So, suddenly the Boots Theory of Poverty is a subject for study and for public attention?
Uh-oh.
See, the thing here is... the applicable economic phenomenon is kinda fundamental. In verse form, it would fit right in with The Gods of the Copybook Headings. There's nothing to study, and no point to raising public awareness.
Yes, people at large should be aware of it, as an aspect of how the world works. Thinking in those terms might lead some to scrimp on unnecessary expenditures so as to save up money for buying longer-lasting durable goods. Promoting long-term thinking by the poor is good; it might help some of them escape poverty. But that's not how the Establishment works.
If the Establishment is deciding we need to hear about this now, then either it's yet another distraction or the Establishment has decided that Something Must Be Done - perhaps that the cheap-crap tier of goods must be eliminated entirely (which, given that most of our manufacturing has long since been outsourced, would be a consequence of any major East Asian conflict).
Eliminating inexpensive, poorly-made boots would eliminate the exploitation of the poor by evil profiteers selling inferior-quality footwear - and leave the poor barefoot. Or maybe the poor will be issued government boots, whether they fit or not. Um. Government-issue boots. Did I just hear something about setting up local draft boards...?
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