Applebaum's mistake is in believing that environmental responsibility comes at the cost of continued poverty. The problem is that poverty has nothing to do with the environment, except for the fact that most poor people live in shitty environments. The true dilemma is Western greed. It is Western greed that drives Nigerian oilfield workers into slave wages; it is Western greed that throws Pakistani children into sweatshops; it is Western greed that chews up and spits out Chinese laborers. Westerners want cheap cars, cheap oil, cheap housing, and cheap guilt. They want Oprah to massage them, they want Dr. Phil to applaud them, and they want Donald Trump to smile at them. The answer is not an inexpensive car; rather the answer is to do without a car. True independence is not just a piece of paper signed by Thomas Jefferson. True independence comes with the knowledge that happiness cannot be measured out, or quantified.