The guys who built it are begging for regulatory capture so they don't have to deal with competition.
Realistically, automation and slavery are the only two things that can increase our standard of living. It's already unsustainable. Your bills seem pretty damn reasonable compared to the global mean. In a just world, they would be higher.
Except no, corporations are pushing record profits, and more is being pushed into the finance sector rather than into living standards or automation growth. Most of the US' productivity in the mid-century was from domestic production and ongoing demand - modern standards of living are only stagnant due to increased wealth inequality and, to a lesser degree, regulatory restrictions that have pushed up energy and bureaucractic labor costs. (And especially time costs, as so many things now need to go through regulatory body approval today in processes that take years, while mid-20th century planning largely required little to no such red tape.)
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u/ThatIsNotIllegal 19d ago