Reply #45: First, I don't need an engineer to tell me about complex systems... [View All]

[IrateCitizen]

... because I AM an engineer.

What you are proposing is would be the equivalent of an engineer completely ignoring aspects of a system that are inconvenient to address for the problem he/she wants to solve. The end solution, while it might look fine on paper to someone who didn't want to consider undesirable realities, would fail miserably when subjected to those realities.

What you decry as being so completely unfeasible is actually practiced in some Western nations. For instance, in Holland, people pay a tax on their cars at the point of purchase, the proceeds from which go directly to employing people to strip all useful materials from those autos at the time they are junked. This way, the public bears less environmental cost associated with disposal, not to mention using less raw material in the future.

In short, it is a representation of what economics is SUPPOSED to be about -- the allocation of scant resources in the most efficient way possible. It is also about breaking down the entire process into steps, and addressing each step.

What you are advocating isn't breaking down the process into individual steps and addressing them individually. What you are advocating is a system that just ignores certain features that are inconvenient. Sorry, but you're not going to get me to buy such claptrap as a workable solution.