Thankfully, the citizenry is irrational and self-interested, which enables an entire cottage industry of sheisters, marketers and psychologists, which then engineer our attention spans and purchasing decisions.

Turns out a large enough number of humans can be controlled by ads that cost less money than the money they generate by controlling these humans.

I like the idea, but "purely rational citizenry" is a theoretical construct.

And even if they/we were purely rational, there's the intractable problem of measuring the cost of future cleanups stretching into forever.

Plus the danger (certainty) of corporations paying out their current executives and then declaring bankruptcy.

Theyd also nationalize certain products to minimize unnecessary waste and churn.