money money money money money

This essay on the editorial page of today's NEW YORK TIMES made me very sad. More and more I am frightened by the way our society seems so money-driven, that every choice becomes an economic one, and that the short-term gain seems always to win out over more abstract, long-term considerations. Why do car makers continue to manufacture gas-guzzling SUVs? The other day, when moving the car, I asked a man in his Range Rover if he wouldn't mind turning the engine off, since he was sitting in the car, windows open, with clearly no need for heat or air-conditioning. His reply? "I can afford the gas."