain extent but it's not straightforward. increasing housing supply in marginal areas leads to untenable situations. increasing housing supply in high demand areas is incredibly difficult for many reasons, some of which are regulatory (and solveable) others are simply the hard fact that you can't add more square miles to the surface of the earth.

healthcare can't be mass produced. it is strictly limited by availability of medical facilities, doctors, nurses, and health care administrators.

education can't be mass produced. it is strictly limited by availability of educational institutions. the university is a smoldering ruin these days, if you hadn't noticed. its possible that alternative approaches to education might be a good way to dramatically increase the supply available. it's a conversation we need to start having as a society.

essential food products CAN be mass produced and they already are. increases in commodity prices are heavily linked to geopolitics, energy economies (processing, refrigeration, and distribution tend to dominate costs and those are all functions of energy price), and long established dietary habits. it would be much more efficient for people to eat 90% less meat than they presently do but good luck changing the habit on a mass scale.

Re:The stuff we need is getting more expensive, other stuff ... by doctorpangloss on Friday August 19, 2016 @07:07PM (#12324155)
> healthcare can't be mass produced

It certainly is for livestock.