Excellent column.

re: "Drive until you qualify".

Bingo.

Let me use the example of 15 years in the lovely little fiefdom I came from a couple of years ago, Ithaca NY, or my pet name for it, Cornell World! (tm pending).

When school is in session the student population makes up 50% of the population of the City of Ithaca. Landlords take full advantage of the fact that many or most of the student's parents can easily afford just about anything, so they jack the rental rates on everything.  Drive a mile in any direction and you are at the edge of nowhere. My ability to rent started at about 5 miles out. The people I worked for who held management positions or owned a company were in their late 30s-early 40s and starting families, so they wanted that American Dream. That was 30-40 miles out of town.

So what's the Master Plan?  Keep buying those junkers and burn dinos night and day to juggle those 3 uniquely American  jobs.

All to serve those who cower in the shadow of the Death Tax.