This is mostly down to people being afraid of anything even remotely trades-like. Learn to do some basic home repair, it will save you thousands.
> This graph can mean different things to different people: it can mean “what’s regulated versus what isn’t” to some, “where technology makes a difference”
Cars are pretty heavily regulated...
What I see is what is necessary to live and what isn't. Elastic vs inelastic demand.
> the average American middle-class household can comfortably manage a new car lease every two years
Huh, no, the average American middle-class household cannot do this.
> If one sector becomes hugely productive, and creates tons of well-paying jobs, then every other sector’s wages eventually have to rise, in order for their jobs to remain attractive for anyone.
I'm sorry, but anyone who has lived in the lower income brackets knows this just isn't true.
This is hard to read. Whoever wrote this is extremely out of touch and thinks they're eminently intelligent. It reminds me of the "smug San Francisco" South Park episode. The world is going down a road of hurt and you've got elites who are so busy "winning" over the past 50 years running around sniffing their own farts.